Traveling Light
by OurHouse
Summary: Three lonely people. One just had her dream crushed, the other enjoys his solitude and the third lost everything she ever loved. House & Cuddy's lives intertwine with a young girl, can they help each other obtain what they need in their lives? HUDDY.
1. Prologue

**Traveling Light**

**Prologue**

She entered the mall through the least crowded entrance, not wanting to be seen by too many people and especially not wanting to be spotted by security. Her hair was unkempt and her clothes were torn and dirty. If anyone saw her they would know she didn't belong there and that she was up to no good. She was small so most people wouldn't notice her but she didn't want to take the chance that someone would stop her and ask if she was lost and to help her find her parents. She wanted to go unnoticed; it was easier that way. She slipped into the women's restroom to clean herself up before she roamed the corridors of the mall. She hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday and she was starving. She hated stealing but she had to find some food. Her brother once told her it was better to steal than starve, and that's what she was doing.

Walking through the mall she spotted several people she could steal from. People were very careless with their belongings, leaving their shopping bags for anyone to grab. She wasn't looking for merchandise though; she needed money. And the only way to get that was to steal a purse. Businesswomen were the easiest targets because they carried their purses on their shoulders and never paid attention to the people around them because they were too busy shopping or talking on their cell phones; they also wore high heels so they couldn't run after you. Her brother had taught her that.

She sat herself down on a bench across from some shops she thought plenty of businesswomen might shop at. A clothing store, shoe store, bookstore, and a baby store. She had to find the perfect one. It was almost the end of the lunch hour so most of them had already gone back to work. She kept her eyes on several women at a time, watching each one carefully. She spotted a tall blonde woman coming out of the fancy clothing store with a shopping bag in her hand but no purse on her shoulder. The woman looked mean anyway; if she did get caught she's pretty sure the woman would have her thrown in an institution for juvenile delinquents.

She glanced around and saw another woman standing outside of a baby apparel store. She looked like she was having trouble deciding whether to go in or not and she had a sad look on her face. The woman was very beautiful, with curly dark hair, just like her own hair, she noticed. She wondered what would make a woman that beautiful look so sad. After standing there for several minutes, the woman finally went in. She decided that woman would be her target.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

12:40 PM

Lisa Cuddy had been walking through the mall on her lunch hour trying to find a gift for a friend of hers. Her friend was getting ready to have a baby and she had thought of the perfect gift to get her. This was her friend's first child and she was so excited for her. But ever since the adoption with Joy fell through a few months ago, she hasn't let herself think about adoption or babies because it was too painful. She had finally given up on ever having children. Shopping for her friend only reminded her of her inability to conceive a child by any means or to even get one through adoption. It was just never meant to be. After standing outside the store for a few moments, she decided to get it over with, slowly stepping inside the store.

Walking into the store had been an assault to her senses. She saw all the mothers with their children in strollers or being carried in their mother's arms. The store had that sweet baby smell in it that almost made her tear up and feel the loss all over again. Cuddy quickly made her purchase and left.

Cuddy was walking out of the baby store with her shopping bag in her hand and her purse on her shoulder when she felt someone bump into her from behind and felt her purse being snatched from her. She was slow to react because it happened so fast that she didn't know what was going on until she realized her purse had been ripped off of her shoulder. She saw a small figure run away with her purse down the mall corridor.

"Hey!" she shouted.

The mall was busy this time of day so several people turned around to look at her. Cuddy couldn't run after the thief in her shoes and they were already halfway down the escalators. Cuddy couldn't believe what had just happened. She stood there with her shopping bag in her left hand, sighing in defeat as she lowered her head and rubbed her forehead with her hand.

No one stopped to ask if she was all right or if she needed help. Everyone passing by just stared and felt sorry for her. She decided to go to the mall security office to have them search the mall for the little thief.

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She ran into the women's restroom on the bottom floor of the mall with the purse in her hand and went into one of the stalls, locking it. She figured the mall had cameras around it so she made sure to keep her head down and find somewhere that would be undetected by anyone.

She was in the stall with the baby-changing table, opening it up, she dumped out the contents of the purse. She found a wallet with a twenty dollar bill and a bunch of credit cards. She couldn't use the credit cards because no one would buy that a child was given permission to use their parent's credit cards. She found the woman's driver license, an ID badge for a hospital, keys, and a few other things. She was glad about the cash; a lot of people didn't carry it around anymore. At least she would get to eat today.

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Cuddy was sitting in the security office talking to one of the guards. Once she explained what had happened, she gave them a description of the child.

"A young girl with shoulder length, dark curly hair. I didn't see her face, but she was wearing a light blue thin jacket, jeans and tennis shoes. I couldn't tell how old she was, but she was very small. That was all I saw, it happened so fast." Cuddy explained.

The security guard nodded his head, "We've had a string of thefts here lately, but this one seems unrelated; the others had to do with stolen merchandise, not personal property. Also, the store managers described them as teenagers, not children. Are sure that's what you saw?"

"I believe so yes."

"Alright, we'll check the tapes and contact you if we find your purse or the thief."

"Thank you."

The security guard offered to taker her back to the hospital since there was no way to get in her car or drive it without her keys. As she sat in the passenger's seat of the officer's car she looked out the window watching the traffic go by. 'Damn it' Cuddy thought; all of her credit cards, her driver's license, hospital ID, cell phone and her keys were all in her purse. She had called AAA to have her car towed to her house so it wouldn't get stolen or broken into at the mall.

When the officer dropped her off in front of the hospital, she quickly walked in and made it to her office without being hounded by anyone wanting her to sign something or even better, without running into House. Cuddy set her bag down beside her desk and picked up the phone to start canceling her credit cards and to call about getting a new cell phone.

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After leaving the mall with the purse, she walked to the nearest fast food restaurant to get something to eat with the money she had stolen. She couldn't risk eating in the mall because the police would be looking for her. She got herself a kid's meal and pocketed the rest of the cash for tomorrow. Twenty dollars was a lot of money for her; she'd be able to use that for a couple of days.

Sitting in the restaurant eating her food, she pulled out the lady's wallet again and looked at the address on the hospital badge. She was a doctor, which meant she had a lot of money. Remembering the lady's sad expression earlier in the mall, she felt bad for taking her purse; she looked like a nice person. Maybe she could somehow return it to the lady without being seen and getting caught. She couldn't use the rest of the stuff anyway.

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2:30 PM

Later that afternoon in the lobby of the hospital, the young girl stood at the glass doors having just walked in from the cold and snow outside. She looked around the lobby and spotted a tall man standing at the front desk looking at something. She noticed he had a cane, and he wore a slight scowl of concentration on his face.

She slowly walked up to him and tugged on his blazer when he failed to notice her standing next to him. He looked down at her and furrowed his brow. Without saying a word, she handed the purse she had stolen up to him. He glanced at the purse and then at her again. He reached out and took the purse from her and she slowly backed away from him and turned around, walking back to the entrance of the hospital.

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House looked at the purse in his hand. He wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. He looked around to see if anyone else had witnessed it but no one else seemed to be paying attention. House put the purse down on the counter and poured out the contents. He looked through the contents and spotted a familiar hospital ID. He smirked and started rifling through the rest of her things. A wallet, keys, cell phone, checkbook, lipstick, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and few other things he didn't care about.

Replacing the contents he grabbed the purse and headed to her office. He barged in as usual and made her jump. He loved doing that to her, for some reason it made him happy to surprise her like that. He held up the purse in his left hand.

"Lose something?" Raising his eyebrows at her as he sat down in the chair across from her desk.

Cuddy glared at him until she noticed what he had in his hand, and her expression changed to one of complete surprise. "House, where did you get that?" She reached her hand out for it.

"What's it worth to you?" He said, pulling it away from her grasp.

Cuddy glared at him again and kept her hand extended toward him to give it back to her. "It was stolen this afternoon, how'd you get it?"

Having his answer and seeing that she wasn't going to play his game he handed it to her. "Some kid handed it to me out in the lobby." He stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"What? What did this kid look like?" She was so surprised that she stood up from her desk and started walking out of her office, until his voice stopped her.

"She's gone."

Cuddy turned around just before she got to the door. "A little girl with dark curly hair?" She asked in shock.

"Yeah, that's the one. Why?" He had stood up as well and was now facing her.

"She's the one that stole it. Why didn't you stop her?"

"How was I supposed to know she stole your purse?" He asked with a scowl on his face.

Cuddy closed her eyes and shook her head at her ridiculous question. Of course he wouldn't know that. "Sorry I'm just surprised that she brought it back, that's all."

"An honorable thief…that's awfully hypocritical don't you think." He said sarcastically.

Without responding Cuddy went to sit behind her desk again. She was still stunned that her purse had been returned, and by the thief, no less. She looked up at House.

"Thank you, House. I have to make a few phone calls, could you excuse me?"

"I could, but I…" He started to say, when Cuddy interrupted him.

"House!" Cuddy had not had a good day today and she was in not mood for House's pain in the ass behavior.

Surprised at her tone, he raised his eyebrows. "Clearly not in the mood for my wit today. That's ok, I'm a fountain of wit. Unfortunately, like any other fountain you have to toss me some coin to get your wish."

Cuddy sighed loudly. "You can leave the clinic an hour early today, if you leave my office right now."

"Done!" House swiftly turned and left her office.

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After catching up on some work she needed to get done because of spending most of the day dealing with the credit card and cell phone companies, Cuddy decided to call it a day at around 5:00. She was gathering some work to take home with her when she suddenly remembered that she didn't have a car.

She sighed in exasperation. 'Today sucks,' she thought. She dialed Wilson's office to see if he'd be able to give her a ride home but there was no answer. 'Shit,' she whispered, lowering her head on her desk. Having a sudden thought, she lifted her head. Deciding to take a shot in the dark that House might still be in his office, she picked up the phone.

"What up boss?" He said in his best gangsta voice.

"Oh thank God, you're still here." Furrowing her brow in suspicion, she asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Kutner refused to download my porn for me again…and by the way, the answer is no to whatever you were going to ask me." He smirked.

"House, I need a ride home, after my purse was stolen I had my car towed to my house so I wouldn't have to leave it in the mall parking lot since my keys were in my purse. Now, I can't get home."

"Were you afraid the toddler was going to steal your Beamer?" He said sarcastically.

"I don't drive a Beamer and she could've had help, so would you please be nice just this once and drive me home?"

"I don't do nice, what do I get in return?" He asked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and sighed loudly into the phone, ready to commence the negotiations.

"I'll pay for your lunch for the rest of the week." She offered.

"I have Wilson for that. Try again."

"You know, House, one of these days you're going to need a favor from me and I'm not going to make it easy for you."

"That's the way this game is played, Cuddles. So what do I get?"

"Fine, since I know what you're wanting I'll give it to you." She said, rolling her eyes.

House raised his eyebrows and his eyes went wide. "You're going to give me a lap dance while dressed in a school girl uniform just before you do a strip tease all in the privacy of my office?" His words spilled out with excitement.

"Yes." She stated in the sexiest tone he'd ever heard.

His mouth fell open and audibly gulped. "Seriously?" His voice may have squeaked a little, he noticed.

"No, I was going to let you off clinic duty tomorrow." Replying in her normal tone, albeit slightly amused.

"Damn…but I will take it. Meet you downstairs in five." He hung up the phone without hearing her response. Anytime he could get out of clinic duty was a plus, even though he wouldn't get to see one of his fantasies of Cuddy come true.

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Walking off the elevator into the parking garage, House and Cuddy made their way to his car that was parked in his handicapped space. They didn't notice the little girl shaped lump sitting in the corner of the garage as they argued about the terms of his favor.

"I think this favor deserves the rest of the week off clinic duty." He argued.

"Take it or leave it, House, I can all a cab." Cuddy responded.

"Then why don't you?"

"Because I-" Cuddy turned at the sound of footsteps in the garage.

House heard them too and he looked in the direction of the noise. Suddenly they saw movement in the dark corner and a shuffling sound. "Hello?" Cuddy called out with caution.

House rolled his eyes. "Do you think you're going to get a response?"

"Shut up." She whispered. "Who's there?" Cuddy demanded in her best administrator voice. At her question, they saw the little girl step out of the shadow and make a run for the exit. Cuddy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey, wait." She called out and took a few steps toward the direction the little girl had run. Cuddy looked back at House.

"That was her."

House nodded and he reached out and took Cuddy's arm, pulling her toward his car. "Come on, she's gone." He said in a serious tone.

"What do you think she's still doing here?"

"Probably just trying to keep warm."

"We should try and find her, it's way too cold out here for her to survive all night." Cuddy looked up at House with concern.

"Call security and have them keep a look out for her. If they find her, they can call the police and social services and put her in a home…she'll be warm then." House added.

Cuddy frowned at his statement, "Have some compassion, House. She's just a kid." She walked to the car, standing by the door waiting for him to unlock it.

"She's a thief, Cuddy. Or have you forgotten already just because she's kid? If it had been an adult who'd stolen your purse, you wouldn't have hesitated to call the police."

They got in his car and pulled out of the garage. She knew he was right; she would have to call the police. Cuddy just hoped the little girl could find a warm place to sleep tonight. She took out her cell phone and called security to keep an eye out for her, and if they find her, she instructed them to keep her in a warm place until morning and bring the little girl to Cuddy's office when she got in.

**Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know if I should continue.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I really appreciate the feedback. I hope you have fun reading because I'm having fun writing. Please continue to review; I love to hear from you guys!! It encourages me to write more.**

**Now on to Chapter 2. Just a little warning; this first part gets a little intense.**

**Chapter 2**

_She was running through a dark alley in the cold of night. Her brother was ahead of her holding her hand and dragging her behind him. She was having trouble keeping up with him. She felt her hand slipping out of his grasp so she ran faster. She heard footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer._

"_Come on come on, B, keep up!" Her brother yelled at her._

_She kept running as fast as she could behind him, but the footsteps kept getting closer. Suddenly she heard a loud bang and her brother fell forward, dragging her down with him. When she was able to get to her feet she saw her brother bleeding from his side. He started panting and moaning. He turned over and she saw tears streaming down his face. "Run, B, leave me and run like hell." He commanded. She shook her head, not wanting to leave him there alone. She was sobbing. She put her hands on his side where he was bleeding, trying to stop his blood from flowing so fast. _

_All of a sudden she felt a hand grab her arm with force and shove her away from her brother. "No!" She screamed at the men that had shot him. One of them pointed his gun at her brother's head and pulled the trigger. "No!" She screamed. "No!" She squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed. Feeling a hand grab her arm, she opened her eyes and saw the man that shot her brother start to pull her up from the ground. She screamed and tried to pull her arm out of his grasp but his grip was strong._

She continued screaming and when she opened her eyes again she saw a different man. She was at the hospital where she had spent the night, not in the dark alley in her dream. With tears rolling down her cheeks from the intensity of her dream, she fought against his grip on her. She was still lying on the ground as the security guard held her with his large hands around her arms, not allowing her to escape his grasp. He wasn't hurting her but she tried to pull away using her body weight and kicking her legs.

As she was struggling, she looked around with wide eyes, searching for a place to escape to. The security guard tried to calm her down, but she kept trying to wiggle out of his strong grasp.

"Hey, Hey calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. Shhhhh Shhhh, come on, you can't stay here. I have to take you upstairs." He said, calmly. "My name is Big George, what's your name?" He spoke softly, trying to calm her down.

Her attempts at escape were futile, so she quit struggling against him, looking up at his face. The man was a giant. He looked like a gorilla she'd seen at the zoo once, but he had nice eyes and a comforting smile. "What's your name, darlin'?" He asked again. He allowed her to stand to her feet while still holding on to her.

She didn't respond. She looked down at the ground and shivered. He loosened his grip on her arm and the second he did, she tried to bolt, but he held on.

"You're not going to make this easy are you, sweetheart? Come on upstairs with me, I've got some hot chocolate with your name on it." He offered. "My daughter, who's about your age, made it for me this morning. I'm sure she won't mind if I share it with you though." She saw him stand up from his kneeling position in front of her, once again loosening his grip on her arm.

She didn't try to run because there was nowhere to go and she was sure he'd be able to catch her if she did. And besides, hot chocolate sounded really good right now. They walked down the long corridor of the basement of the hospital. He led her to the stairs and up to the security office. Once inside, Big George pointed to the chair against the wall for her to sit down. She watched his movements carefully as he walked over to his desk and grabbed his thermos and a mug out of the cabinet in the office. He poured her some of his hot chocolate and handed it to her.

"Careful now, it's hot." She heard him instruct her gently.

She accepted the mug and looked into it. She looked at Big George again and saw him pour himself a mug as well. He drank it slowly and smiled at her. She brought the mug to her lips and took a small sip, leaving a tiny milk mustache. The liquid started to warm her body immediately, she took another sip, enjoying the taste. It has been a very long time since she had a cup of hot chocolate. She heard Big George chuckle so she glanced up at him.

"You're a smart young lady, sleeping near the furnace room to keep warm." Big George complimented her. "Although, I'd love to know how you got down there."

She moved her gaze to the floor, holding the mug of hot chocolate between both of her small hands. She didn't feel scared of Big George, he seemed like a nice man, but she learned not to trust adults a long time ago, even though they seemed nice.

When she was finished with her hot chocolate she handed him the mug. "Want more?" He asked. She shook her head. "Alright, I'm going to take you over to see somebody. She runs this place and she's a nice lady, ok?" He said calmly. She didn't respond but looked up at Big George apprehensively. She turned her gaze toward the door, wondering if she'd be able to make a run for it. She turned her head back when she heard him speak again.

"She's not going to hurt you. She was worried about you last night, so she'll be happy to know that you're safe." He gave her a reassuring smile, nodding his head. He picked up the phone and dialed.

She began to get more nervous when he picked up the phone. She glanced over at the door again; she wasn't sure if he locked it. Maybe she could escape once he opened it. Hearing him on the phone, she tried to think of a way to get away from him. She scooted herself to the edge of the chair she was sitting in, ready to make a run for it if anyone came through the door.

"This is George Wallace down in security, we found the little girl, would you like for me to bring her up to your office?" He paused, "Yes, ma'am." He added after receiving a response.

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11:30 AM

Cuddy hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't slept well last night because her thoughts kept going to the little girl. She was worried they would find her frozen to death somewhere. She quickly put the final touches on her work in front of her and closed the file.

A few minutes later she saw George outside her office with the little girl. She waved them in as she stood from her desk to greet them.

"Hi." She said with a smile on her face to the little girl. The little girl recognized her immediately as the woman she'd stolen the purse from. Cuddy watched a panicked expression come over the girl's face and she tried to back away toward the office door, but Big George kept hold of her hand and gently brought her closer to Cuddy. "It's ok, I'm not going hurt you." She said calmly.

"Where did you find her?" Cuddy looked up at Big George. Everyone around the hospital called him Big George for a reason. The man was 6'5 and built like a linebacker; but he was a gentle giant. She was glad that he was the one that had found the little girl.

"She's a resourceful one, Dr. Cuddy. I found her near the furnace room curled up into a ball like a little kitten." He laughed. "Careful with her though, she's a flight risk…tried to run from me a couple of times and she's not a big talker either."

Cuddy smiled at him and nodded, looking back at the little girl. "Well, thank you for your help, George, I appreciate what you've done."

"It's no problem, Dr. Cuddy." He smiled back at her. He kneeled down to the little girl, looking her in the face. "Now, you stay here with Dr. Cuddy, she'll take good care of you."

The little girl looked at him apprehensively but kept silent. Big George stood up and walked out of the office, careful not to let her slip by him. Cuddy noticed the girl's nervous body language. She was standing near the door, eyeing it and Cuddy carefully.

Cuddy gave her a reassuring smile trying to make her feel comfortable. She held her hand out toward the couch. "Do you want to sit down?"

The girl didn't move.

Cuddy took a step toward her and kneeled down to her level a few feet away from her so she wouldn't feel threatened. The little girl backed away from her, going to stand against the wall of the office, like a cornered animal.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I was worried about you last night, out in the cold. Do you feel sick? Do you hurt anywhere?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Good." Cuddy said softly. "I wanted to thank you for bringing my purse back. Can I ask you why you did that?" She didn't expect an answer but she thought she'd ask her anyway. Cuddy noticed yesterday when she was going through her purse, that the only thing missing was her cash. She figured the little girl was starving and all she wanted was to buy some food.

The little girl shook her head again in answer to her questions.

Cuddy stood up from her kneeling position and went to sit down on the couch. The girl watched her intently.

"What's your name?" Cuddy asked her softly. "Mine name is Lisa." Cuddy noticed how skinny she was, and how her clothes were ripped and dirty. Her face was smudged with dirt and she had tear streaks down her face. Underneath it all, though, she was a very beautiful little girl.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, I just want to help you." Cuddy noticed her ease a little at her words. "Are you lost? Have you been looking for your mom and dad?"

She shook her head once again. This time her eyes welled up with tears but none spilled over. Cuddy noticed but didn't push her. "Are you hungry, sweetie? Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment and then nodded her head. Her expression broke Cuddy's heart. She seemed so lost and frightened and she probably hasn't had any food since yesterday and God knows what she was able to get with the little cash she'd had in her purse. Cuddy walked over to her desk, keeping an eye on the girl in case she decided to run. The offer of food hopefully changed whatever thoughts she had of running.

Cuddy dialed a number and asked one of the nurses to bring a burger, fries and some juice from the cafeteria. The girl stayed anchored to her spot against the wall as she made the request over the phone. Hanging up, Cuddy walked back to the sofa, keeping her distance, unsure of what the girl would do if she came any closer. Cuddy watched her intently; she seemed to be ok physically. Cuddy was worried about her emotional state, however. She hadn't spoken a word.

"Can you tell me your name? I don't know what to call you." Cuddy said sweetly.

The girl shook her head.

Several minutes later as silence filled the office, she heard a knock on the door. A nurse walked in with a take out box and a Styrofoam cup in her hand, leaving the door wide open. "Here you go, Dr. Cuddy, can I get you anything else?" The nurse didn't even see the little girl leaning against the wall as she addressed her.

Cuddy kept her eyes on the girl; afraid she'd make a run for the exit. She looked at the door like she was deciding whether to run out of it or not. Amazingly, she stayed. Cuddy took the food from the nurse and thanked her. Once the nurse left, Cuddy set the food down on the coffee table in front of her, opening the box and revealing the food inside.

As if the smell of the food had literally spoken to her, asking for her to sit down and eat, the girl slowly walked over to the coffee table. Cuddy slid the box over to her, not saying a word, letting the girl decide what to do. The girl was staring at the food longingly; she glanced up at Cuddy.

"It's yours, eat it." She spoke softly, encouraging her to take the food.

The girl sat down on the table, reaching over to the box and taking a French fry with her slender fingers and lifting it to her mouth. Taking a small bite, she chewed it slowly. The first few bites she ate slowly, but as her hunger took over she began to eat more quickly. Cuddy watched with a sad smile, happy that she was eating, but feeling heartbroken that she seemed to be alone without anyone to take care of her.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Cuddy decided she needed to get some information, in case anyone was looking for her.

"Can you please tell me your name?" Cuddy tried again.

The little girl didn't respond right away but after a moment she spelled her name out on the table using her finger. B-E-L-L-A.

"Bella." Cuddy said aloud. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Cuddy said with a smile.

Bella looked down at the table shyly.

"How old are you, Bella?" Cuddy asked, trying to get as much information as she could.

Bella held up eight fingers. She continued to eat her fries and once they were gone she started on her burger. Cuddy could see the girl relax in her presence the longer they were together. Cuddy still thought she'd run given the chance, but she felt her nervousness easing a bit. She needed to be careful with the questions that she asked, not wanting her to tense up and try to run.

"Do you talk?" Cuddy asked with a smile.

Bella nodded.

"Will you talk to me? I can help you."

Bella shook her head.

"Ok." Cuddy conceded; she'd have to risk it, time for some more difficult questions. "Are you alone, sweetie?" Cuddy asked. "Did you run away from home?"

Bella froze with the burger in her hand. She put it down in the box, looking up at Cuddy. She stood up from the coffee table she was sitting on and backed away from Cuddy.

'Oh crap.' Cuddy thought.


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews guys, and sorry to leave you hanging like that over the weekend. I truly meant to have another chapter up before now. I just want to say that I am not a doctor or any sort of medical professional so my apologies for any inaccuracies in this and future chapters. I'm sure there are and will be some. But feel free to correct me, I always like to learn new things.**

**Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!!**

**Chapter 3**

11:45 AM

House sat in the clinic exam room talking to a patient with chronic stupidity. To be honest, they all had chronic stupidity, but this guy won the prize. Unfortunately, he couldn't write that down in the file as a diagnosis. Granted, this wasn't the stupidest thing he's seen in his career as a doctor, but he was not in the mood for this today.

"So you and your buddies thought it would be funny to disable the safety on a nail gun and see how far it would shoot the nails?" House asked, narrowing his eyes at the young man.

"Yeah, dude. They shoot pretty far." The boy chuckled.

Mmhmm, did it ever occur to you idiots that you could kill someone?" House stood up from the stool he was sitting on, grabbed his cane and limped over to the boy.

"Aw, no man, we weren't shooting 'em at people." The young man defended. He looked nervously at House, afraid of what he was going to do to him.

House grabbed the boy's wrist and held up his hand with the nail through his palm and waved it in front of his face. "Then how did this happen, genius?"

"Ahhhhhh, careful man, that hurts!" The boy yelled.

"And what the hell are doing in the clinic, why aren't you in the ER?" House responded, ignoring the boy's pain. He stopped waving the boys hand around and finally let go of his wrist. He limped over to the box with the latex gloves, putting them on his hands dramatically, trying to scare the kid.

"Wh-what are you gonna do, man?" The young man asked, his voice trembling a bit.

House limped back to the exam table, giving the boy the look he used when he wanted to intimidate and scare someone. "Well, I'd like to do a moronectomy, but I doubt even the best surgeons could get the stupid out." He commented dryly. He took the boys hand, less forcefully this time, examining the wound and feeling the bones in his hand to see if the nail had broken any of them.

"You're damn lucky, kid. No bones are broken, but you'll need an x-ray to confirm. Stay put." House instructed. He snapped his gloves off, threw them away and opened the door to the exam room. Before walking out, he turned to the boy. "Oh, and the reason you're not in the ER…I'm still calling your parents." He gave the kid a smirk and walked out of the room.

He made his way to the nurse's station with the kid's file, slapping it down on the counter. "Kid needs an x-ray." He announced to the nurse.

House looked up in the direction of Cuddy's office, seeing a nurse walk out. He furrowed his brow when he saw a tiny figure walk across her office. Cuddy was sitting on her sofa, offering a take out box to the little thief that stole her purse yesterday. House watched as the girl sat down and started eating the food. He noticed Cuddy talking, but the girl didn't seem to be responding to her.

He could only assume Cuddy was asking all sorts of idiotic questions to get to know the kid. He watched for a few more minutes until he saw the kid stand up and back away from Cuddy towards her office door.

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"Bella, it's okay sweetie, sit back down and finish your food. I didn't mean to upset you." Cuddy spoke softly, holding her hand up in front of her, hoping to calm her down so she wouldn't turn around and run out of her office.

She had her eyes on Bella so she didn't see House walking up to her office until she heard the door swing open, her gaze moving to House as he barged in. His actions scared Bella, making her jump and run to the corner of the office. She sank down to the floor, bringing her arms around her legs hugging them to her chest. She laid her head on her knees, hiding her face.

Cuddy jumped up when she saw Bella's reaction. She glared daggers at House and walked calmly over to Bella. Kneeling down in front of her, placing her hands gently on Bella's arms. Bella cowered from her touch.

"It's ok, Bella, he won't hurt you." Cuddy said softly, then she looked behind her to House and glared again, her voice changing to one of irritation. "He's just an idiot."

Bella slowly lifted her head up to look at House, still frightened but having a look of recognition on her face. Cuddy looked back at Bella with a comforting expression and reached out her hand. Not completely trusting Cuddy yet, she remained in her position. Cuddy stood up, leaving Bella for the moment to deal with House.

"What do you want, House?" Irritated at him for scaring Bella, she walked over to him standing directly between him and where Bella was.

"So I see you apprehended your little thief." He nodded toward Bella. Bella looked from House to Cuddy, at hearing his words.

"Shut up, House, she's not a thief. What do you want?"

"She stole from you, I'm pretty sure that's the definition of a thief." House said to her sarcastically before he looked over at Bella again.

"Is there a reason you came barging in here or do you just like being a jackass?"

House ignored Cuddy's sarcasm, still staring at Bella suspiciously. He knew what was going through Cuddy's mind. She couldn't help but help a helpless child. "Dr. Cuddy may I speak to you in private?" He turned his gaze back to Cuddy.

"No, go do your clinic duty." She walked away from House to where Bella was cowering on the floor, offering her hand once more to the little girl.

House walked over impatiently, grabbing Cuddy's arm and dragging her out of the office and into the outer office. "It'll just take a minute."

"House!" Cuddy protested, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

He stood in front of her, looking into her eyes. House's tone was serious when he spoke. "Have you called the police?"

Cuddy scowled at him. "What is wrong with you? She is a child, she doesn't need to be carted off to jail she needs to be taken care of."

"That is not your job, Cuddy. You need to call social services, that IS their job."

"It's not my job to take care of people? Last time I checked, I have the initials M.D. after my name."

"That's debatable." House smirked.

Cuddy glared. "Stay out of it…and get back to work." Cuddy turned to walk back into her office.

House wasn't finished with this argument. "What are you gonna do, Cuddy? She's not a puppy you can feed and hope she follows you home."

Cuddy stopped just before she opened the door. Hearing his words, she turned to face him again. "Is that what you think I'm doing?" She took a step closer, scowling at him.

"Not intentionally, no." His voice was soft, not accusing. "Don't get attached to this kid, Cuddy."

"House, I don't know what you think is going on, but it is my duty as a doctor to help this child. And that's what I'm going to do."

House shook his head. "As long as you keep in mind what HAS to be done."

Cuddy knew House was right, he was always right. "I will take care of this." She told him firmly. Cuddy's attention was suddenly ripped away from him by someone standing outside the glass doors of her office.

"Why is there someone with a nail through his palm waving at me outside my office?"

House turned around, seeing his patient waving at them. He rolled his eyes. "Because he's an idiot."

"Is that a clinic patient?" Cuddy looked back at House with a furrow in her brow. "Why is he-" Before she could finish asking, House cut her off.

"There is no cure for stupidity." He announced loudly so the boy could hear him.

The boy stopped waving after hearing House's words and glared. He held his hand up to House and pointed at the nail. "You gonna get this thing out of me or what, man!"

House turned back to Cuddy with a smirk on his face. "Ah, so many jokes."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, "House, go take care of that…he's dripping blood all over the damn floor." She pointed at the patient, turning away from House and walking into her office.

Cuddy looked at Bella, still cowering in the corner. She didn't look frightened anymore; she just sat there staring at Cuddy. Cuddy gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry about him, he can be a jerk sometimes, but he won't hurt you."

Bella didn't respond. Cuddy stepped forward to help Bella stand, extending her hand out to her. Bella quickly moved away from Cuddy, scooting herself back, putting some distance between them.

Cuddy sighed, saddened that whatever progress she had been making with Bella had been ruined by House's sudden appearance in her office. She sat down on the floor in front of Bella, tucking her legs underneath her. She folded her hands in her lap, glancing at Bella. She hoped her position on the floor would make Bella feel more comfortable. She needed to try and get some more answers from her.

"I didn't mean to upset you before, I just want to help you, Bella. Will you let me help you?" Cuddy asked her softly, almost pleading with the little girl.

Bella nodded. Cuddy smiled. "Ok. Why don't you finish your lunch, alright?" Once again Bella nodded. Cuddy stood up, not offering her hand this time. She stepped away from Bella so the girl could get up when she felt comfortable enough to move back to the coffee table to finish her food.

Cuddy resumed her spot on the sofa, silently waiting for Bella to join her. After a minute or two of waiting, Bella finally stood and walked to the table where her food had been waiting for her. Instead of sitting on the table like she was before, Bella sat on the sofa next to Cuddy. She picked up what was left of her burger and slowly finished eating it. Cuddy watched her carefully, wanting to be sure Bella was comfortable before asking her any questions. A couple of minutes passed in silence, as Cuddy thought of some questions to ask her.

"May I ask you some questions, Bella?" Cuddy asked cautiously, not wanting to risk upsetting her again. Bella continued to chew her food slowly and nodded her head.

"Can I call someone for you…maybe your parents or a relative?"

Bella shook her head.

"Did someone take you away from your family?" Again, Bella shook her head.

"Did someone in your family hurt you and maybe you thought it was better to run away from them?"

Bella shook her head a third time. She ate the last bite of her burger, glancing up at Cuddy and giving her the tiniest smile, seemingly thanking her for the food. Cuddy smiled at her expression of gratitude. "You're welcome."

Bella sat quietly at the edge of the sofa, looking around the room. Cuddy wasn't sure what she was doing exactly. A silly thought ran through her mind that she was casing the joint for something to steal, but she immediately dismissed it. She didn't think Bella was really a thief, she just stole because she was hungry.

"Does anyone take care of you, Bella?" Cuddy asked, getting back to her questions.

If Bella was alone, Cuddy had no choice but to call Social Services. And if someone was supposed to be taking care of her and were neglecting her, she'd have to call the police and Social Services to have her removed from that situation.

Bella turned her gaze to Cuddy and slowly shook her head. With sadness and disappointment, Cuddy nodded her head. She had her answer and now she knew what she had to do.

The phone on Cuddy's desk started ringing and they both turned their attention to the sound. Cuddy sighed, standing up to go answer it. "Dr. Cuddy." Hearing who was on the other end of the phone, Cuddy lowered her head in defeat, knowing she'd be on the phone for a while. The person speaking to her was a particularly long-winded donor that she hated dealing with. 'I really need an assistant,' Cuddy thought. She looked over at Bella who was still looking at her. Cuddy smiled at her and Bella turned her attention to the room around her again.

About a half hour later, she finally hung up the phone with the donor. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at the sofa and smiled. Bella had fallen asleep.

Her smile disappeared when she remembered that Bella was alone. She hated what she had to do but it was for Bella's safety and welfare. She couldn't live on the streets anymore, and it felt a little like betrayal, what she was about to do.

She looked over at Bella as she slept peacefully. Cuddy found the number for Social Services in her computer, took a deep breath and dialed the number.

"Yes, I need to speak with one of your Social Workers." Cuddy said softly, not wanting wake Bella. She placed her right hand on her forehead rubbing her temples with her fingers. "Yes, I'll hold."

On the couch, Bella opened her eyes but didn't move, pretending to be asleep. She closed her eyes again.

Cuddy spoke with the social worker for about 15 minutes on the phone and was told that she would be out there this afternoon to speak with Bella. After hanging up the phone she looked at Bella to make sure she was still asleep and she got up to use the bathroom.

Hearing the door to the bathroom close, Bella opened her eyes and got up quietly off the couch and silently opened the office door. She slipped out and closed the door back just as quietly. She walked out of the clinic calmly so she wouldn't draw attention to herself. Once she was out of the clinic she made a run for the glass doors at the entrance to the hospital.

Outside, House was walking toward the entrance to hospital after leaving the clinic to get some air a few minutes earlier. He saw the little girl that was in Cuddy's office running down the sidewalk and away from the hospital. 'She's fast for a little girl,' he thought.

"Hey!" He yelled out to her. She turned around as she ran almost tripping over the sidewalk.

"Stop that kid, she stole Dr. Cuddy's purse!" House yelled again as she was running past a med student on the sidewalk. The med student grabbed Bella by the arm and held her firmly until she kicked him squarely in the shin, causing him to let go of her and grab his leg.

House raised his eyebrows, impressed with her strength. The med student lay on the ground still holding his shin and looked up at House apologetically. House rolled his eyes and went into the hospital.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

2:00 PM

Bella sprinted five blocks without stopping before she sat herself down on a park bench to rest. Her heart was still beating fast and she was having trouble breathing from having run so far. She started coughing as the cold air hit her lungs. She tried to slow her breathing by taking deep breaths but that only made her cough more. Her coughing made her feel like she was going to throw up so she laid her head down on the park bench to try and breathe better.

After a few minutes in that position she started feeling better. She didn't know what time it was but it seemed the weather had gotten colder. Her thin jacket and sweater were not warm enough to keep her alive overnight if she stayed outside. She had to find someplace warm to sleep tonight. She wished the nice doctor lady hadn't called the social worker and she could stay with her in her warm office. But this was a reminder once again that adults could not be trusted. Her brother had warned her that if she ever got caught, they would take her back to the horrible place where they keep kids that don't have moms and dads.

She and her brother had been alone for a long time and he always took care of her. But now she was really alone and it was something she was getting used to since her brother died several months ago. But being taken care of like she was today by the lady doctor was something she missed greatly. She missed her brother and she missed not having to worry about finding somewhere safe to sleep.

Bella sat up and leaned back on the bench, trying to think of a place to go to keep warm. She wished she could sleep where she slept last night; that was the warmest place she had slept in a long time. But she could never go back there. Tears started streaming down Bella's face as she sat on the park bench. She lowered her head and began to cry harder, her shoulders shaking from the force of her sobs.

As she sat there on the park bench crying, she suddenly heard a loud police siren down the street. She shot up off the bench and ran into the park. She didn't want the police to see her in case the doctors at the hospital had called them and they were looking for her. She ran toward the trees, wiping the tears from her face with her sleeves.

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House had limped into the lobby after seeing the kid haul ass down the sidewalk. He saw Cuddy coming toward him with a distressed look on her face.

"Have you seen Bella?" Cuddy asked in a panic.

"Lose the kid already?" He asked with a smirk, as he walked toward the elevators.

"House, have you seen her or not?"

"Yeah, she took down a med student and went blue streak on our asses."

Cuddy looked confused at his statement. "What does that mean exactly?"

House stopped in front of the elevator and faced Cuddy. "Translation: she ran real fast, hauled ass, ran like a bat out of hell, made a hasty retreat, went supersonic, ran like mad, she hightailed it outta here, went full throttle, lickety spl-…"

Cuddy sighed impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it." She turned to walk back in the direction of her office when she heard House call after her.

"Now are you gonna call the cops?" His question was accompanied by the ding of the elevator as the doors opened. He smirked at her when she turned around to glare at him.

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Bella must have been wandering for hours because it was really dark and really cold now. Bella started coughing again, her nose was runny and her hands and feet were freezing. She had wandered into a shop to stay warm for a while, but the man inside kicked her out; probably afraid she was there to steal something.

She was walking down the street when she looked down a dark alley where she could see a Laundromat on the next street over. She suddenly got an idea that she hoped would work so she could stay warm tonight. She didn't like dark alleys though; they reminded her of where her brother, Mattie, was killed. Bella stood at the end of the alley for several minutes trying to get her courage up to walk down it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, causing her to cough.

She took a step into the alley, keeping her hand against the wall of the building. She took slow steps, her eyes darting around the alley making sure there was no one hiding anywhere ready to jump out and hurt her. Her heart was beating fast, but she kept walking. She heard a noise behind her, making her jump and turn around. Seeing no one, she turned around and started walking more quickly.

As she continued walking she kept her eyes on the streetlight at the end of the alley. She was almost there. Suddenly she heard movement behind her. Not wanting to look back and see what had caused the sound she broke out into a run until she reached the street. Her heart was still beating fast and running had made her cough worse. She leaned against the streetlamp, resting her legs and her lungs.

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5:15 PM

After Cuddy returned to her office earlier that afternoon, she had spent a couple of hours talking with the police and social services on the phone. She gave the police a description of Bella and they told her they'd keep a look out for her. The rest of the afternoon was spent worrying about Bella and feeling guilty for making her run away. She figured Bella must've heard her on the phone with the social worker.

Cuddy checked the forecast online and became even more worried and upset with herself. It was supposed to snow the next couple of days and the temperature had already started to drop. She couldn't let Bella stay out in this weather; she had to go and find her.

Cuddy gathered her stuff, locked up her office and walked out into the lobby. She saw House coming out of the elevator, making his way to the exit as well.

"Where are you headed in such a hurry? Hot date?"

"None of your business." Cuddy answered tiredly. She walked through the glass doors of the hospital with House.

They were walking side by side now and he looked down at her with an amused scowl. "Let me guess, you're going to look for the kid." He knew her too well; he knew she would've spent the afternoon worrying about Bella.

Cuddy stopped walking and turned to him. "Well, if you already knew, why did you ask?"

"Cuddy, you-" House started saying, when Cuddy cut him off.

"House, I already know what you think, I don't need to hear you say it again." She spoke impatiently. "Goodnight." She turned away from him and walked to her car. As she was getting ready to turn the key in the ignition, her passenger side door opened and she saw House slide in beside her. She looked at him in confusion and irritation.

"House, what are doing?"

"You can't drive and look for the kid at the same time."

Surprised, Cuddy looked at him and smiled, starting the car.

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Bella sat on the cold sidewalk observing the activity inside the Laundromat. She needed to see how many people came and went and if it would be possible for her to sneak in without drawing too much attention to herself. She had an idea to sneak in, grab something warm to wear and get out. She learned from her brother that Laundromats were the best places to find warm clothes because people left their stuff unattended all the time. The clothes she had on now were not warm enough for tonight.

She was glad she waited to go in because a woman dragging her three kids with her walked in carrying their laundry. Bella quickly ran across the street and walked into the building, following closely behind them, as if she belonged with them. Once she was inside she walked away from the other kids and looked around at the faces inside the Laundromat. No one really paid any attention to her so she walked around the room, scouting for anything she could take. On her way to the back of the room, she noticed a pile of clothes that had just been taken out of the dryer and left unattended in a laundry basket. Glancing around the room, she quickly snatched a big fluffy sweater and walked toward the exit.

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"Keep your eyes on the damn road, Cuddy!" House yelled, when Cuddy nearly plowed into a parked car on the side of the road as she navigated the streets looking for Bella.

"I'm sorry! I'm just trying to-"

"You're trying to get me killed, now pull over and let me drive." House pointed for her to pull into a parking space.

"House, I'm fine, just look out for Bella." Cuddy raised her voice to speak over House.

"Cuddy, just pull over the damn car and you look for Bella; you can't keep your eyes on the road anyway, you're too distracted. I may have a miserable life, but it's my life and I'd like to keep it." House growled at her.

Cuddy looked over at him and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She conceded. What he was saying was true; she was distracted. At least he would pay more attention to driving right now than she was. She parked the car, and they switched places.

As he got into the drivers seat, he struggled to get his legs in the car because the seat was pulled up so far. "Jeez, you're short." House commented with a smirk. She glared at him.

Once the seat was adjusted, he pulled onto the street. Cuddy kept her eyes on the people walking on the sidewalk. There weren't many, because of the cold weather, so it would be easy to spot Bella if she was out here. They drove up and down some of the main roads and side streets in the area. She had no idea how far Bella could've gotten.

Cuddy let out a worried sigh, keeping her eyes focused on every person they passed.

"Hey." She heard House speak softly to her. Cuddy turned to look at him. "Don't worry so much, the kid is smart, she'll find a way to get out the cold."

"You don't know that…House, she could die out here." Cuddy responded with fear in her voice.

"Cuddy, I've spent all of two minutes with that kid and I could tell how smart she is without even talking to her. She could probably survive out here better than you or I could."

"It's my fault she's even out here." She laughed bitterly, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to fall.

"I assume you called Social Services and she decided not stick around for that? Told you she was smart."

Cuddy narrowed her eyes at him. "You were the one pushing me to call them, now you're saying I shouldn't have?" She said, angrily.

House rolled his eyes and looked over at her. "Was she in the room when you called them? That's like calling the police in front of a criminal while he waits patiently for the them to arrive to take him to prison." He said with his usual biting sarcasm.

Cuddy glared at him and opened her mouth to say something but decided against it because she needed to concentrate on looking for Bella. She turned her eyes to look back out the window.

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Bella walked another couple of blocks, searching for a place to sleep. She had put the sweater on over her clothes and was feeling much warmer now. The sweater was about three sizes too large on her, which was helping to keep her legs warm as well.

She came across a house that looked like it was abandoned. She made her way up the stairs and tried the doorknob; it popped open easily. The door creaked loudly as she opened it. Bella only opened it far enough to poke her head inside, scanning the place for inhabitants. Not seeing anyone inside, she cautiously stepped in the house, closing the door behind her. She stood there for a moment, listening to the sounds of the house and any other noises indicating that there were people there. She didn't want to run into any 'druggies' as her brother used to call them.

Deeming it safe to wander around, she went into every room on the first floor. It was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly. There wasn't any furniture except for the occasional dirty mattress or chair, the cushions and fabric ripped into shreds. She could see where there had been people here because they had left trash and beer bottles, there were even syringes scattered across the floor.

Bella made her way, up the stairs to the second floor. She walked slowly, in case there were loose boards in the floor. Mattie had nearly broken his ankle when they were in a similar place as this once. When she reached the top of the stairs, she went into every room just as she had downstairs.

Bella walked into the smallest room and sat in the closet, hoping to stay warmer and away from any drafts that might come through the windows. She closed the closet door and lay down on the floor. Her body immediately relaxed and she was nearly asleep when she heard a sound just outside the closet door.

Her eyes flew open and her heart began beating faster. She listened but didn't hear any voices or footsteps so she tried to relax again, thinking it must've been the wind. A few minutes later she heard a low 'meow' just outside the door. She furrowed her brow and opened the door slowly. Looking around the room, she spotted a pair of eyes in the dark. She smiled and got out of the closet, making her way to the kitten standing in the middle of the room.

He was all black and Bella could barely make him out in the darkness of the house. If it weren't for his eyes, she'd never see him. She stuck her hand out and let him sniff her hand and she giggled when she felt his course tongue on her fingers. Bella picked him up and held him close to her. He must've been freezing because he burrowed into her arms. She took him back into the closet and they both fell asleep. Just before succumbing to sleep, Bella remembered thinking that she was happy not to be alone anymore.

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8:00 PM

"I'm starving." House complained.

"I heard you the last 80 times you said it, House. And you're not starving…I'm pretty sure neither one of us knows what it feels like to be starving." Cuddy mumbled, as she looked out the window. She turned to look at him. "If you want to go home just head back to the hospital and I'll look for her on my own." She added softly.

"Cuddy, we've been out here for hours, going up and down these streets a million times, do you really think we're going to find her? She's probably holed up somewhere warm and cozy and we've been out here looking for her like idiots." House turned the car back in the direction of the hospital.

Cuddy realized where he was headed and sighed, a little disappointed that he decided not to keep looking with her. They drove back in silence. She leaned her head back on the headrest and continued to stare out the window.

As House pulled into the hospital parking garage and parked her car next to his, Cuddy turned her head and looked at him with a small smile on her face. "Thank you, House, for coming with me. I know you'd rather be in your warm apartment drinking your Bourbon and playing your piano."

"Are you saying I don't have a life?" House asked, teasing her.

Cuddy's smile widened at his question. "Well, that's what you'd be doing isn't it? Either that or watching your monster trucks on TV." She laughed when he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Are you stalking me…you have a spy camera set up in my apartment don't you? Ha! You must get an eye full when I have my hookers over." He smirked at her and pointed his finger accusingly.

"I've known you for a long time, House, I don't need spy cameras. Although that gives me a great idea for your office." She smiled at him and gently smacked his finger away.

His smirk disappeared at her words and he turned his hand over as she smacked it away and held onto it firmly. She tried to remove her hand from his grasped as she laughed at his reaction. Which only made him hold on tighter. He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled. "I knew you couldn't keep your eyes off me."

"Don't flatter yourself, it's my job to keep my eyes on you." Cuddy looked into his eyes, and her smile began to fade as she realized he was holding her hand more gently and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. She should remove her hand from his but the truth was; she didn't want to.

As he continued to gently caress her hand, he brought his right hand up to brush a stray curl away from her face, tucking it behind her ear and letting his finger trace her jaw, his thumb moving along her cheek. She leaned into his touch as she looked into his eyes. He returned her gaze and she could see exactly what he was thinking in his eyes. She saw his eyes shift quickly down to her lips and back to her eyes.

This was not a good idea. After he had kissed her when she lost Joy, he wanted to act like it had never happened. She thought maybe he had feelings for her but he even said later that he didn't want a relationship with her. Now she's in another emotional situation involving a child and he wants to kiss her again. 'What does that mean?' She thought. She was pretty sure she would never understand this man and he would forever confuse the hell out of her.

She slowly looked away from him and lightly squeezed his hand that she was holding. "House…we shouldn't…I-I need to go." She whispered, looking back up at him. She thought she might have gotten a glimpse of disappointment in his eyes but he quickly looked away from her and dropped her hand.

House nodded and opened the car door to step out of her car. She did the same, meeting him behind her car. She didn't know what to say to him, and she knew he felt rejected by her but she had no idea what he wanted from her. "House." She said his name as if she was begging him to understand.

"It's like you said Cuddy, you need to go." He moved around her and limped to his car. She closed her eyes, knowing he was upset with her. Cuddy turned around and watched him drive out of the parking garage. 'Damn it.'


	6. Chapter 5

**The reviews are amazing! Please keep them coming.**

**Hope you enjoy Chapter 5!**

**Chapter 5**

7:45 AM

Bella awoke to the sound of birds singing outside the window of the abandoned house she had fallen asleep in. Her new little friend lay next to her, curled up inside the large sweater she wore. Bella began coughing again; the air in the house was dry and she was breathing in dust from the dirty carpet she lay on. Her stomach started growling and she decided to go look for some food. She still had some money left from the doctor's purse she had stolen.

Bella sat up, hugging her cat to her chest as he whined. She gave him a kiss on the head and stood up to open the closet door. As she walked out of the closet she got a glimpse of the room in daylight and she walked to the window, looking out onto the street. It had snowed last night. Most kids loved the snow; it meant snowball fights, snow angels, and snowmen. But for Bella, it meant freezing weather, wet clothes, and possible death. She sighed and hugged her cat closer to her.

Downstairs, she opened the front door slowly. Her cat, which she'd decided to name Splat because he reminded her of a splatter of black ink, was whining because of the cold. Bella stepped into the snow and made her way carefully down the stairs. She had to set Splat down in the snow so she could hold on to the railing and not fall down the steps. Splat protested loudly, clawing his way up her pants and sweater.

When she finally made it down the stairs, Splat was hanging on her sweater for dear life and yelling at her. She gently removed his claws off of her sweater and cuddled him to her chest, calming him down. Together, they made their way down the street looking for someplace to eat.

A few blocks down the road, she came across a McDonald's and wandered inside. It was nice and warm. She walked up to the counter and gestured for the lady at the register to hand her a pen and paper. She wrote down her order and handed it to the woman. The woman looked at her strangely and glanced around the restaurant. Probably looking for her parents.

"Where are you parents, honey, do they know you're up here?" She asked Bella.

To make the woman stop asking questions and take her order, she decided to use her knowledge of sign language to her advantage. The woman would assume she was deaf and feel bad for talking to her. Sure enough, the woman's eyes grew wide and she placed her order without another word.

Sign language was Bella's first language as a baby because her mom was deaf and she needed to learn to communicate with her. Bella and Mattie had found that it came in very handy at times when they were living on their own. They used it to talk to each other when they couldn't speak aloud or to talk about people in front of them without them knowing what was being said about them. But since she didn't have Mattie to talk to anymore, she didn't see the point in talking to anyone.

Her order came and she walked to a small booth in the corner, away from everyone. She set Splat down on the table and poured some milk in a bowl for him to drink and she drank the rest. He lapped it up quickly and she smiled at him. She broke off half of her hash browns and fed it to him in pieces. They finished their breakfast and Bella decided they should stay inside for a little while longer so they could keep warm until they needed to venture out again to find some more warm clothing to take back to the house with them.

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10:45 AM

House was sitting behind his desk listening to his iPod with his eyes closed. He was trying not to think about what had happened last night with Cuddy and how she had basically rejected him and kicked him out of her car. Ok, so that was a slight exaggeration, but that's what it felt like.

The thoughts he was trying not to have were interrupted by someone yanking his headphones off his ears. He opened his eyes and saw the subject of his non-thoughts standing in front of him.

"Shouldn't you be in the clinic?" She asked with her eyebrows raised in question to him.

"I'm there in spirit." He quipped.

She smirked at his reply. "House, we have to talk."

She opened her mouth to continue her thought when he stuck his finger out at her, stopping her from continuing. "I'm having the strangest sensation of déjà vu…do you feel it? It started when you said, 'House, we have to talk.'" He imitated her with a girly voice. "Actually, I take that back, it started when you said, 'Shouldn't you be in the clinic?'" Imitating her one more time.

House leaned forward in his chair and placed his headphones on the desk. He stood up and went to grab his cane but she snatched it before he could take it. "Oh now that's mature." He said as he stood beside his desk, holding onto it for balance.

"You started it." She smiled, teasing him.

"Yeah, and you ended it." He stated with a more serious tone, reaching out for his cane, snatching it out of her hands. He limped toward his office door, ready to leave this conversation behind.

Her smile faded at his words. "I wasn't rejecting you." She said quickly before he could walk out of his office.

He turned around, looking at her doubtfully.

"I'm pretty sure you were, but don't worry, since I cried myself to sleep last night, I feel much better today." He commented sarcastically and walked out the door, leaving her feeling rejected in return. He quickly headed to Wilson's office.

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Cuddy had returned to her own office after her disastrous conversation with House. That did not go like she'd hoped. Who was she kidding; she knew House wouldn't just let this go so easily. Most people think that he's an insensitive bastard, but the truth was; he was the most sensitive person she knew. He just didn't show it like most people. She had hurt him last night and if she could, she'd kick her own ass for being so stupid.

Not wanting to think about her problems with House she switched to thoughts about Bella. She wondered if she had found a warm place to sleep last night, or if, God forbid, she had not survived the snow and freezing temperatures. That thought made Cuddy feel sick to her stomach. She needed to know that she was all right. Cuddy picked up the phone and dialed the police to see if they had found Bella.

After talking to one of the officers for a few minutes she was disappointed to find out they had not located her yet. Which she supposed could be good and bad. Good because it means they didn't find her body anywhere and bad because she was still out there and it was still a possibility…either way it was grim.

Cuddy suddenly sprang up from her desk and gathered her purse, coat and scarf. She left her office and informed the nurses at clinic reception she'd be out for the rest of the day and that she could be reached by cell phone.

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11:30 AM

House sat in a chair across from Wilson's desk staring at him expectantly after having told him what had happened between him and Cuddy last night and then a few minutes ago. He left the part out about looking for the kid. He didn't want to open that can of worms with Wilson just yet. The entire time he was telling him, Wilson had a goofy grin on his face, probably happy that he finally wanted to do something about his feelings for Cuddy.

As House continued to stare, he suddenly rolled his eyes. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face or I'll leave this office right now."

"Alright, fine. House, I'm sure you already know this because everyone constantly brings it to your attention on a daily basis, but…you are a complete jackass. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking revenge. She made me feel like crap so I made her feel like crap."

"You always feel like crap!" Wilson shouted. "And you always make her feel like crap regardless of whether she made you feel like crap…so again I ask you, what the hell were you thinking?"

House rolled his eyes and pointed his finger at Wilson. "Hey, you are MY best friend, you're supposed to be on my side not hers."

"Yes, and as your best friend I am going to tell you to get your ass down to her office and apologize for making her feel like crap…and then kiss the hell out of her."

"What about my apology? She's the one that-"

"You didn't let her finish, House, you walked out on her. She was there apologizing to you." Wilson pointed out.

House narrowed his eyes at Wilson, seeing his point. He stood up and walked to the door. Opening it, he said, "I hate you." As he walked out, he heard Wilson call after him.

"You love me." His goofy grin returning.

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Bella and Splat had found some blankets and an old couch sitting next to a dumpster behind a row of houses close to the abandoned house. She grabbed a couch cushion and a blanket, which was all she could carry. They were wet from the snow, but she thought they might have time to dry by tonight, when it would undoubtedly be colder and she'd need them. Splat sat on top of the blanket and cushion, going along for the ride back to the house. She made it to the house and walked in, shutting the door with her foot.

Making her way carefully up the stairs and to the bedroom she'd slept in last night, she set the cushion down on the floor. She removed Splat from the top of the blanket and spread it out on the floor to dry. Once that was done she and Splat headed back down to get the other cushion. Luckily the cushions were only wet on top, so they would dry quickly.

When she returned to the house, she laid the other cushion on the floor to dry. The next thing, she decided, was to see about getting some more food. She had a little less than ten dollars left; she would have to see what she could buy that would last her for a few days until she could get more money. It wasn't just her anymore; she had Splat to take care of now too.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Cuddy drove down the street keeping her eyes on the road and the sidewalk, looking for Bella. This was much easier with another person in the car. She wished she hadn't messed things up with House so he could be out here looking with her. She thought of parking the car and just walking for a while, but she had no way of knowing where Bella had gone. She tried to think of places she might go to stay warm or to find food.

She drove to the homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the area to ask if anyone had seen her. No one had. As she was walking back to her car, it began to snow again. Cuddy became even more worried and determined to find Bella, so she did the only thing she knew to do, drive around Princeton.

It was after lunchtime and Cuddy was hungry, but she felt bad that she had the means to feed herself when Bella didn't. She really hoped that Bella still had the money she'd taken the other day and Cuddy wished that she'd had more cash in her purse that day.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

House had decided to take Wilson's advice for once and go talk to Cuddy. He was on his way to her office, almost to the door when one of the nurses at the clinic reception desk called out to him.

"She's not in there."

House turned to her. "Where is she?"

"Gone." She smirked at him.

"Did she say where she was going?" House asked, narrowing his eyes at her and looking as intimidating as he knew he could be.

"Nope." She replied, not intimidated in the least.

"Did she seem pissed?"

"Nope, she seemed in a hurry." She replied, turning away from him to talk to a patient that had just asked her a question.

'She's not pissed and she's in a hurry…that could mean anything.' House thought, trying to figure out where she'd gone. After walking out of the clinic on his way back to his office, he realized where she'd gone. He shook his head, "Idiot." He said aloud to an elevator full of people. Everyone turned around to look at him with scowls on their faces.

"Wow, I was only looking for one idiot, but I lucked out and found all of you." House smirked at them.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bella and Splat walked several blocks until they found a small grocery store. She snuck Splat in by keeping him under her sweater. Once they were in the food isles she took him out and set him on her shoulder. She grabbed a basket and started loading it with small food items. She got some tuna, crackers, milk, water and a few other inexpensive and non-perishable food items. She had stuffed some small items in her pants and jacket pockets, which were covered up by her sweater. She would pay for what she could afford but she knew she wouldn't be able to pay for all they needed so she had to steal some of it. Plus it made her less suspicious if she paid for some stuff.

She got out of the grocery store without any problems. She and Splat made their way back to the house with their food, ready for another meal. It was snowing again so they had to walk quickly. They were able to get a lot of food that could last them for a while, and she was proud of herself for taking such good care of Splat.

They arrived at the house and she removed the items from her bag and pockets. Splat was excited, rubbing against her leg and meowing at her. She leaned down and scratched behind his ears with a smile. Bella opened a can of tuna and set it out for Splat, which he ate enthusiastically. She opened a box of crackers for herself and they sat together enjoying their meal.

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6:00 PM

Cuddy had just arrived home after looking for Bella most of the day. She really needed to go back to the hospital to get some work done but she was so exhausted from driving around Princeton and worrying about Bella that she just didn't have any energy left. She felt helpless with Bella and it killed her to know that she could help if given the chance, but it seemed Bella didn't want it or didn't trust anyone enough to give her the help she needs.

It made her wonder how Bella ended up in her situation. All she knew was that she wasn't kidnapped, she didn't run away and no one took care of her. 'How does something like this happen to a child?' Cuddy wondered.

Cuddy changed into some warm and more comfortable clothes and headed to her kitchen to make some soup. She hadn't eaten much today, mostly out of guilt and she realized that was stupid because she needed to eat. As she was preparing her soup, her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and frowned.

"Hello." She answered tiredly.

"So I guess you didn't find the kid." House said.

"How did you know that's where I was today?" She stopped stirring her soup at the stove.

"I'm psychic."

"Since you're calling me, I guess you're not mad at me anymore?" She flipped the eye off on the stove as she cautiously asked her question, not knowing how he would react.

There was silence on the other end. Finally she heard him clear his throat.

"I'm not mad." He responded quietly.

"I didn't mean to upset you last night, House, I just…" she paused and took a deep breath, "you confuse me sometimes." She leaned against the counter, lowering her gaze to the floor as she spoke softly to him.

"What was confusing, Cuddy, you knew what I was doing." He sounded a little irritated.

"Yes, I knew what you were doing but what I didn't know was why. Last time you kissed me you didn't even want to talk about it…was this time going to be any different, House? You said you didn't want a relationship…have you changed your mind?" She asked with a bit of hope in her tone.

She couldn't hear anything on the other end of the phone. "House?"

Suddenly she heard a knock on the front door. She knew that knock. Cuddy walked to her front door, still holding the phone to her ear. She opened the door and saw House standing on her porch with his phone still at his ear.

"I guess I have." He spoke into his phone with a small smile on his face.

She smiled at him and lowered the phone, switching it off. She stepped back from the door, opening it for him to enter.

He stepped in, closing the door behind him. He opened his mouth in mock disbelief. "You hung up on me." House stuffed his phone in his pocket.

Her smile grew wider. She shrugged her shoulders; "You were a jackass to me today when I was trying to apologize to you…it evens out."

He nodded, looking into her eyes as he stepped closer to her, reaching up, he stroked her jaw with his fingers, his right hand still holding onto his cane. "Just so you're not confused, I'm going to kiss you now because I like you and I want to be with you." He whispered as he leaned in, their lips only millimeters apart. He waited a moment to see if she'd stop him. She didn't.

He captured her lips with his own, kissing her softly. She kissed him back eagerly, bringing her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He lowered his left arm to her back, bringing his right arm around her waist. She vaguely heard two clatters on the floor as he dropped his cane and she dropped her phone. He moved his lips over hers; leaving no doubt in her mind that he meant what he said. Their kiss became more heated and passionate as their tongues moved against one another. After a few moments, she broke the kiss not able to breathe any longer.

House leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her close to him. She kept her arms around his neck as she breathed him in. She loved being able to hold him close to her like this. She smiled, pulling back to look into his eyes. He smiled back at her.

"What changed your mind?" She asked in a whisper.

"It's Wilson's fault, he told me to come and kiss the hell out of you." He whispered in reply, smiling at her.

She laughed, lowering her arms from his neck to his shoulders and down to his chest. "Really…so I have Wilson to thank for that kiss?"

"No way…that was all me, baby." House said arrogantly.

"Baby?" She questioned with an amused look on her face.

"No? I'm trying out pet names…let me know when I get to one you like."

"Pet names already? You don't waist time, do you?" Cuddy rolled her eyes and stepped away from him, grabbing his hand and leading him to the kitchen. "Come on, honeybuns, let's see if I can find something in my kitchen that you'll actually eat."

"Ooo, honeybuns…I like that one. I do have a sweet ass, don't I?"


	7. Chapter 6

I always have to thank you guys for the reviews because they are awesome and I love to hear what you guys think!

I love writing this story and your reviews are an encouragement. Hope you enjoy chapter 6!!

**Chapter 6**

One week later

11:45 PM

Barry and Jenny crossed through a well-lit playground on their way back to their car. They had been dining at the new Italian restaurant that had opened up about a month ago. The parking in this part of town was a joke, so they had to park about three blocks away from the restaurant. Barry was singing a song in Italian that he'd picked up at the restaurant from the live music. Jenny was laughing at his sorry excuse for an Italian accent when she heard a cough coming from inside one of the playground structures.

"Shhh, Barry, shut it for a second." Jenny swatted her hand at him.

"What? You don't like my I-talian loooove song to you, baby?" He joked, chuckling to himself.

Jenny tilted her head to hear better where the coughing was coming from. She walked to the slide and heard the coughing more clearly as well as the sound of a kitten crying out loudly.

"What the hell is that?" Barry said with a scowl on his face.

"There's someone in there. Sounds like a kid coughing and I think there's a kitten up there too." Jenny stated, still listening intently. "Hello?" She started climbing up the ladder; the lighting around the jungle gym allowed her to see where she was going, and Barry chuckled at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I think there's a sick kid in here, Barry. What the hell would a sick kid be doing out on the playground at this hour…and in this weather?" She asked with worry.

"Maybe the kid's lost." Barry replied. His mood suddenly turning serious as the situation dawned on him.

Jenny climbed up the ladder until she saw a little girl, curled up in a ball sleeping. She got into the drum, placing her hand on the girls shoulder, shaking her to try and wake her up. As she got closer, she could tell the girl was sweating. Jenny put her hand on her forehead.

"Oh my god, Barry, she's burning up." Jenny said in a panic, her voice echoing down to him. "We have to get her to a hospital."

Alarmed, Barry climbed up the ladder after Jenny and looked inside the drum. He held out his arms.

"Hand her to me." Barry instructed Jenny.

Jenny cradled the little girl, handing her to Barry. He was able to get her down the ladder without dropping her. Jenny took the little black cat in her arms and followed him down, the cat still crying out as loudly as he could.

"Come on, we're almost to the car. There's a hospital a few miles from here, we'll take her there." Barry said. Jenny nodded and they both walked as fast as they could to their car. As Barry carried her to the car, he felt a small hand on his chin. He looked down and the girl had her eyes open and was saying something but he couldn't hear her. He leaned his ear close to her mouth but no words came out. "You're gonna be ok, just hang in there." He whispered to her.

Once they arrived at the car, Jenny unlocked the back door and got in first, setting the cat down gently on the floorboard of the car. Barry gently placed the little girl in the back seat with her. "Hurry, Barry, she's really sick." She had her hand on Bella's forehead and she felt for the girl's pulse in her wrist. Her heartbeat was a little slow and her cough was persistent. Jenny noticed how tiny the girl was and that she had on a sweater that was too big for her, and was dirty and ripped on one of her elbows. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and her shoes were wet from the snow they'd been having all week. Aside from the dirt on her face, she had fresh scratches on her left cheek and her chin.

Getting into the driver's seat, Barry drove as fast as he could to the hospital. He could hear the little girl coughing and moaning in the back seat, making him press down on the gas, speeding up their way to the hospital. They arrived in record time, pulling into the ER. Barry got out and grabbed the little girl in his arms once more, running through the doors of the ER.

"I need help." He exclaimed, looking around for someone to come and help him.

Dr. Cameron had been standing at the reception desk filling out a chart, as she was nearly finished with her shift when she heard a man come in asking for help. She ran up to him, noticing a small child in his arms. "What's going on?"

"We found this little girl in the playground a few miles from here. She was alone inside this big drum on the Jungle Gym. We heard her coughing as we passed by and Jenny…"

"Ok, slow down for me…what are your names?" Dr. Cameron led him to a gurney so he could lay the girl down on it. The little girl was unconscious.

"I'm Barry and this is my girlfriend, Jenny." Barry was in a slight state of panic.

"Barry and Jenny, I'm Dr. Cameron. You said you just found her at the playground?" Cameron asked as she took the girl's vitals.

They both nodded. As Cameron was speaking with them, one of the ER nurses had taken Bella's temperature. "Alright, she's got a temperature of 104, so it's lucky you found her and got her here quickly. We're going to need you both to step back so we can take care of her. You said she was alone?" They both nodded. "Ok, we'll need you to fill out a statement for the police and we'll need your contact information. We have a waiting area just over there." Cameron pointed.

"We'll wait. Is the cafeteria open?" Jenny asked, holding the kitten up for Cameron to see. "She had this cat with her." Jenny added at Cameron's confused look.

"Uh, of course, but I'm afraid you can't take the cat with you."

"I'll go get him some milk or something and we'll feed him while we wait." Barry volunteered.

Cameron had left them to handle the cat, while she tended to the girl.

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_Bella could feel herself floating. She was cold and she could see blurry spots in the sky. Not stars; bigger than stars; closer. Almost like she was floating in space, or heaven maybe. She must be in heaven, because when she looked to her right she could see her brother, Mattie. She missed him so much. She lifted her hand up to touch his face and he looked at her. She said his name, 'Mattie, Mattie', happy that she's finally with her brother again. He spoke to her; he said that she's going to be ok and she should hang in there. She's not sure what he means by that. If she's with him again, of course she'll be ok. She closed her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness once more._

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The Next day

It was 1:00 in the afternoon and House had just walked into the ER looking for a case. He hadn't had a case in days and he was sick of working in the clinic. Things had been going well with Cuddy this week. The night he had gone to her place to tell her how he felt was amazing. They didn't sleep together that night or any other night, for that matter. They talked and laughed together over dinner, made out on the sofa afterwards like a couple of teenagers as they 'watched a movie,' but she said she didn't want to rush things between them. He argued that 20 years isn't rushing things, but he didn't push her. In a way he understood why she didn't want to rush anything with him. They still had a lot to work on. The subsequent days had been so busy for Cuddy that they barely had time to spend with each other outside of work.

In the ER, he saw Cameron standing at reception going over a chart in her hands.

"Please tell me that is a case you were bringing me." House walked up to her taking the chart out of her hand.

Cameron scowled at him and grabbed the chart back. "No…not unless there isn't anyone around here that can diagnose a gunshot wound." She said sarcastically.

He sighed loudly in disappointment and frustration. "You suck." He turned around to leave when he saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. He did a double take when he realized who the familiar face belonged to.

"That kid over there, what is she doing here?" He nodded to Bella.

Cameron turned around to see who he was talking about. "She's a Jane Doe a couple brought in last night. She has pneumonia, she's malnourished and severely dehydrated." She smirked at him. "Sorry, she's already been diagnosed."

"Have you called social services yet?"

"Just about to, why?" Cameron asked with confusion.

"Don't, not until I talk to Cuddy, understand?" House was walking away from Cameron and was halfway out of the ER when Cameron called after him.

"Do you know her? She's my patient, House!"

House yelled over his shoulder. "Not anymore. Now she's Cuddy's."

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A few minutes later, House came bursting into Cuddy's office; Cuddy didn't look up at him but smiled as she read and signed a chart on her desk.

House sat down in the chair opposite her desk with a smile on his face.

"Hey, snookums, is there something funny in that chart that has you smiling like that?"

She looked up at him, and laughed. "Nope…and no to the pet name. "

"Oh come on, that was a good one."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "No…what's up, House?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew she'd made a mistake in asking that question. She saw his smile grow wider and she shook her head. "Don't answer that." Her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

He laughed at her. "What? I have no idea what you're talking about." He said with innocence. Her response was another eye roll.

"By the way, I found something you lost last week." Finally stating his purpose for being in her office.

She frowned, not sure what he was talking about. "Something I lost?" She asked, completely confused.

"Yep, she's about yay tall, kinda quiet, likes to steal stuff." He stated casually.

Cuddy straightened up in her chair and widened her eyes in surprise. "You found Bella? How? Where? Is she ok?"

"I'm confused, which question do you want answered first?"

"How did you find her?"

"Since you were so worried I scoured Princeton for the last week looking for her." House said sincerely.

"Seriously, how'd you find her?" Cuddy asked, not buying his answer.

He sighed loudly. "Fine. Some couple found her last night and brought her into the ER."

Cuddy stood up from her chair and walked out of her office, leaving House behind.

"You're welcome!" He hollered after her. He sighed. He was glad that he could make Cuddy happy by finding the kid, but after only a week being with her he already felt like he was being pushed to the backburner in her life. Cuddy has always wanted kids, and if this were another chance for her to have one, there was no way he could compete with that.

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Bella felt warm, as she lay on something soft. She slowly opened her eyes expecting to be on the playground where she'd fallen asleep last night. Her vision was blurry for a moment but when she focused she saw she was lying on a bed with blankets over her body. She heard a constant beeping sound, but didn't know what it was. She felt better; she was still a little weak but her coughing wasn't bothering her and her body wasn't aching anymore.

She looked around trying to determine her surroundings. Bella looked to her left and saw the lady doctor from the hospital she had run away from, talking to a nurse. She couldn't remember the doctor's name. Bella suddenly realized she was back at the hospital, and she started to panic. She looked at her hands and saw an IV needle in her hand and something clipped to her finger. Bella kicked the covers off of her body, and the lady doctor came over to her trying to calm her down. The slow beeping she heard before had sped up to a constant beeping.

Bella heard the doctor trying to speak calmly to her, but she didn't listen; she needed to get out of here. She didn't want to go to the horrible place they take kids without parents, that's why she had run away from here. The lady doctor was going to send her there. Bella felt warm tears streaming down her face. The nurse and the lady doctor were trying to hold her down.

"Bella, calm down, sweetie. You're safe." She said gently. Bella kept squirming to get away from her but she felt her arms being held down forcefully. She kept squirming as much as she could, hoping to get away from them. Suddenly she heard the doctor speak in a forceful tone.

"Bella, honey, if you can't calm down I'm going to have to give you some medicine to make you sleep." The doctor told her.

The doctor's words made her calm down immediately, she didn't want to sleep. She had to find a way to get away from here. She was still crying but she stopped squirming and she felt the doctor and the nurse slowly lift their hands off of her arms and legs. Bella turned away from them onto her right side and sobbed. Bella felt another hand being placed on her shoulder to comfort her, but she shrugged it off.

After Bella shrugged her hand away, Cuddy decided to leave her alone for a few minutes to let her calm down. She sat down in a chair beside Bella's bed, with Bella still facing away from her. Cuddy nodded to the nurse and she left the room. Cuddy had Bella brought up to a private room in pediatrics. She sat quietly watching Bella cry and it broke her heart that she couldn't comfort her. Cuddy saw Bella's shoulders stop shaking from the force of her sobbing. She heard her sniffling and coughing, and she saw her wipe some tears from her eyes. Cuddy decided to try talking to her again.

"I'm sorry," she started, "I didn't mean to make you run away from me last week. I was only trying to help you."

Cuddy knew she wouldn't get a response so she kept talking.

"I want you to know that you can trust me. I know you don't think that you can. Bella, I had to call social services because it's the law, not because I wanted to. Do you understand?" Cuddy spoke softly.

Getting no response, Cuddy stood up and walked to the other side of the bed to face Bella. Bella didn't turn away; instead she looked down at her hands on the bed. Cuddy pulled up another chair and sat next to the bed, watching her for a moment before continuing.

"I'm glad you're safe now. You scared me when you ran away, and I went looking for you after you left. I was afraid you'd freeze outside. Do you know what happened? How you got back here?" It was a rhetorical question because she knew Bella wouldn't answer.

"A nice couple found you at the playground and they saw that you were sick so they brought you to the ER. We have you on some medicine and you should be feeling better in a few days." She continued.

She saw Bella suddenly lift her head from the pillow and look around the room. Cuddy remembered Cameron say that the couple that found her, also found a cat with her.

"Your cat is fine, he's being taken care of by the couple that found you." Cuddy reassured her.

Bella didn't look at Cuddy as she spoke, but instead resumed her previous position on the bed. She was at a loss for what to do for her emotionally. Physically, she could handle, that was her job. But this girl seemed so scared and she wasn't entirely sure why, other than the fact that she was alone. Cuddy felt tired and sad, it wasn't going to be easy to get Bella to trust her, especially after what happened last time. Cuddy leaned forward in her chair, placing her elbows on her knees as she tried to get Bella to look at her. Bella kept her eyes on her hands.

"Bella, honey, can I get you anything?" She spoke in a soft tone.

Bella did nothing to react to her question except close her eyes, effectively shutting Cuddy out. Cuddy lowered her head, quietly sighing and stood up to leave Bella alone.

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4:00 PM

House was seated at his desk, working at his computer when Cuddy came strolling in looking defeated. He glanced up from what he was doing just as she sat down in a chair across from his desk.

"How's the kid, pookie?" House asked with a smirk on his face.

"No." Cuddy responded to his pet name for her.

"Pooh bear?" He said, trying again.

Cuddy chuckled and shook her head at that one.

"Uh, pumpkin, no, snuggle bunny! Baby cakes!!" He pointed his finger in the air victoriously.

"Sorry."

"Damn it, those were my best ones."

"Keep trying, hot lips." Cuddy said, teasing him with a wink.

"You better be careful or I'll come over there and show you what my pet name for you is gonna be." He responded, leering at her.

Cuddy rolled her eyes at him with amusement on her face.

Seeing the sadness and tiredness underneath the amusement in her eyes, he changed the subject back to what she really came in here to talk about. "So how is the kid?"

"Uh, physically, she's getting better. She should be released to Social Services in a few days." Cuddy responded to his earlier question.

"That's good. She'll be taken care of." He stated plainly.

"She deserves better than that. I don't know what to do…she's in so much pain emotionally; you can just see it in her eyes. She doesn't trust anyone and she never says a word; it's heartbreaking." Cuddy looked up at House with sad eyes. He could tell she was trying to hold back her tears.

House got out his chair and made his way around the desk scooting the other chair closer to her. He reached over and took her hand in his. She held his hand tightly and brought it up to her lips, planting a kiss on the back of his hand. She smiled at him, silently thanking him for offering her comfort.

"There's nothing more for you to do, Cuddy. It's your job as her doctor to heal her and you're doing that, but the rest is someone else's job." He spoke quietly to her.

"I just feel like there's something I could be doing for her." She responded sadly, lowering her gaze to her lap as she caressed the palm of his hand with her fingers.

"What more could you possibly do, Cuddy?" House asked, not liking where this conversation was headed.

Cuddy looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I just think she needs someone she can trust. She's scared, and if they just send someone in there to try and get answers out of her, she's going to close herself off to people even more."

"Cuddy, you can't let yourself get attached to this kid. If this were any other patient, any adult patient, you wouldn't be thinking twice about this." He said firmly.

"House, I'm just saying that once we hand her over to Social Services, she's going to close herself off to people, she needs someone she can trust." She repeated, trying to make him understand.

He sighed. "And you want to be that person." It wasn't a question. He knew this was going to happen from the beginning. She would get attached and then her heart would be broken when it didn't work out…again. He shook his head, removed his hand from hers and stood up. He walked back behind his desk and sat in his chair.

"What's wrong with that? Why shouldn't I help her?" Cuddy asked with an edge in her tone, after seeing his reaction to what she'd said. She watched him walk back to his desk.

"How do you think you can help her, Cuddy? It's a mistake to try, let a professional handle it." He looked away from her; he was starting to get upset. Anytime there was a kid involved she couldn't help herself.

"I will…but I also think she has to have someone there that will make her feel safe. I'm not like you, House, I don't diagnose my patients from afar."

"You've done your job, Cuddy. Let the professionals handle it."

"She needs more than that."

He signed loudly. "Like what…a mother?" He asked her bitterly.

Cuddy scowled at his question. "Is that what this is about? You don't want me to get close to her because once again, you're afraid of me adopting, or being a mother or whatever the hell it is you're always so afraid of." She shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm not afraid. Just forget it, Cuddy." He said curtly, as he stood up from behind his desk and grabbed his cane, ready to walk out of the office.

"No, House, what's going on? What are you afraid of?" She asked with a scowl on her face, moving in front of him in a flash so he couldn't leave. She placed her hands on his chest, stopping him. "You're fine with me being her doctor, but you don't want me to get close to her…why?"

"I said forget it, you just go do what you want." House tried walking around her.

Cuddy grabbed the lapels of his blazer in her hands, stepping in front of him once more. "House, tell me." She asked softly, almost whispering. She looked into his eyes, begging him to open up to her.

He looked down at her. "Because you'll end up right back where you were a few months ago…mourning the loss of a child that was never yours to begin with." He spoke in an even tone.

"You're afraid I'll get hurt again." She stated, letting go of his lapel and placing her left hand on his cheek.

"It's not just that, Cuddy, you're biting off more than you can chew."

Cuddy removed her hand from his cheek and stepped away from him. His words had hurt. "You still think I'll be bad mother don't you?"

"That's what you got out of what I just said?" He laughed at her ridiculous conclusion. "Well, now you're just making shit up, Cuddy." He said, raising his voice again, irritated at her for putting words in his mouth.

"Then what did you mean?" She said evenly.

"This is a kid with a whole set of issues, Cuddy. Problems that you are not equipped to solve. She's not going to need her diapers changed and have to be fed a bottle every couple of hours." He paused a moment letting his words sink in. "This isn't like adopting a baby, Cuddy, do you understand that?"

She lowered her gaze to the floor, nodding her head. "Yeah, I get it. You don't think I know all that?" She answered quietly. His words stung. He was probably right, but they still hurt. She backed away from him, turned around and left his office.

He watched her walk out, her head low, walking slowly to the elevator. He shook his head. He stood there for several minutes before walking back to his desk. He thought about what he'd just said to her. He was basically saying he didn't think she was capable of caring for a child. House knew that wasn't true. She would be a great mother, but he lied when he said he wasn't afraid. He was afraid. He was afraid that once she finally gets what she's always wanted…there will be no room for him in her life anymore.

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Cuddy had gone down to her office to gather herself after her argument with House. She held her tears on her way there, but the floodgates opened once she was inside. She closed the blinds and locked her door, sat down on her couch and sobbed. It hurt her that he had no faith in her to care for a child. It's true, Bella wasn't a baby and she had a lot of problems, but Cuddy felt she was capable of helping her with some of those issues, even though she wasn't quite sure yet what those issue were.

Cuddy spent about 30 minutes crying in her office, until she decided that she'd had enough. Bella needed her and she was going to do anything she could to help her. After washing her face and fixing her make-up, Cuddy left her office to go check on Bella.

Cuddy had called security earlier and had George, the man that had found Bella at the hospital, to sit outside her door to make sure she didn't run away again. As Cuddy walked up to Bella's room, she greeted George with a tired smile and slid the door open. Bella was asleep in her bed, lying in a fetal position facing the door. Her expression as she slept was calm and peaceful. Cuddy checked her vitals on the monitors and looked at her chart. Everything looked normal. Bella was coughing but her temperature seemed to be going down with the medication she was given.

Cuddy sat down in a chair facing Bella with her back to the door. She watched Bella sleep for a few minutes and then placed her elbows on her knees and brought her fingers up to her temples, trying to rub away the headache she'd gotten from crying earlier. Her thoughts went back to House and she felt a tear stream down her face. She suddenly felt a light pressure on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Bella watching her; she had placed her hand on Cuddy's shoulder. Cuddy smiled at her.

"Hi." Cuddy said softly.

Bella removed her hand from Cuddy's shoulder and lightly placed her fingers on Cuddy's cheek, wiping away the tear that she'd shed. Surprised at her gesture of comfort, Cuddy smiled at her and gently took Bella's hand in hers. Bella gave Cuddy a small smile of her own.

"Are you feeling better?" Cuddy asked her quietly.

Bella nodded her head. Cuddy smiled at her response.

"Can I get you some water or something else to eat?" She pointed to the pitcher and her food tray on the table next to the bed.

Bella shook her head no. Cuddy was still holding Bella's hand lightly in hers. She was happy that Bella was letting her. "Do you need anything?"

Bella seemed to think for a minute but shook her head once more.

Bella removed her hand from Cuddy's and brought her finger up to her own face, dragging her finger down her cheek. Cuddy frowned, not understanding what she was doing. Bella repeated the motion adding her other finger to her other cheek. Cuddy raised her eyebrows in understanding.

"Are you asking why I was crying?" Cuddy asked, keeping her voice low.

Bella nodded.

"I had a rough day." Cuddy responded with a weak smile.

Bella nodded slowly, lowering her gaze to the bed.

Cuddy sat up in the chair, bringing her hands to her lap. She kept her eyes on Bella. She decided they both needed a little cheering up so she asked Bella about her cat, trying to make a connection with her as well.

"What's your cat's name?" She asked with a smile.

Bella glanced up at her with a grin on her face. She spelled out Splat in sign language as a reflex. Cuddy raised her eyebrows, not expecting her to speak in sign language. This WAS going to be harder than she thought. It also concerned her a little because maybe they missed something in her examination earlier.

"You speak sign language?"

Bella nodded slowly, her smile fading.

"It's ok, sweetie, I didn't know that's all. Is your voice ok? Does your throat hurt other than it being sore because of your pneumonia?"

Bella shook her head.

"So you can talk to me?" Cuddy continued to ask questions, hoping that Bella would open up to her.

Bella shook her head no again, looking a little apprehensive at the thought.

"You don't want to talk to me?"

Bella shook her head for the third time.

"Ok." Slightly saddened by that but understanding nonetheless.

Bella suddenly made a writing motion with her right hand. Cuddy stood up, grabbing a note pad and pen out of the nightstand drawer. She handed them to Bella. Cuddy watched her write something down.

Bella lifted the notepad so Cuddy could see it.

It read simply, 'Splat.' Cuddy furrowed her brow at what that meant.

"I don't understand." She said.

Bella wrote something else. 'my cats name.'

Cuddy laughed out loud at that. "That's adorable…why did you name him that?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders and wrote her response. 'he looks like one.'

Cuddy nodded, still smiling. She saw Bella scribble something.

Bella held up the notepad. 'can i see him?'

Cuddy read her question. "Uh…I might be able to sneak him in tomorrow." She answered with a smile. Bella's face beamed at her response. After a moment, Cuddy watched as Bella's smile faded and a troubled look overcame her face.

"What's the matter, Bella?" She asked with concern evident in her voice.

Bella wrote on her notepad, lifting it up for Cuddy to see when she was finished.

'i am sorry,' it said.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "What for?" She was confused why she would apologize.

Bella wrote her response.

'i stealed your money. i did not want to.' She wrote.

Cuddy read what she'd written and her expression softened in understanding. She gave her a gentle smile. "It's ok, sweetheart, I understand why you did it. You don't have to apologize." Cuddy said softly.

Bella nodded in gratitude and wrote something down.

'you are nice, what is your name?'

She showed Cuddy what she'd written. Cuddy smiled at her again. "My name is Lisa and thank you. You're a very sweet girl." Cuddy complimented her. Most children her age weren't that sweet and gentle, at least not the one's she'd come across. But then most children hadn't gone through what Bella had.

"Where did you learn sign language?" Cuddy asked curiously.

Bella wrote her answer. 'my mom was deaf. she teached me'

Cuddy read her response and nodded. "What happened to your mom?" She didn't want to make Bella upset by bringing up this topic, but she wanted to find out as much as she could to be able to help her.

Bella looked away from Cuddy. Cuddy could tell by her reaction that her mom had probably passed away at some point in her life. After a few moments of silence between them, Bella confirmed her suspicion.

'she died.'

Cuddy saw the sadness in Bella's eyes after she wrote down her response. "I'm so sorry." Cuddy told her softly. Before Cuddy could ask how her mother had died, she saw Bella writing again.

'do you have kids?'

Cuddy shook her head.

'husband?'

Again, Cuddy shook her head. She wasn't even sure if her relationship with House was still intact after the hurtful things he'd said to her.

'alone just like me?'

Cuddy smiled sadly at Bella and nodded her head. "Maybe we should stick together, huh?" Cuddy realized that might be a promise she wouldn't be able to keep with Bella but it was one she decided she was going to try damn hard to.

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6:30 PM

House stood at the nurse's station across from Bella's room. He watched Cuddy and Bella intently. They were talking to each other; well Cuddy was talking and Bella was writing. He noticed the smiles and some laughter; they were getting along. House had regretted what he'd said to Cuddy but he couldn't tell her the whole truth, not yet anyway. He didn't feel he could open himself up to her like that.

House watched them interact for a few more minutes until he lowered his gaze to the floor, tapping his cane. He looked up one more time and turned away, making his way down the hall.

**A/N:** I had a hard time writing this chapter so I hope you guys enjoyed it. Greg House can be very complicated to write about sometimes, but then we wouldn't love him he wasn't, am I right? Also, have no fear, it will be explained why Bella wasn't found in the abandoned house, and instead in the playground. Toodles till next time!


	8. Chapter 7

Thanks again to all of you who reviewed on the last chapter...it made me feel a lot better about it!!

I'm really happy that you guys are enjoying the story. Hope you continue reading and enjoying!

And on a completely unrelated note...I can't wait for season 6!! :-)

Chapter 7

Bella sat up in her hospital bed with her notepad and pen in her hand talking to the lady doctor, who she now knew as Lisa. It turned out she wasn't so bad. She was actually really nice. Bella wasn't afraid of her anymore, but she didn't trust her yet either. Lisa had pretty green eyes and a nice smile, but she could tell there was sadness there. Bella spent a lot of time watching people on the streets; studying them. When she studied Lisa, she saw that she was a sad person; just like her. They had that in common, but to trust her would be too much. After all, she called the police on her before.

Lisa had asked about her mom and she decided it would be okay to tell her that her mom was dead. Bella had changed the subject though, not wanting to tell her about anyone else in her family and what had happened to her. Soon after, Bella had learned the reason for Lisa's sadness…she was alone too. That was the second thing they had in common.

Lisa said they should stick together, but Bella wasn't completely sure what she meant by that, and she didn't ask her. Instead she changed the subject again.

'how long do i got to stay here?' Bella asked.

Lisa read her question she'd written down. "Uh…at the most one week. But I guess that depends on how you feel." Lisa answered.

Bella nodded sadly. She knew she'd be taken away to the place she feared most; the place she and Mattie had run away from. Probably not the exact place but one similar and she did not want to go back to that.

'they are going to take me away right?'

Lisa looked down after reading her question and Bella knew she was afraid to answer. Bella's eyes started getting blurry with tears at seeing Lisa's reaction. When Lisa looked up and saw the tears in her eyes, she stood up and sat at the edge of the bed. Bella felt Lisa's hand on her arm, her thumb gently caressing it, offering comfort. Bella looked away from Lisa to the other side of the room.

"Bella, I'm sorry, I don't have a choice. It's the law, honey." She heard Lisa speak softly to her, emphasizing her regret of the situation.

Bella laid her head down on the bed and closed her eyes, feeling a few tears slip down her cheeks. She believed what Lisa was telling her but she didn't want to hear anymore. She was starting to feel tired again anyway and she just wanted to sleep. She opened her eyes when she felt Lisa take the notepad and pen from her and set it on the nightstand.

"Get some sleep, okay?"

Bella nodded, wiping the tears from her face with her hand. Lisa ran her finger across Bella's forehead, brushing her hair back. "I'll be back in the morning to check on you."

Lisa stood up, moving the covers over Bella, tucking her in. "If you need anything, press this button and the nurse will be right in here, okay? And if you need me, they can call me."

Bella nodded once more. She watched Lisa walk out of the room, turning off the light on her way out. She saw her stop to talk to the guard outside for a minute and then turn and leave. Bella needed to find a way out of here before they came to get her. She liked Lisa, but she liked her freedom more and she refused to go back to that place without a fight.

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After requesting the night security guard to stay outside Bella's room at all times and informing him that Bella had run away before and may try to do so again, Cuddy turned and walked down the hallway to the elevators. She couldn't imagine what Bella must be feeling right now. Once again, she felt sad and tired after her conversation with her. Or maybe she was still feeling what she'd felt earlier anew.

Cuddy wondered when in Bella's life she had been placed in the care of the state. Bella was clearly scared of going back into foster care. She had said she learned sign language from her mother, meaning she had to have spent several years in her mother's care. What had happened to her father? Did she have siblings and where were they? Cuddy had all of these questions about Bella that she wanted answered. She just had to be patient and gain Bella's trust enough that she'd talk to her about it.

Cuddy made her way into her office to grab her belongings to head home for the night. She had placed some work into her briefcase and shouldered her purse after putting her winter coat on. After locking up her office, she turned to head out of the clinic when she saw House limping past the reception desk and out the doors of the hospital. He never saw her, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking from the expression on his face. He always had that look on his face.

Cuddy wanted to catch up to him and talk but she was so exhausted that she didn't have the energy for another argument tonight. She was more hurt than upset with him for the things he'd said to her, but it upset her that he'd hurt her so she felt anger as well.

Finally, she made her way to the glass doors of the hospital lobby, entering into the cold and biting weather of the New Jersey winter. She slumped her shoulders and lowered her head as she walked to her car. As she made her way home, she hoped tomorrow would be a better day.

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"_Dad, I can't find my shoes!" Bella yelled down the stairs to her father, who was in the kitchen with his wife as she prepared their daughter's lunch for her day at school. He signed to his wife, asking her if she knew where Bella's shoes were. She signed her response to him._

"_Did you look under the bed?" She heard her father's voice yell back at her._

"_Yes!" She yelled back, running to her room to look under the bed. No shoes. "They're not here."_

_Her brother, Mattie stuck his head into her room. "Maybe you should take better care of your stuff, loser."_

"_Shut up, buttface!" She screamed at her brother and ran out of her room, smacking him on her way down the stairs._

"_OW!" Mattie screamed. "That hurt!" He yelled as he ran down the stairs after Bella, intent on making her pay._

_Reaching the bottom of the stairs they saw their mom came out of the kitchen with Bella's lunch box in her hand. She grabbed Mattie's arm just as he was about to attack Bella and handed him some cash for his lunch. He signed 'thank you' and shoved Bella aside to get his backpack._

"_Would you two knock it off and hurry up, you're going to be late for school." They heard their father say as he came out of the kitchen a moment later. She set Bella's lunch by the door next to her backpack and told Bella to go look for her shoes in the living room. Bella sighed and obeyed her mother. _

"_Daddy, are you and Mom coming to my art show at school tonight?" She asked loud enough for him to her in the other room. She had her hand under the couch, feeling around for her shoes._

"_Wouldn't miss it for the world, Love. I might have to work a little late tonight, but we'll both be there." He responded._

"_Ok," she said. "Found 'em!" She said suddenly, as she felt one of them under the couch, sticking her head underneath to see if they were both there. Pulling them from under the couch, she held them up so her mother could see that she'd found them and quickly put them on._

_Mattie ran into the room with his backpack on his shoulder. "Come on, B, you loser…hurry it up!"_

"_Stop calling me a loser, you jerk!" She shouted at him._

"_Hey, I told you both to knock it off. Matt, go wait in the car." Their father said firmly. Mattie smirked at Bella and she glared at him._

_Bella finished tying her shoes and ran out of the living room to grab her backpack and lunch box. She turned around to kiss and hug her mom goodbye. She signed 'I love you' and ran out the front door to wait for their father in the car._

_Later that afternoon as Bella set up her art pieces for the show that evening in the auditorium, she saw her brother, the principle and the school counselor coming toward her. What was Mattie doing here? He looked like he'd been crying and that set off alarm bells in her head. Mattie never cried. Something was wrong._

Bella awoke with a start in her hospital bed, gasping for breath and coughing. She felt tears streaming down her face as she began to sob, remembering the dream she'd had about the day she lost both her parents. That was the worst day of her life, hearing the news from the principle of her school as Mattie sat beside her holding her hand. She remembered hugging and kissing her mother that day for the last time. Her father had promised they would be at her art show that night, she was so excited that two of her drawings had been picked to be in the show and her parents were so proud of her. She missed them so much. As she remembered that horrible day, she cried until it seemed her tears had dried up, and a few minutes later she fell back to sleep.

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The Next Day

9:15 AM

House came to work a little earlier than normal today. He was standing in the same spot he was last night across from Bella's room; this time she was alone. No doubt Cuddy had been in there already today, checking up on her. House walked over to the glass wall, staring at Bella sitting up in her bed, writing or drawing, he couldn't tell from this angle. He was curious about her; he had to admit. She wasn't like other kids he'd come across.

George the security guard looked over at him curiously. House ignored him and stepped into the room. When he slid the door open, Bella looked up at him. He couldn't read her expression; he liked that about her, she had a poker face. House looked at her, trying to intimidate her. He saw her blink but her expression remained the same.

House walked over and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Bella had her eyes on him the whole time. They stared each other down for a few moments. He saw what she was doing on her notepad. She had drawn, in detail, the flowers and teddy bear that were sitting on the table next to her bed. 'Impressive,' House thought.

"Well you're just a regular Michaelangelo, aren't you?"

Bella frowned, confusion etched on her face.

"The drawing, kid…where'd you learn that?" House asked. He was even more intrigued.

Bella looked at her drawing and then back up at House. She shrugged her shoulders, still staring at him with a frown in her brow.

"That's not bad, kid. Keep that up, it'll take you places." House commented about the drawing.

Bella continued to stare at him.

"I just gave you a compliment, you're not going to thank me?" House said sarcastically. He smirked at her when her frown deepened.

Her frown suddenly went away when she realized he was messing with her. She thanked him in sign language. House was expecting this. He'd heard the nurses at the station outside talking about her knowledge of sign language and how she used it with them when she didn't want to talk to them with her notepad. Of course none of them knew what she was saying, but he had seen her and knew exactly what she'd been saying to them. It made him laugh at the time when he saw her basically telling them to leave her the hell alone.

House responded with 'you're welcome' in sign language, which seemed to surprise her. She smiled at seeing him sign to her. She signed again, asking him his name.

"Greg." He answered simply.

Bella signed her name in return. "I know your name." House replied.

"There's nothing wrong with your voice…why don't you use it?" House asked her. "Not that I care, one less screaming kid around here." He said.

Bella shrugged and signed to him her response.

"Wow, a girl who doesn't like to talk…I wish there were more of you in the world."

He could tell she didn't quite know what to make of him. But he could see her mind working it out…studying him. He smiled; he was really beginning to like this kid.

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Cuddy walked out of the elevator with Barry and Jenny, the couple who had found Bella the other night. They had come to visit her to see how she was doing and to let her see Splat. She had thanked them for bringing her to the hospital and explained that she had been looking for her. They were a very nice couple and took exceptional care of Bella's cat. They mentioned taking him to the vet to get him checked out and were given a good report. He was a little under nourished but was otherwise healthy. He was given his shots and was sent home.

As they walked up to the room, Cuddy saw House inside with Bella. She frowned and became a little panicked. What the hell was he doing in there with her? She slid the door open, seeing both Bella and House turn in their direction.

"House?" She asked with a little trepidation in her voice. "What are you doing?" She felt a little awkward and slightly upset at seeing him after their argument yesterday but she decided to ignore that feeling for the moment and treat him the same as she always did.

"What…I'm not allowed to see the kid?" House asked, standing up from the chair he was seated in.

Cuddy walked over to him, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Since when do you care?"

"Well that hurts my feelings, Cuddy. Of course I care about little Alice." House placed his hand over his heart in mock pain.

"Her name is Bella, you idiot." Cuddy rolled her eyes.

House looked over at Bella and winked. Cuddy noticed, looking at Bella as well. Seeing her smile at House, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

She started to comment when they all heard a 'meow' behind them and Bella's eyes snapped to Jenny, who was holding Splat in her arms. Cuddy had been blocking her view of him so she didn't notice him at first. Bella's smile grew at seeing her cat. She held her arms out to him and Jenny walked over to Bella with a smile, handing him over. She hugged him to her chest and planted kisses on his head. Everyone in the room watched the exchange with a smile. Everyone except for House, who was busy watching Cuddy.

Glancing back at House, Cuddy decided to ignore him, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to Bella. "Bella, this is the couple that found you the other night…do you remember?" Cuddy asked gently.

Bella looked at them and shook her head. Splat had settled in Bella's lap, curling up and purring loudly. Jenny held her hand out to Bella, shaking her hand. "I'm Jenny. I'm so glad to see that you're ok, we were really worried about you." She said with a smile.

Barry stepped up and did the same, introducing himself. Bella signed 'thank you' to them and smiled. They frowned, looking at Cuddy, not expecting sign language.

Seeing their confused expressions, House rolled his eyes. "She said thank you."

Bella nodded and gave them a small smile. "You're welcome." Barry replied.

Cuddy noticed House slip out of the room. She looked in his direction as he crossed in front of the glass wall of the room. He glanced at her and then noticed Bella waving her tiny hand at him, telling him bye. He winked at her once more and glanced back to Cuddy. He lowered his head and walked away down the hall.

They visited for about 30 minutes, with Barry and Jenny talking to Bella and her writing down her responses on paper. After a few moments of silence, Jenny turned to Cuddy.

"Dr. Cuddy, we actually have to get going. Thank you for letting us visit Bella." Jenny said with a smile. She reached out to shake Cuddy's hand and turned to Bella. "It was nice to meet you, Bella, I'm happy your feeling better." Barry shook their hands as well.

Bella looked up at Cuddy with a panicked expression. She grabbed her notepad and pen, jotting something down.

'does Splat have to go?'

Cuddy's heart melted at the look on her face. "He can stay…but he has to stay in this room, understand?" She spoke softly but seriously, not wanting a cat running around the pediatrics wing of the hospital.

Bella nodded, beaming with excitement and signed 'thank you' to Cuddy. Cuddy understood what that meant now, having seen her do it several times.

"You're welcome." She spoke with a smile. "I'll be right back."

Bella nodded, acknowledging Cuddy.

Cuddy turned to walk Barry and Jenny out.

Cuddy walked them down to the lobby and thanked them once again for all they had done for Bella.

"What's going to happen to her?" Jenny asked with concern.

"She'll have to be placed in the care of the State when she leaves here." Cuddy answered sadly.

"Is she seeing a counselor? She seems to have a form PTSD." Barry commented.

Cuddy nodded in agreement. Before she could answer his question, they heard House speak out loudly behind them. He came to stand directly behind Cuddy.

"Oh no shit, Sherlock. What did you think it was…cat got her tongue?" He smirked at Barry. Barry looked shocked at his outburst.

"House!" Cuddy turned in his direction and scowled at him. "Shut up." She spoke firmly to him.

"I need to talk to you." House said, looking down at Cuddy.

"I'm busy, House. You'll have to wait." Cuddy turned away from him to address Barry and Jenny once more.

"Fine, you just let me know when you have enough time in your busy life for me." He snapped. Cuddy turned back to see him walk away from them to the elevators.

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12:00 PM

House sat in a booth in the cafeteria with Wilson eating his Reuben sandwich and chips. House was in particularly foul mood after being blown off by Cuddy this morning and essentially confirming what he knew was going to happen between them. Wilson was currently narrowing his eyes at House, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him today.

"So…what the hell's wrong with you today?" Wilson asked bluntly. "I mean, I know you're always this pleasant, but I can tell when something's wrong, so spill." Wilson said, gesturing with his hand that it was House's turn to talk.

House simply stared at him and ate his sandwich.

"It's clearly about Cuddy, that much is obvious. Only she could do this to you." Wilson said with a look of amusement. Getting nothing from House, Wilson continued with his best guess.

"Did she give you more clinic hours or something?" Pausing and thinking about it, Wilson shook his head. "No, that couldn't be it, you'd just ignore her and watch your soaps, not get pissed off." Wilson thought about it for a moment. Realization swept over his face and his eyes widened as he looked at House.

"You two had sex!!" Wilson leaned over the table, whispering to House in surprise. "And now she's scared and told you it was mistake." Wilson leaned back in his seat, still in shock waiting for House's response.

House continued to stare at Wilson calmly. After a moment, he pointed at him with a chip in his hand and said, "You are really bad at this game."

"What? You guys didn't have sex?" Wilson asked a little too loudly for House's liking. He noticed several people turning to look in their direction.

"You need watch your volume there, Jimmy." House hissed at him. Normally House would've made a smartass remark in return but today, he was not in the mood.

Wilson looked around apologetically and leaned toward House again. "Well did you or didn't you?"

"Shut up, Wilson, I don't want to talk about it." House snapped.

"Wait a second, does this have to do with Cuddy's patient? The little girl?" Wilson asked, realizing another reason House might be in a foul mood.

House rolled his eyes and stood up to leave.

Wilson's widened at his reaction. "It does! What happened, House?" Wilson stood up to follow him.

"Go away, Wilson. Mind your own business." His irritation was growing at Wilson's persistence.

"Fine, I'll just go talk to Cuddy." He threatened, shrugging his shoulders as he turned around to walk toward Cuddy's office.

House sighed loudly and turned to Wilson, slinging his cane out and hitting him directly on his right shin.

"Ahhhh, damn it, House! What the hell?" Wilson shouted as he stumbled and grabbed his shin.

"I said mind your own business." House repeated with a smirk on his face at seeing Wilson in pain. He turned back in the direction of the elevators and pressed the up button. House turned around to see Wilson glaring at him, still holding his shin.

Wilson limped onto the elevator after House. The ride up to their offices was silent. When they reached the 4th floor, they each went in separate directions, both limping to their respective offices.

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4:00 PM

Cuddy walked down the hall toward Bella's room. She had been to see Bella several times today, as often as she could. She wanted to see her as often as possible so that she'd get to know Bella and hopefully gain her trust. She seemed to be doing better now that she had her cat to keep her company.

This morning Cuddy had been surprised to see House in Bella's room. She still wasn't sure what he was doing in there and why. Yesterday he seemed to be against her getting close to Bella, and she was confused as to why he would be doing what he didn't want her to do. After their little argument in the lobby this morning, House had been annoying anyone and everyone in the hospital. Causing problems with patients in the clinic and doing anything that would make her life hell. She didn't know what the hell his problem was, but she didn't want to think about it right now.

Cuddy walked into Bella's room and saw her playing with Splat on the bed. She held a string up as Splat swatted his tiny paws in the air, trying to grab onto it. The scene made Cuddy smile.

She saw Bella look up and smile at her. Cuddy chuckled at her, walking over to the chair beside the bed and sitting down.

"You seem to be feeling better." Cuddy commented.

Bella shrugged and her smile fell, giving Splat the string and letting him play with it.

Cuddy tilted her head to the side at Bella's reaction. "What's wrong?" She asked, surprised at her sudden change in demeanor.

Bella shook her head and shrugged her shoulder as if to say it was nothing important.

"You can tell me, sweetie, it's ok. Whatever you tell me stays between you and me, alright?"

Bella looked up at her and frowned, not quite believing her. "You can trust me." Cuddy told her softly.

Bella grabbed her notepad and scribbled on it.

'i do not want to feel better.'

It was Cuddy's turn to frown. "Because that means you have to leave." Cuddy stated, understanding her logic.

Bella nodded sadly. 'i do not want them to take me away again'

Cuddy nodded. "Neither do I." Cuddy paused a moment before asking Bella the question she'd been wanting to know since last night.

"Bella…will you tell me what happened to your mom?" Cuddy asked cautiously and gently, not wanting to upset her. "How she died?"

Bella sat up straight, eyes wide, and shook her head no, as she started to tear up.

Cuddy raised her left hand up to her, calming her. "Ok. It's ok if you don't want to tell me. But it might make you feel better to talk about it." She suggested calmly to Bella.

Bella shook her head, her lip beginning to tremble.

"Alright." Cuddy nodded. There were a few moments of silence between them when Cuddy decided to change the subject. She noticed the drawing that Bella had done earlier today of the flowers and stuffed teddy bear she'd brought her this morning.

"You're very talented." She pointed to the drawing, impressed with her artistic abilities.

Bella looked where she was pointing and thanked her. She leaned over, handing Cuddy the drawing.

"For me?" Cuddy asked with surprise in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

Bella nodded and smiled.

"Thank you." Cuddy said with sincere gratitude. "I'll hang it up in my office." She told Bella with a smile.

Bella smiled in response to that. She looked down at Splat sitting in her lap as he played with the string and she lightly scratched his tiny head. She looked deep in thought.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Cuddy asked her once more. She got the feeling she wanted to talk about something but was afraid to.

Cuddy thought maybe Bella didn't want to tell her what was on her mind and she decided to leave her alone with her thoughts for the night. As Cuddy shifted in her chair, ready to leave, Bella snatched her pen and wrote on her notepad.

'my mommy and daddy died in a car wreck.' Bella held up the notepad for Cuddy to see. Bella's eyes started tearing up as she showed Cuddy what she'd written.

Cuddy closed her eyes in anguish for the little girl in front of her. She stood from the chair she was in and sat on the bed facing Bella. "Oh my god, honey, I am so so sorry." She told Bella softly. She watched as large sorrowful tears fell down Bella's small face. She looked up at Cuddy with the saddest expression she'd ever seen, making tears immediately well up in her eyes. Bella looked so lost.

Cuddy put her arms lightly around Bella, but she didn't respond right away. A moment later, as if a dam had broken, she slung her arms around Cuddy's neck and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. Cuddy closed her eyes as silent tears escaped down her cheeks. She hugged Bella back just as tightly.

Cuddy comforted Bella as she cried. Whispering to her that it would be ok and rocking her back and forth slightly as Bella sat in her lap. Splat had relocated himself at the end of the bed, oblivious to the sorrow surrounding his human. After a few minutes, Bella loosened her grip around Cuddy's neck but kept her arms around her. Bella rested her head on Cuddy's shoulder, as her crying slowly became sniffles. Cuddy rubbed Bella's back gently as she gave her a kiss on her forehead.

It wasn't long before she felt Bella's small frame sink further into her body and she knew she'd fallen asleep. Cuddy could feel her warm, slow breaths on her neck as she slept. Cuddy swept the tears from her eyes and slowly stood with Bella in her arms. She turned to lay Bella down on the bed, tucking her underneath the covers. She looked down at her as she slept and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. Splat walked over to lay down next to Bella, seeking her warmth. Cuddy reached out and scratched behind Splat's little ears with a sad smile. Sighing, Cuddy turned to leave the room, her heart heavy at learning what had happened to Bella. She slowly walked down the hall, thinking that maybe House had been right…she wasn't equipped to help Bella with her problems.


	9. Chapter 8

**Well guys, this is a shorter chapter, but it's Huddy so I hope**

**you enjoy it. Thanks again to those who read and reviewed…I can't**

**say it enough, you guys are awesome.**

**Chapter 8**

7:00 PM

House had spent the rest of his day after lunch avoiding Wilson's prying and raising hell in the hospital to try to get Cuddy's attention and to piss her off. She was too busy worrying about Bella and was probably angry over what he'd said to her to acknowledge him and his antics. He had wanted to talk to Cuddy earlier today, but after her little brush off, he'd changed his mind. Which was just as well, apologizing wasn't his strong point; but he wanted to make an effort for Cuddy. It had pissed him off that he was right about the way she would treat him when the kid showed up at the hospital. He was also pissed at himself for telling her how he felt about her in the first place, when he should have seen this entire thing coming.

He was currently sitting on his couch in his apartment, strumming his acoustic guitar. Something he hadn't done since the night after Cuddy had lost Joy and he went to her house but lost his courage to knock on her door when he arrived there. Tonight, his coffee table was covered with half empty cartons of Chinese food he'd had for dinner and his favorite bottle of Bourbon. This was his fourth glass, but he was still unable to keep his mind off of Cuddy. And he refused to give in and drive to her place to apologize.

Suddenly he heard a loud knock at the front door. He continued playing, smirking to himself. He heard it again, a bit stronger this time. Ignoring it, he played louder, knowing who was on the other side. The third time it was more of a banging, than knocking.

He stopped playing, and got up with the guitar still in his hand and without grabbing his cane. He limped to the door and swung it open. Sure enough, there stood Cuddy with a scowl on her face and anger in her eyes.

"Finally found some time for me, huh?" He snapped at her. "Well, now I'm busy. You'll have to wait." He said bitterly, throwing her words back in her face. He started to close the door in her face when she stuck her hand out and stopped him.

I'm the one who should be pissed off, House, not you." She snapped back at him. "What the hell were you thinking today?"

"Which time?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Oh I don't know, what about the time you decided it would be funny to super glue together all the tongue depressesors you could get your hands on to build a giant castle. Or the time you blew up all the latex gloves in the clinic to fill said castle. Not only that, but I have about 50 complaints about you from clinic patients and staff sitting on my desk. You've been a busy boy today…I don't know why you don't apply yourself that much to actually doing your job. Oh, and the money to replace all those items is coming out your paycheck, by the way."

"Oh please, that's not why you're here. You could wait to yell at me just fine in your office tomorrow. So what do you want?" He demanded to know.

Cuddy stared at him intensely. The anger in her eyes started to dissipate after a few minutes and she sighed heavily, seemingly giving up the argument. "Can I come in?" She asked, more calmly and with a bit of sadness in her tone.

House looked into her eyes, seeing sadness in them. He opened the door wider for her to step inside. She came in and removed her coat and scarf, laying them across the back of the couch. He still held his guitar in his hand as he closed the door and limped over to the guitar stand and gently set it down. He turned to her and noticed that she had a far off look in her eyes. Something else was bothering her.

"What happened?" He asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Bella's parents are dead." She stated, her voice breaking a bit.

"She told you that?" He asked flatly.

"Yes. But not with words, she wrote it down."

House nodded. He limped over to her as she stood behind his couch. They stared at each other for a moment, neither knowing what to say to the other. House spoke first.

So that's what you came here to talk about?" House asked.

"No, I wanted to talk…about us." She said softly.

House nodded. He already knew what she was going to say. She wanted to call it quits after what he'd said; he knew he'd hurt her.

"If you want to end it, Cuddy, just say it. I don't need the suspense and don't need you to sugar coat it…just say what you want to say. It's probably better that way anyway." House walked away from her to the couch. Sitting down, he poured himself a glass of Bourbon. He heard her heels clicking as she walked over to him. Standing in front of him, she took the glass from his hand gently, before he could take a drink. She sat on the coffee table in front of him and set the glass down beside her.

"I should end it, House. You really hurt me." She spoke softly to him.

He had been surprised by her actions but he didn't say a word. He looked away from her, down to the floor as he nodded. He felt her hand on his cheek as she lifted his face so he could look her in the eye. "But…I realized that you were just trying to protect me and you were being honest with me. And…even though the words hurt to hear, you were right and I needed to hear them." She whispered with emotion in her voice. "House, neither one of us is good at relationships, but I want us to try harder. I want this to work between us."

House looked into her eyes. He was surprised that she still wanted to be with him, even after what he'd done to her. He placed his hand over her hand that was covering his cheek and brought it to his lips, lightly kissing the palm of her hand. "I'm sorry I said those things to you, Cuddy. You know I think you'll be a great mom, don't you? I didn't mean what I said to you a few years ago and that wasn't what I was saying to you yesterday." He said softly, reassuring her. He needed her to know that he believed that.

He watched as a single tear escaped her right eye as she smiled at him. "Thank you." She leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on his lips, and he captured her lips with his again before she could pull back any further. They kissed for a few minutes, keeping their kisses light and soft, before he pulled back, looking into her eyes. She smiled at him, still holding his hand in hers.

"Are you hungry? There's Chinese." He nodded down at the food sitting next to her on the coffee table.

Cuddy looked over at the food and gave him a small smile, nodding slowly. He gave her a quick kiss as he stood up and collected the cartons off the table, limping into the kitchen to heat up a plate for her. She followed him into the kitchen and watched him. He had his back to the door but he knew that she was there. House slowly turned around as her food was heating up in the microwave.

He limped over to her, using the countertop for balance. He looked into her sad eyes. "Thinking about the kid?"

She nodded, looking up at him.

"Are you going to be ok?" He asked her softly.

She nodded once more, this time giving him a small smile. "Yeah."

He leaned over, drawing her into a hug. His arms wound around her back and her arms came around his waist, laying her forehead against his chest. He buried his face into her neck, closing his eyes and breathing her in. He brought his lips to her ear and spoke softly to her.

"I can take your mind off of her." He moved his lips down to her neck, his stubble tickling her there. She chuckled and tried to move away from the tickling sensation. She could feel him smiling against her neck and she smiled and crinkled her nose as he kept tickling her. "Stop it." She complained with amusement.

His smile grew wider as he continued to mess with her. He felt her smack him on the ass and that made him stop and look up at her in shock. He saw her amusement, as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh you want to play dirty then." He said with mischief in his eyes. Just as he was about to retaliate, the microwave started beeping, signaling that her meal was warm.

"Ohhh, saved by the bell, my little googly bear." He teased as he limped over to the microwave.

"Oh my god, you really need to stop with the pet names." Cuddy rolled her eyes.

"Not gonna happen." House removed her plate from the microwave and handed it to her. "Fork or Sticks?" He asked.

"Sticks." She replied with a smile. He nodded, handing her the chopsticks and pointed to the living room, directing her to go sit and eat. "Beer?" He asked before she left the room.

"Sure, thanks."

They walked into the living room and sat on his couch together. House sat with his feet on the coffee table, laying his arm across the back of the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned the television on. Cuddy sat beside him with her plate of food on her lap. House watched as she ate her food. He had secretly missed her these last couple of days. It had been longer than that really, due to her working late before Bella had been found and brought to the hospital and now with her spending every minute she could with Bella and their argument, they'd hardly had any time alone together.

They sat quietly watching a show on Animal Planet about lions in Africa. Cuddy sneered at what he had chosen for them to watch. She turned to look at him.

"Why are we watching animals having sex? That's disgusting."

House smirked. "It's animal porn. We could watch people porn if you like that better."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "No thanks, I'd rather hear lions grunting and moaning than people."

Her comment made House laugh out loud. "They sound the same, trust me."

Cuddy looked at him again with a disgusted look on her face. "You're sick." She chuckled and rolled her eyes. He started flipping through the channels, moving on to something else. He was only messing with her anyway.

He stopped on the Discovery Channel seeing that Dirty Jobs was on. Cuddy watched as she ate and became disgusted again as Mike Rowe artificially inseminated a cow.

"Are you trying to make me sick?" She turned to him again.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. It's educational, in case you ever decide to leave medicine and become a dairy farmer." He smiled at her as she rolled her eyes again. "You're such an idiot." She mumbled, making him smile.

As they were watching the show, Cuddy was giving House looks of disgust but he noticed she seemed to find it entertaining. She had finished eating halfway through the show having taken her plate to the kitchen, placing it in the dishwasher between show breaks. When the show ended, Cuddy had gone to the bathroom and when she returned, House had laid down on the couch and she frowned at him.

"Leg was bothering me. Come here." He scooted as far against the back cushions of the couch as he could, patting the empty space next to him. She smiled, walking over to him. She sat down beside him and removed her shoes. She lay down facing him, laying her head on his left arm as he wrapped his right arm around her waist so she wouldn't fall off the couch. She wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him to her. He placed his feet over hers, warming them.

"Your feet are cold." He whispered.

"Sorry." She whispered back. Their faces were only inches apart. He leaned in and kissed her. It was a slow sensual kiss. He had really missed her. He pulled back looking into her eyes and smiling.

"Hi." He said in a low tone of voice.

"Hi." She responded with a smile. "I missed you."

"That's because I'm irresistible."

"You are." She leaned in and kissed him the same way he'd kissed her.

She pulled back, staring into his blue eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Why did you go and see Bella?" She whispered, asking with genuine curiosity.

Their faces were so close; he had no choice but to look directly into her eyes. "I was curious." He stated simply.

She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean…curious about what?"

"I wanted to know what you saw in her that made you want to be her savior."

She thought for a moment about that. "What did you see?" She asked after a moment.

"I saw an incredibly intelligent, frightened, lost and talented little girl." He remarked with a bit of admiration in his voice. His answer made Cuddy smile sadly. She nodded, acknowledging his assessment.

"After talking to her, do still think I'm making a mistake?" He could tell she truly wanted to know, she wasn't being smug or trying to fight with him.

"I don't know, Cuddy. If she's opening up to you, I don't think you have much choice. Backing away from her now will do more damage than good."

Cuddy nodded. "When she told me about her parents, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say." She shook her head. "I just feel like I'm making it worse." She paused, leaning back so she could see his face more clearly. "Every time I'm in there with her I make her cry." She chuckled bitterly at herself.

House smirked at her. "You can't help it, it's a special talent of yours to make people cry. I mean, you make me cry at least 3, 4, 6, 12 times a day."

"That's because you're such a big baby who cries anytime he doesn't get what he wants." She smirked back.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're wanting to get spanked, aren't you?"

Cuddy laughed at him. "Well, I spanked you earlier."

"True…which means I owe you." He moved his right hand that was on her back, slowly down to her ass. But instead of smacking her, he pinched her.

She gasped and jumped, not expecting him to pinch her. "Ouch! House!" Cuddy exclaimed in shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt? Let me rub the pain away." He smirked at her, as he started caressing her ass.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "You're such an adolescent."

"No, I'm a man who likes touching my girlfriend's ass." He corrected.

Cuddy smiled at his statement. "Your girlfriend, huh?"

"Yes, my girlfriend. Are you confused about what we're doing here?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

"No, I guess I just didn't think of it that way." She replied with a smile.

"Well start thinkin' cuz I expect all of the benefits." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. She laughed and leaned in to kiss him passionately. He pulled her closer as he kissed her, his fingers flexing on her ass.

Breathless, she pulled away from their kiss. "Benefits like that?" She smiled as he kissed down her jaw to her neck. House shifted so that she was lying on her back and he was half lying on the couch and half on top of her.

"And this." He said as he kissed down her neck to her collarbone, moving his hand up to unbutton her blouse. Closing her eyes, she moved her hand under his t-shirt needing to feel his bare skin against hers as he continued to plant soft kisses across her chest just above the swell of her breasts.

Once her blouse was unbuttoned he brought his hands up to her breasts, still encased in her bra. She opened her eyes seeing him kiss his way down to her navel, his hands moving down to unbutton her pants. She placed her left hand on his cheek urging him to look up at her. He moved back up to her, giving her a questioning look.

She looked up at him with a smile before she kissed him. "Bedroom." She whispered. He leaned down to lightly kiss her lips once more, nodding his head.

House stood up from the couch, taking her hands to help her up. They made their way to his bedroom, kissing and removing the remainder of their clothing from each other as he closed the door behind them.

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6:00 AM

House woke up with a sharp pain in his leg. He opened his eyes and looked for his bottle of vicodin on the nightstand. Grabbing the bottle he downed two pills. As he waited for the medication to kick in, he looked over and saw Cuddy sleeping soundly. He smiled to himself. She was lying on her stomach with her head turned away from him so he couldn't see her face. The blankets were wrapped around her waist, exposing her bare back to him.

He rolled onto his left side and began lightly running his fingers over her back. He placed a kiss on her shoulder. After a moment he felt her shiver and he smiled. He began kissing down her spine and tickling her with his stubble, as his fingers moved to lightly caress her right arm that was supporting her head. She breathed in and slowly opened her eyes. He could tell she was only half awake so he continued kissing her until he felt her slightly turn and look at him with a sleepy smile on her lips.

"Morning my little love muffin." He whispered in her ear.

She laughed into her pillow, making him smile. "Morning." She mumbled.

"What time is it?" She asked.

He looked behind him to the alarm clock. "6." He replied. House propped his head up with his hand as she turned around to face him. He looked down at her breasts and grinned. "The girls are cold." He commented, pointing with his finger. Cuddy rolled her eyes and covered herself up with the blanket.

"Hey, no need to smother them." He tried pulling the blanket away, but she held it firmly against her, trying to hide the amusement on her face but not succeeding. House grinned at her expression.

"I should probably go. I have to go home and get ready for work." Cuddy said with a bit of disappointment, as she held his face in her hands, her thumbs caressing his lips. He opened his mouth, gently biting her thumb before kissing it.

House nodded. He leaned down and kissed her lips, hugging her close to him with his right arm as his left fingers gently brushed through her hair, her arms moving around his neck.

"We could play hooky today." He suggested, kissing her cheek then moving down her jaw.

"No we can't. Some of us have to go clean up a certain doctors mess he made at the hospital yesterday." She said pushing him back and pointing her finger at his chest.

"Right…sorry about that." He smirked. "I'll get my team to do it, problem solved."

"Think again, your team is going to be in the clinic treating patients. And that's not even what I was talking about…I have to deal with the patients and staff you pissed off yesterday." She shook her head and sighed at the long day she knew was ahead of her.

House wasn't necessarily sorry for pissing people off, that part he didn't care about. He felt bad for what she was forced to have to deal with today because of him. And part of that was that she wouldn't be able to check up on Bella today. He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry that you have to deal with all of that and you won't get to see the kid. But if you want, I'll keep an eye on her for you."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at him, surprised that he would suggest it. "You would do that?"

"If it gets me out of clinic duty, yes." He smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Of course." She looked up at him, considering his offer. He smiled, waiting for her answer.

"Fine." She gave in, looking away from him as he chuckled at her.

"I have to go." Cuddy said as she sat up, getting off the bed. House watched her appreciatively as she gathered her clothes off the floor, dressing herself. As she buttoned the last button on her blouse, she looked up at him. She walked over to the bed in her bare feet and sat down facing him. Leaning over, she gave him a kiss and smiled; she found she couldn't stop smiling. "I'll see you later."

As she stood up, he took hold of her hand, stopping her. "I'll walk you out." House got out of bed and put his boxers on. He looked for his cane but couldn't find it so he limped out of his bedroom behind Cuddy. Once in the living room, Cuddy found her shoes and slipped them on.

"Want some coffee before you go?" House asked.

She looked at him. "No thanks, I'm gonna be late as it is." Cuddy put her coat and scarf on and walked to the door. House had found his cane, making his way over to the door with Cuddy. She smiled up at him and he returned it. Leaning into her, he placed a soft kiss on her lips before giving her a hug. They held each other for a minute until House whispered in her ear.

"Sure you don't want to stay for a quickie?" He asked with a smirk.

Cuddy chuckled at him and shook her head. "I'm going to be really late." She said with regret in her tone. She gave him one last kiss and opened the door, walking out of his apartment with a smile and into the most beautiful morning she'd ever seen.

**Thanks for reading. Now it's review time!!**


	10. Chapter 9

**I want to continue to thank all those who've reviewed…it seriously makes my day when I hear from you guys!! And I'm so excited that I got some new readers as well! Welcome to the story ******** I really enjoyed writing chapter 8. I hope House didn't seem too OOC to anyone. In my opinion, he has the capacity within him to show his love to someone in that way because of the way he was with Stacy in the show. We saw his soft, vulnerable and romantic side. I have no doubt that he loves Cuddy more than he ever did Stacy so, why wouldn't he be that way with her? Anyway, that's just my opinion…I'll stop rambling and let you read the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!!**

**Chapter 9**

8:30 AM

Cuddy had been smiling all morning. When she got home, she showered and got herself ready for the day, all with a smile on her face. She was so happy that she and House were able to work things out between them. Last night she was afraid that maybe he wouldn't want to continue their relationship. To be honest she wasn't sure she wanted to either, but she couldn't imagine going back after everything they've been through together all these years. In all the years that she's known him, right now was their time. It was now or it was never…and she couldn't imagine never.

Cuddy had made it to the hospital about 30 minutes late this morning. When she walked into her office and saw the pile of paperwork waiting for her she sighed, putting away her briefcase and removing her coat. Before she got started she wanted to go upstairs and check up on Bella. It had only been three days but she seemed to be doing well on the antibiotics she was given for her pneumonia. Meaning she could be released from the hospital in a few more days. It would break her heart to see Bella go, but she knew it was for the best.

After speaking with the nurses and getting an update on how Bella was doing, she slipped into her room as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake her. She checked Bella's chart, and walked over to check on her temperature. Satisfied, she turned around to walk out of the room when suddenly she heard Bella moan just before she gasped loudly and startled awake, causing her to have a coughing fit which made it difficult for her to breathe.

Cuddy walked back to her bedside quickly. "Bella, are you ok?" She asked with worry, helping her sit up so she could breathe easier. "Take deep breaths." She instructed. Bella tried to breathe deeply in between her coughs. When she was finally able to stop coughing and began breathing better she looked up at Cuddy. Cuddy noticed she looked confused and slightly disoriented. "Hey, are you ok? Do you know where you are?" Bella nodded. "What happened? Did you have a bad dream?"

Bella looked away as tears started forming in her eyes. She nodded and hugged Splat close to her chest. Cuddy sat down on the edge of the bed facing her and ran her fingers gently through Bella's hair. Setting Splat down on the bed, Bella leaned forward and carefully climbed onto Cuddy's lap, hugging her tightly as her tears escaped her eyes.

Cuddy was surprised at her gesture, but hugged her back, comforting her. "Shhh, you're ok now." Cuddy looked down at Bella's face. "Do you want to talk about it?" Cuddy whispered. She already knew the answer but she wanted Bella to know that she was there to listen if she did want to talk. To her surprise, Bella nodded.

"Ok, I'm going to turn on the light so you can tell me about it, alright?" Cuddy switched on the lamp next to the bed and handed Bella her notepad and pen. Splat had curled up on Bella's pillow as Cuddy cradled Bella on her lap, watching her write with shaky hands what she'd dreamt about.

'i dreemed about you and you died just like my mom.' She showed Cuddy what she'd written and as Cuddy read it, a single tear from Bella's eye fell onto the page. She heard Bella sniffle and lay her head on Cuddy's shoulder.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." Cuddy responded and held Bella tighter in her embrace. "I'm right here, ok? I'm safe." Cuddy felt Bella nod against her shoulder and Cuddy placed a kiss on her forehead. She held her for several minutes, hoping that Bella would feel comforted that Cuddy was indeed there and that her dream was just a dream. Cuddy hadn't expected any of this, and she knew that Bella telling her what had happened to her parents had triggered the nightmare.

As Cuddy held Bella, she heard a knock on the door. Kasey, the morning nurse walked in with Bella's breakfast. Cuddy smiled at her, silently thanking her for bringing it in.

"Bella, are you hungry? Nurse Kasey brought your breakfast." She spoke softly.

Bella shook her head. Her tears had dried up but Cuddy sensed that she still felt scared about her nightmare. "Do you want me to stay while you eat?"

Bella nodded.

"Ok. Come on, sit back down here on your bed, I'll wheel the tray over to you." Cuddy said, gently shifting Bella onto her bed once more. She stood up and moved the tray to Bella, removing the cover over her food. Bella watched intently, never taking her eyes off of Cuddy.

"Look, she even brought Splat some milk." Cuddy said with a smile, hoping to ease Bella's tension from her nightmare.

Bella smiled in response, picking Splat up and setting him down on her lap. Cuddy filled a small bowl with the milk, setting it down on the floor for Splat to drink. Bella handed him to Cuddy and they watched Splat for a moment as he enjoyed his milk.

"Ok, your turn…eat your pancakes." Cuddy said with a smile, pointing at Bella's food. Bella shifted her eyes to Cuddy and then down to her food. She slowly picked up one of her pancakes and began eating it dry.

"You don't like butter and syrup on your pancakes?" Cuddy asked, amused at her. She'd never seen a kid not like syrup on pancakes.

Bella shook her head. She picked up a second pancake and handed it to Cuddy.

"That's your breakfast, you need to eat it." Cuddy said, surprised once again at Bella's actions.

Bella shook her head, holding the pancake out for Cuddy. Cuddy took it from her. Bella placed the pancake she was eating back on her plate and wrote on her notepad.

'you need brekfust to.'

Cuddy chuckled and nodded at that. "Thank you." Watching Bella smile with satisfaction, Cuddy ate the pancake that was offered to her. After eating in silence together for a few minutes, Cuddy spoke up.

"Bella, you remember Dr. House, don't you?"

Bella nodded. 'greg?'

"Yeah, Greg." She smiled. For some reason she thought it was cute that House had introduced himself as Greg instead of House or Dr. House.

"He's going to keep you company today, would you like that?"

'what about you?'

"I have a lot of work to do today, so I won't be able to stay, but Greg will be with you."

Bella seemed a bit saddened by that but she nodded. 'you will be back later?'

Cuddy nodded. "As often as I can." She stood to leave. Noticing Splat across the room, she went to pick him up. Walking back to Bella, she took him and set him on the bed next to her. As Cuddy stood next to the bed, Bella reached her arms up to Cuddy for a hug. Cuddy smiled with genuine happiness and leaned down to accept Bella's hug. She held on tightly to her, enjoying the affection Bella was showing her.

"I'll see you later, ok? Have fun with Greg." Cuddy loosened her grip on Bella and kissed her cheek.

Bella nodded in response to Cuddy and smiled at her as she walked out of the room.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:45 AM

House walked into the hospital with an extra spring in his step. He wasn't smiling but he was definitely happy. Happiness was not a feeling he was used to, but he sort of liked it, as long as nothing screwed it up. As he walked by the reception desk in the lobby, he thought about turning and heading to Cuddy's office to see her but quickly changed his mind knowing that she would be dealing with his mess from yesterday. There was also a slight chance that she could be pissed at him because of it, so he decided to dodge a potential bullet and head upstairs to his office.

He walked into the conference room and saw Kutner and Taub sitting at the table.

"What the hell are you two doing in here, aren't you supposed to be down in the clinic?"

"We were hoping you'd walk in with a case." Kutner said.

"Nope." House replied. "You're stuck in the clinic again. Unless you want to go scrounge one up for us in the ER." He walked into his office, setting his bag down on his desk. Kutner and Taub followed him.

"What about you? You're not in the clinic today?" Taub asked.

"Babysitting." House responded with an exasperated tone. "The evil dictator of this fine establishment stuck me with Mary Poppins duty. That bitch." He added in mock bitterness.

Kutner and Taub grinned at his misfortune, but of course the joke was on them…as usual. They both walked out of House's office with smug looks on their faces. House smiled to himself when they were gone.

On his way up to pediatrics, House wondered what eight year olds found interesting these days. He brought his PSP with him but other than that he was at a loss. He knew Bella liked to draw, maybe that would keep her occupied. But he knew one thing for sure, he'd be damned if he was going to sit and play Barbie's with her.

When he finally got to her room, he noticed she was playing with that cat of hers. 'Oh good, something else to keep her busy.' He thought. He slid the door open and walked into the room.

"So…how is the little artful dodger today?" House exclaimed, walking over to the chair and sitting down.

Bella stopped playing with Splat and looked up at him with a smile, signing 'hello' to him.

House sat and stared at her for a moment before he looked at the cat and pointed.

"Did you steal that cat, kid?" House asked Bella, smirking at her.

Bella was petting Splat, who was still playing with the toy in her other hand. She looked up at him with a frown and shook her head. She signed her response to House.

"Riiiight…where?" He asked as if he didn't believe that she'd just found him.

She responded.

"You found that cat in an abandoned house?" He asked with a bit of disbelief in his voice. "Is that where you've been this whole time?"

Bella shook her head and looked down at Splat once more.

"What happened that made you leave the house?" House asked her.

Bella looked up at him and responded, her movements firm, as if she were upset.

"You got kicked out? By who?"

This time her response wasn't as firmly stated.

"Druggies? You want me to go kick their high and strung out asses?" House said with a smirk, making Bella smile. She shrugged her shoulders and continued petting Splat.

"Well you say the word, sister, and their ass is grass!" House exclaimed emphatically with a sarcastic smirk on his face, receiving stares from George just outside the room and a nurse that happened to pass by at that precise moment.

His statement caused Bella to laugh and nod her head at him.

House pulled out his PSP and held it up for Bella to see. "Wanna watch me kick some ass on this baby?"

Bella nodded enthusiastically.

After about an hour, House was still sitting in the chair beside Bella's bed playing his PSP as Bella watched him. She had a smile on her face as he made it to the next level on his game. After a few minutes on that level, House felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked at Bella and she signed, telling him something.

"You know where the bathroom is; did you want me to hold your hand?" House said with sarcasm, pointing to the bathroom so she could go pee.

Bella rolled her eyes and held up her hand, showing him her IV and pointing that she needed help with it.

"What am I, a nurse?" House asked. Receiving a glare from Bella, he sighed loudly. "Fine, come on."

House set down his game, and grabbed the stand, helping Bella off the bed. She took the stand in her hand, thanking him. Wheeling the stand with her as she walked to the bathroom alone. She went in and closed the door.

House looked up with a smirk when he heard the door to the bathroom close. He sat back down in his chair and resumed his game. He didn't want to treat Bella like she was a glass doll, in danger of breaking at any moment. Cuddy seemed to think that's what would happen if you so much as looked at her the wrong way. Bella had lived and survived on the streets; you had to be smart and you had to be tough to accomplish that. He had a certain admiration for her in that sense.

When she walked out, House was still playing his game. He glanced up at her as she walked back to her bed. Handing House the IV stand once more, she carefully climbed in and scooted over so she could watch him play that level. He thought she might be bored so House pressed pause and looked up at her. He held the PSP out to her.

"You want to play?"

Bella shook her head.

"What do you want to do then?" House asked.

She signed to him.

House nodded. "Hmmm, that is an excellent idea." House stood up and walked out of the room.

Bella smiled excitedly and sat up. A moment later House returned with a wheelchair. He pulled it up next to the bed.

"Your chariot, milady." He said with a British accent.

Bella got off the bed and sat in the wheelchair, bringing Splat with her. She looked up at House with a smile. House looked down at her with a mischievous smirk. He pointed down to the IV tubing connected to her hand. "Careful you don't tangle that." He grabbed the bag and hooked it onto the IV extension on the wheelchair.

"So, where to, madam?" He continued with the accent, drawing a chuckle from Bella. Bella signed.

"Sorry, kiddo…gotta stay inside." House shook his head. "Where else?"

Bella thought for a moment and then shrugged, not coming up with an idea. House raised his eyebrows and wheeled Bella toward the door. "Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride…I have an idea. But first we have to make a stop."

As House wheeled Bella out of the room, George, the security guard, stood up at seeing House walk out with Bella.

"Dr. House…"

"Stand down, Goliath, the missus left me in charge of the kid." House said, dismissing George with a wave of his hand.

"I know, sir, but I don't think she meant for her to leave." He followed after House.

"Oh relax, go take a coffee break. It's not like I'm kidnapping her or anything." House rolled his eyes as he continued wheeling Bella down the corridor.

At the end of the hall, House found what he was looking for; the children's lost and found closet. When they were finished getting what they needed in there, they headed to the elevators. Once inside, he pressed the button for the fourth floor.

They had the elevator to themselves and Bella turned around to look up at House. She signed something to him when he looked at her.

"We're going outside, but not outside." House responded.

Bella furrowed her brow at him, not understanding. "You'll like it, trust me." He assured her. Bella nodded and turned back to face the doors as they opened. House wheeled Bella down the hallway to his office. None of his fellows were in there due to them not having a case at the moment; they were undoubtedly down in the clinic. He opened the door to his balcony and parked the wheelchair.

Bella stood up and looked over the balcony. She smiled up at him and he returned it. "See, told ya."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:30 AM

Wilson was sitting at his desk working on a file when he heard a cat meowing outside his balcony door. He furrowed his brow and stood up from behind his desk. 'What the hell?' He thought, walking over to inspect. When he got to the door he saw House sitting on the bench on his balcony.

Wilson wandered outside, seeing the cat sitting on top of the dividing wall between his balcony and House's balcony. There was a little girl standing next to the wall on House's side. She looked up at him with trepidation and moved over next to House, taking the cat with her.

"House." Wilson called.

House looked up at him. "Wilson." Upon seeing him, House scowled. "What is up with that tie?"

Wilson looked down at his tie. "What's wrong with it?"

"What's right with it? Damn Wilson, that thing's hideous." House smirked.

"Hey, this tie was a gift, and besides the kids like it."

His tie was a multicolored monstrosity with the ugliest little designs he'd ever seen.

"Well, maybe you should give it back. Hey kid, do you like his tie?" House looked at Bella.

Bella nodded slowly; seemingly unsure of the man House was talking to. She had laid her hand on House's arm, grabbing hold of his coat sleeve as a sense of security. House noticed her insecurity but decided not to acknowledge it. He scowled at her, in response to her answer about the tie.

Wilson smiled. "See?"

"Do you really like it or are you just saying that?" House asked, narrowing his eyes.

Bella signed.

"Hmm, fine, I guess we're all entitled to our opinion…no matter how wrong it is." House replied.

"What'd she say?" Wilson asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, she likes your ugly tie. Thinks it's 'interesting.'" House stated.

As if just realizing, Wilson looked at him in disbelief. "You speak sign language?"

"What can I say…I'm an onion." House responded.

"You…make people cry?" Wilson asked with a scowl on his face, not understanding what that has to with anything.

House rolled his eyes. "I have layers, you idiot." He paused. "Although, I do make people cry a lot."

"There's an understatement." Wilson replied, rolling his eyes. "Is that Cuddy's patient?" He asked curiously.

"Yep. Wilson, Bella; Bella, Wilson." House introduced, still concentrating on his PSP game.

Bella brought her hand up and waved slowly at Wilson.

"Hi, Bella." He paused. "Uh, House, what are you doing out here with her."

"We're planning our escape route. I thought we could shimmy down the rain gutters, but she wants to take the fire escape. I don't know, we're currently engaged in some pretty tough negotiations at the moment." House replied with a smartass grin.

"Right…because taking the elevator and walking out the doors would just be silly." Wilson replied. "Does Cuddy know about this? Seriously House, what are you guys doing out of her room?"

"I told you…we're plan-" He started.

"Fine, don't tell me." Wilson sighed, rolling his eyes and returning to his office.

House smirked at Bella. "He is so easy."

Bella looked at him, confused. She shrugged her shoulders and continued playing with Splat.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

12:00 PM

Taking a break from her paperwork and phone calls, Cuddy decided to go have lunch with Bella. She missed seeing her, especially after this morning when they seemed to have bonded. She still felt a bit sad at what she'd learned last night and that it had caused her to have a nightmare, and she was hoping that House wasn't being too much of an ass to her today. As she walked up to Bella's room, she didn't see George sitting in his chair keeping an eye on Bella. Cuddy looked through the glass door and became alarmed. Bella wasn't in the room, and neither was House.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed House's number. No answer. She turned around and walked to the nurse's station. 'Great, no one there; does anyone work here? Didn't I employ a whole gaggle of nurses in this department?' She thought with frustration.

Cuddy tried to call House again, but once more got no answer. She walked toward the elevators; she decided to try his office. When she got off the elevator on the fourth floor, Wilson was just exiting his office.

"Wilson, have you seen House and Bella?" Cuddy asked, hoping Wilson knew where they were.

"House's balcony." Wilson pointed.

Cuddy sighed in relief and thanked him. Doing a double take, Cuddy turned around to Wilson once more.

"Nice tie, Wilson." She commented with a smirk.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "The kids like it." He defended, before turning toward the elevator once more.

Cuddy chuckled as she made her way to House's office.

She could see Bella standing next to the wall that separated House's balcony from Wilson's. Cuddy opened the door to the balcony and saw House sitting on the bench playing his PSP. She rolled her eyes.

House and Bella looked up when they heard the door open. Bella ran over to Cuddy, giving her a hug, almost knocking her off balance. Cuddy returned her hug with a smile, feeling less upset at them for leaving the room. House saw Cuddy and he gave her a small smile, gazing at her lovingly with his blue eyes. Cuddy returned his gaze, feeling somewhat shy at his intense stare.

"House, what are you guys doing out here? I got worried when I didn't see you in the room." Cuddy asked them. Turning her attention to Bella, she noticed House had found some clothes for her in the lost and found closet. She wore a pair of gray sweat pants under her hospital gown that were a little too big for her and an orange puffy down winter jacket zipped up to her neck, some pink rain boots and a multi colored toboggan on her head. It would have been humorous if it weren't so cute.

House nodded toward Bella. "The kid wanted to be outside…this was the best I could do."

Cuddy shook her head, starting feel upset again. "House, she has pneumonia. She doesn't need to be outside. This is totally irresponsible."

House rolled his eyes.

"Oh calm down, she's bundled up from head to toe, I think she'll be ok." He pointed to Bella. "And besides, we haven't been out here that long."

Cuddy sighed and rubbed Bella's back as she continued to hug her. Cuddy looked down at Bella with a small smile. "Do you feel ok?" She asked softly, feeling her forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever.

Bella smiled and nodded her head, tightening her hold on Cuddy. Her actions made Cuddy smile again. "Ok, but we need to go back up to your room." She saw disappointment come over Bella's face. "Are you hungry, Bella? I thought we could have lunch together."

Bella nodded slowly and smiled. She released Cuddy from her hug, reaching out to House, grabbing his hand and yanking his arm for him to stand up.

"Hey, careful Xena, I only have three good limbs left." House complained as he stood up. A smirk spread across his face and he added, "well, four if you count Litt-…"

Cuddy eyes widened. "House, don't you dare finish that sentence."

House laughed.

Bella gave him another yank just before she bent down and grabbed Splat. She sat in the wheelchair and Cuddy wheeled her back into the office, followed by House. When they were out in the hallway, Bella set Splat on her lap and took House's left hand as he walked beside her. She looked up at him with a smile. Cuddy took notice of this and she smiled as well. She also noticed that House didn't pull his hand away.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bella liked Greg…he was funny. He acted all mean to people when really he was nice inside. And he didn't treat her like a kid, he treated her like everyone else…she liked that about him too. She remembered him from yesterday and how he could speak sign language with her.

Because of her nightmare this morning, she didn't want to be with anyone but Lisa today, afraid that something bad would happen to her and she'd never see her again. But Greg took her mind off of it as soon as he walked into her room. She was having a good time with him…especially when he let her leave her room. She was really tired of being cooped up in a hospital room for days. Bella was feeling better and she wanted to leave the hospital, but not to go back to that horrible place she was at a couple of years ago after her parents died. She still needed to figure a way out of here. Because she knew that soon, they'd be calling that place to have them come and take her away.

Leaving the room today gave her the idea to look for places she could hide when she tried to escape. It wouldn't be easy, but there were a lot of hiding places in the hospital. She would be sad having to leave Lisa and Greg behind, but she had no other choice. So she decided to enjoy her day with them.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

_1:50 PM (40 minutes ago)_

"_If Cuddy sees us, she'll kill me and then I'm coming back to haunt your ass for the rest of your life, capiche?" House said, pointing down at Bella as she sat on her bed._

_Bella nodded in understanding._

"_Alright then, as long as we understand each other. And the cat stays here."_

_Bella nodded once more. She stood up on the bed and grabbed onto House's shoulders, hoisting herself up onto his back, piggyback-style and winding her arms around his neck._

"_Hold on tight and for the love of God, do not bursts that thing all over me." House pointed at the bag of antibiotics attached to her IV. He placed the bag inside one of his blazer pockets and carefully moved towards the door of Bella's room._

_George was relieved from guarding the door for the rest of the day since House was with Bella today. He glanced around the corner to make sure there was no one watching them. He slipped out of the room when he deemed it safe to leave. Limping down the corridor to the elevators, they got in and pressed the button for the lobby. There were two other people in the elevators with them staring at House and Bella, no doubt wondering what the crazy doctor was up to._

_Once they reached the lobby area, House glanced around to make sure that Cuddy was nowhere in sight. He made his way to the clinic, peeking inside of Cuddy's office to see if she was there and if she was preoccupied. She was. _

_House walked over to the reception desk in the clinic, eyeing his target. Before he could make a move, he heard a voice behind him. _

"_Hey, House."_

_He turned around to see Kutner walk up beside him looking amused. _

"_Kutner." House stated. Kutner turned to face him._

"_There's a child on your back." He said, almost laughing._

"_What?" House said in astonishment, looking behind him. "Oh, her." He said looking relieved, causing Bella to laugh. _

_Kutner chuckled at the sight of them._

"_Do me a favor and grab that bag under the counter, there. And don't let the nurses see you." House instructed._

_Kutner quickly grabbed the bag and handed it to House. House took the bag. _

"_We were never here." House said._

_He quickly and quietly limped away from the clinic, leaving Kutner behind with a smirk on his face._

_House and Bella returned to the elevator and headed back up to her room._

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

2:30 PM

After lunch, Cuddy had returned to her office to get some more work done. And after House and Bella's secret mission downstairs to the clinic, they now sat across from each other playing cards. They were playing two-man poker and House was winning, for the moment, but Bella seemed to be holding her own.

"Where the hell did you learn how to play poker?" House asked.

Bella signed her response.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…you have a brother?" House asked, completely surprised by this.

Bella straightened her back and looked shocked that she had let that slip. She quickly shook her head no. House narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing her.

"Liar." He said. She simply stared at him, not willing to talk further about it.

"Fine, if you're not going to answer, I call." House stated. They laid their cards down and Bella smirked at him. "Damn it." House swore.

Bella collected the suckers that she'd won and placed them in her lap. House dealt another hand. As he was dealing, Bella looked at his left ring finger. She signed her question to him.

"Nope, not married." House responded. After dealing he picked up his cards, looking them over. He saw Bella sign something else, her cards still lying on the table. "No kids either." She asked another question. He sighed. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do have a girlfriend. Now, are we going to play or not?" He asked, getting impatient and finding her questions annoying. Bella signed again. "Why should I tell you her name, you didn't answer my question about your brother." House raised his eyebrows at her.

Pouting, Bella picked up her cards and signed her response. House's mouth fell open and he pointed his finger at her and narrowing his eyes. "You're lucky Cuddy can't read sign language or she'd kick your ass, potty mouth. Now stop sign swearing and make your first move."

Bella smirked at him and placed 4 red suckers on the table.

"Oh, well aren't you bold." House commented about her bet, placing 6 green suckers on the table.

As they were playing their game, suddenly Bella asked House a question.

"It's about time you asked me that question, I've only been waiting for it since we met…that's when most kids ask me, you know, if I haven't already scared them away by that point." House said sarcastically.

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Ok, listen up, I'm going to tell you a little story and when I'm finished it is never to be talked about again." House cleared his throat dramatically. "Once upon a time there was a totally hot guy, named Prince Gregory. He was the most attractive man in the entire kingdom of Princeton. One day he was having a wonderful time with his totally hot woman, Princess Stacy, when he suddenly felt a horrible pain in his leg and had to go to the hospital in the next kingdom over, Plainsboro. Four days later, it turned out that Princess Stacy wasn't such a princess and she decided to go behind Prince Gregory's back and have his leg muscle cut out by the queen of Plainsboro herself, Queen Lisa. Well, long story short, I use a cane because I have missing leg muscle and tons of pain. However, on the up side, Prince Gregory is now the King of the mega kingdom, Princeton-Plainsboro."

House punctuated the end of his story by placing his cards down on the table, revealing his hand. Bella did the same.

"Damn it!!" House yelled. Bella laughed smugly at him as she collected her suckers.

About two hours later, Bella was asleep in her bed and House was asleep in the chair with his feet propped up on Bella's bed and Splat sleeping on his stomach. Cuddy walked in the room, having finished with her paperwork for the day. She smiled at the picture they made. As she stepped further into the room, she noticed a huge pile of suckers on the bed beside Bella and another smaller pile on the bedside table next to House. She furrowed her brow, wondering where all the suckers came from.

Cuddy nudged House's shoulder to wake him up. He didn't wake up so she shook his shoulder. "House." She whispered. Still nothing. She shook his shoulder more forcefully and spoke louder. "House, wake up."

House startled awake and looked up at Cuddy, smiling at her. "Hey, sweet cheeks, wanna sit on my lap and make out?"

"Looks like there's no room." She said sarcastically, pointing down to where Splat was sleeping.

House looked down at his lap. "What the hell? How did that happen, last time I looked he was up there with her, sneaky little fur ball."

Cuddy laughed. "How'd it go?"

"Fine." House stood up slowly, placing Splat on the bed and rubbing his leg. He started gathering his cards and suckers, putting them in his jacket pockets.

"What's with all the suckers, did you go trick or treating?" Cuddy asked, as she stood there watching him.

House smirked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "We had to have something to bet in our poker game. Nurse Brenda is going to be so pissed when she sees that her suckers are missing." House chuckled as he unwrapped one and put it in his mouth.

"You stole the suckers from the clinic?" Cuddy glared at him. "And you taught Bella how to play poker? House, what the hell?" She said with disappointment.

Before she could rant any further, House butt in. "Hey, I didn't teach her anything…she spanked me at poker. And you better watch out for her, she's got a mouth like a sailor."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. "She spoke to you?"

"No, she…sign swore at me." He gestured with his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "Same thing."

Cuddy sighed and looked over at Bella. "Did she tell you anything today?" She turned her gaze back to House, waiting for his answer.

House sighed quietly. "She mentioned a brother, but clammed up afterwards."

Cuddy dropped her jaw in surprise. "I wonder if he was in the accident with her parents." She shook her head. "Why wouldn't she mention it though?"

"I don't know…maybe something else happened." House replied. After a moment of silence between them, House limped over to the trashcan, throwing the sucker stem away and quietly shutting the blinds to Bella's room.

He returned to Cuddy's side, standing to her left, facing her. "Hey, come over tonight." He said softly into her ear, sneaking his left hand into hers, interlacing their fingers.

Cuddy looked up at him with a smile, squeezing his hand. "Ok. I just have a few more things to take care of first." She responded quietly. House leaned down, kissing her lips.

"House, not here." She looked behind her, surprised to see that the blinds were closed, she returned her gaze back up to him. "Well, aren't you sneaky." She chuckled.

Housed nodded and leaned down once more, capturing her lips with his. He released her hand, bringing it up to cup her jaw in his hand as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. She placed her left hand on his chest, as she kissed him back.

They pulled back when they heard Bella coughing. Cuddy looked at Bella, noticing she was still asleep. She looked back at House. "Do you mind if I spend some time with her tonight?" She asked him quietly.

House looked over at Bella and shook his head. He returned his gaze to Cuddy. "Just don't forget about me." He leaned down kissing her once more.

"I won't." She said with a smile.

"See ya, Cuddles." Kissing her cheek, he moved to the door, silently slipping out.

**Review, my friends, review!!! Thanks again.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks readers and reviewers…you guys rock the most!!**

**Sorry for the wait, I've been super busy this week and haven't had a chance to write as much as I've wanted to but I hope to have the next chapter up sooner for you guys.**

**WARNING: I'm rating part of this chapter as M because of violent images in one of my scenes. This chapter is more intense than my others. **

**Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 10**

6:00 PM

Cuddy was sitting on the chair next to Bella's bed reading over some charts when she felt the weight of Bella's hand on her arm. She looked up from the chart and smiled at Bella.

"Hey, sleepyhead. House must've worn you out today." She put the files on the table and turned toward Bella. Bella smiled shyly and buried her head in the pillow. Her reaction made Cuddy laugh. "Did you have fun with House today?"

Bella continued to smile and nodded her head.

"Good. He probably would never admit it but he had fun with you today too."

Bella sat up and looked for her notepad and pen. She saw it laying on the nightstand. She wrote on it.

'will he be with me tomorow?'

Cuddy read her question. "I don't know, maybe."

'i beat him at poker.'

Bella smiled when she showed Cuddy what she'd written and pointed to all of her suckers on the bed. She was proud of herself for winning. Cuddy laughed at her expression. When Cuddy laughed, Bella's smile grew wider. She reached back and grabbed a red sucker and handed it to Cuddy. Cuddy took it.

"I think these are his favorite." Cuddy told Bella.

Bella nodded at that. She scratched behind Splat's ears as he sat on her lap, leaving a moment of silence between them. Cuddy, having a sudden idea, glanced at Bella.

"Bella, would you teach me sign language?" Cuddy asked her, in hopes that she'd be able to bond more with her.

Bella seemed surprised by her question but she nodded. Cuddy smiled excitedly. Bella scooted over on the bed and waved her hand for Cuddy to sit next to her. Cuddy stood up and sat down on the bed, leaning her back against the mattress and bringing her feet up so they were side by side.

Bella wrote on her paper. 'alfabet'

"Ok." Cuddy nodded.

Bella held her right hand up so Cuddy could see what she was doing. She started signing the alphabet slowly so Cuddy would mimic her. When she got one wrong or missed how her fingers should be, Bella stopped and corrected her by moving Cuddy's fingers in the correct position. They went through the alphabet a few times until Cuddy had learned all the letters.

Bella wrote on her paper. 'spell your name'

"Alright." Cuddy said holding up her hand and slowly signing her name. Bella watched her carefully and smiled when she did it correctly. Bella wrote on her paper. 'good job, try my name.'

Cuddy slowly signed Bella's name, getting the hang of the alphabet. Once again, Bella smiled at how well Cuddy was picking it up. Bella decided to teach her some conversational phrases next. She taught her how to say 'hello, my name is…' first and then she moved on to 'good morning' and good night.'

After those few phrases Cuddy felt like her brain was going to explode with how complicated sign language seemed. "Ok, I think I've had enough for tonight. I'll be doing well if I remember all of that tomorrow." Cuddy shook her head and chuckled.

Bella let out a chuckle as well, leaning her head against Cuddy's shoulder. Bella began scratching around the bandage where her IV needle was inserted into her hand.

"Is your IV bothering you?" Cuddy asked.

Bella nodded.

"Is it itching or does it burn?"

'itchy.' Bella wrote.

"Let me take a look." Cuddy gently took Bella's hand in hers and lifted the tape holding the needle in place.

"It looks ok. Do you think you can hang in there until tomorrow? I can remove it and give you pills to take instead."

Bella nodded, grimacing when Cuddy replaced the tape over the needle.

Cuddy stayed with Bella for another hour eating dinner, watching TV and playing games. Currently, they sat together on Bella's bed watching the cartoon network. Bella had her head on Cuddy's lap chuckling at a Tom & Jerry cartoon. Splat was curled up into a ball sleeping near Cuddy's feet; his fur was soft and warm, keeping her feet from freezing.

Cuddy chuckled along with Bella as she raked her fingers through her hair. When the cartoon ended, Cuddy looked at the time. She didn't want to leave but she was afraid Bella might be getting tired and needing to sleep after such a long day. She coaxed Bella to lift her head up so she could move off the bed. When Cuddy stood up she put her shoes on and turned back around to Bella.

"I have to go, sweetie, but I'll see you tomorrow alright?" She said sweetly.

Bella looked disappointed, not wanting her to leave. She nodded and looked down at the bed. As Cuddy was gathering her charts, Bella wrote on her notepad. When Cuddy turned around Bella was holding up what she'd written. Cuddy read her question, not really sure what prompted her to ask and not sure if her asking was a good thing or not.

'why do you always come see me?' Bella had a look of confusion and vulnerability on her face as she held up her notepad.

"Well, I'm your doctor, and I have to come check on you to make sure that you're getting better." She started with the obvious answer, not sure if that was actually what she meant.

Bella shook her head and wrote another question.

'no why do you spend time with me?'

Cuddy sat down in the chair, setting her charts down on her lap, and looking at Bella. "Because I like to spend time with you; and I don't want you to be alone. The hospital can be a scary place for some people and I don't want you to be afraid."

'but you do not stay with other kids here. don't they get afraid to?' Bella wrote.

"I'm sure they do…but they have family with them to help them not feel so scared." Cuddy explained quietly and gently, knowing Bella would feel sad that her family was no longer with her, but wanting her to know that was the reason she stayed.

Bella nodded sadly and after a moment signed 'thank you' as a small tear spilled from her eye.

Cuddy tilted her head, trying to keep her tears at bay and looking at Bella with compassion in her eyes. Cuddy nodded her head, not able to speak for fear of losing it completely. She leaned over, reaching her left hand out to wipe Bella's tear away. Bella smiled at her gesture as Cuddy moved her hand over to brush Bella's curls away from her face. "You should get some rest." Cuddy stood, placing a kiss on Bella's head.

Bella nodded, laying down on her bed and scooting under the covers. Splat raised his head from where he was at the foot of the bed. Standing up, he made his way over to Bella, curling up beside her. Cuddy tucked her in. Looking down at Bella, Cuddy signed 'good night' to her with a smile. Bella smiled excitedly and nodded her head.

Cuddy chuckled. "I'll see you in the morning." Picking up her files, she turned the light out in the room and made her way out the door taking one last glance in Bella's direction.

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10:45 PM

By the time Cuddy had left the hospital, gone home to shower and pack a bag, it was already late. She had called House when she left the hospital to let him know her plans. He told her to forget all of it and get her 'sweet ass over there immediately,' but she insisted on going home first. He reluctantly relented and told her to hurry up.

She was currently standing in front of House's door, waiting for him to open it for her.

"It is about damn time, Cuddy. What the hell took you so long?" House said upon opening the door, scowling at her.

"Shut up, House, I'm here." She said, walking into his apartment and placing a kiss on his lips as she set her bag down. She began taking her coat off as he closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, well, that kid was eating into my 'sexing up my girlfriend' time and now I'm cranky." House replied.

Cuddy laughed at him and rolled her eyes. "You are such a baby." Setting her coat aside, she reached out her hand to him with a smile on her face. Taking her hand, he stepped up to her, giving her a kiss. Cuddy accepted his kiss as she moved her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her. House wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss between them.

When they pulled back, they were both breathless. Cuddy leaned her forehead on his, smiling at him. "So are you still cranky?"

House chuckled, but scowled again, pretending to still be upset. "Yes, but a little less, so maybe we should keep going." He said, going in for another kiss only to have her pull back. Cuddy started walking away from him. When she looked back he had a slightly confused expression on his face. She stopped and turned around, trying not to laugh at his abashed expression.

"Well, are you gonna sex up your girlfriend, or not?" Cuddy asked, smiling seductively at him.

House smiled like she'd never seen him smile before. He moved toward her and she backed away from him slowly, in the direction of his bedroom, laughing at him.

"Oooohh, you are in so much trouble, buttercup." He said, moving quickly and catching up with her. She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, dropping his cane just before they reached his bedroom and closed the door.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"_No!" Bella screamed as the man held onto her arm so tight he was bruising her. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes as tears freely flowed down her face. She squirmed and kicked, trying to remove herself from his grasp. The man held the gun up to her, causing Bella to stop moving, becoming paralyzed with fear. _

"_Come on, man, let's get outta here!!" The other man yelled._

_The man who was holding onto her arm, let her go, placing his gun in the waistband of his jeans and running away from her. Bella was still paralyzed as she heard the men's footsteps running down the dark alley. After a few minutes, Bella looked over at her brother but quickly closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. Sobbing so hard at seeing her brother like that, she vomited on the cold pavement in the middle of the alley. She curled up in a ball, hugging her legs to her chest. _

_After a few minutes, she slowly crawled over to him, keeping her gaze away from his face, his eyes open but vacant of all life. Bella lowered her head onto his chest and sobbed. She grabbed a fistful of his sweater in both of her hands, shaking him gently, trying to wake him. After getting no response from him, she began shaking him more forcefully. "Wake up." She sobbed quietly into his chest. "Mattie, wake up." She begged. Still no response from him, she screamed. Wake up!!!" Nothing. She continued sobbing but had stopped shaking him as forcefully as a moment ago. She slowly looked up, still keeping her eyes averted from his face. She flexed her hands open and closed on his bloody sweater. Bella closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she slowly turned her head towards his face. But what she saw, wasn't his face. It was Lisa's. She was dead just like her brother. Bella screamed._

Bella woke up screaming in her hospital bed. She sat up, looking around her dark room, sobbing and screaming. The security guard outside her room came rushing in, looking around the room for an intruder. She saw the security guard, thinking he was the man in her dream. She screamed louder, still sobbing and backing away from him on her bed. She had scared Splat, who had jumped off the bed and was now hiding in a corner of the room.

The security guard looked at her with confusion, backing away from her as a nurse came running in. She switched the light on, bathing the room in a warm glow and made her way over to Bella.

"Bella, honey, what happened?" The night nurse, Caroline, asked her urgently.

Bella stopped screaming but her sobs were causing her to cough and her breathing to become irregular. As the nurse came near her she cowered away from her, hugging her legs to her chest. Nurse Caroline tried to touch her, but Bella started screaming again. The nurse backed away from her and looked back at the security guard.

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know, she just started screamin'."

The nurse nodded with concern in her eyes, looking back at Bella once more as she cowered further into the mattress, moving her arms over her head, sobbing.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

3:30 AM

Cuddy lay asleep in House's bed. She was lying on her back under the covers with his right arm draped over her torso. House was lying on his stomach, his head just a few inches away from hers, sleeping soundly.

Cuddy awoke with a start, hearing her cell phone ringing, but not knowing where it was coming from. She scowled, sleep still fogging up her thoughts. The phone kept ringing and she groaned, not wanting to move from her warm and comfortable cocoon. It stopped ringing for a moment but started up again. Cuddy opened her eyes, looking over at House, who was still sound asleep. She tried to sit up, ready to go answer whoever was calling at this ungodly hour. It had to be the hospital.

In his sleep, House tightened his hold on her, keeping her close to him. She tried again, slipping out from under his grasp and the warmth of the blanket over her. 'Damn, it's cold in here.' She thought. Cuddy was wearing a tank top and sweatpants that she'd put on after they'd showered together earlier. She slipped on a sweater as she carefully and quietly made her way into the living room where she remembered her phone was stuffed in her bag. Grabbing it out of the front pocket, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Cuddy, this is Nurse Caroline Preston. I'm so sorry to disturb you at this hour. Your young patient, Bella, was having some kind of an attack. She was screaming and sobbing; wouldn't let anyone touch her. I think she was having a nightmare or something; scared out of her mind. You told us to call you if anything happened and I was concerned for her." 

Alarmed, Cuddy made her way back to the bedroom. "Thank you for calling me right away…how's her breathing?"

"It's ok now, I was able to somewhat calm her but she's still upset. Her cough is under control as well." Nurse Caroline stated.

"Ok, I'll be there as soon as I can." Cuddy hung up the phone. She sat down on the bed, getting dressed as quickly as she could.

"Running out on me?" Startled, she jumped at hearing House's voice behind her as she sat on the bed.

"The hospital called…Bella had another nightmare."

Propping himself up on his elbows, House scowled. "Another nightmare? She's been having nightmares?"

"Yeah, last night. She told me about it this morning. I think they're getting worse." Cuddy turned around on the bed to look at House. "I'm sorry, I need to go to her." She said quietly. Moving to stand from the edge of the bed, House gently grabbed her arm.

"Cuddy, are you sure you can do this?" He paused a moment. "I'm not doubting you, I'm just wond-…"

Cuddy cut him off.

"I know you're not." She looked down at his hand on her arm. She placed her hand over his. "I don't know, House…but I have to try. I have to do something." She answered quietly.

House nodded, letting her go.

Twenty minutes later, Cuddy was walking off the elevator and making her way to Bella's room. When she arrived, she saw the security guard sitting outside her room and Nurse Caroline waiting for her.

"How's she doing?" Cuddy asked, glancing into the room. Bella was still in the same position, cowering on the bed and hugging her legs to her. Splat was back on the bed, lying at the foot of the bed.

"She's…the same. Hasn't moved, hasn't let me near her." Caroline answered.

Cuddy nodded her head and slid the glass door to her room open, walking in slowly, not sure how Bella would react to her. "Bella." She said quietly. Cuddy walked closer to the bed. "Hey, it's Lisa." She tried again.

Bella shifted her eyes up to Cuddy, recognizing her. Cuddy moved closer. Bella's eyes started welling up with tears as she released her hold on her legs and moved over to where Cuddy was standing at her bedside. Bella slowly wrapped her arms and legs around Cuddy's neck and waist so Cuddy was holding her. Bella started crying more forcefully now, her shoulders shaking.

"Shhhh shhh shhh, you're ok." Cuddy held her tightly, comforting her. She rocked her gently from side to side, pressing her cheek against her forehead and whispering to her that she'd be ok. Bella continued crying, her head buried in the crook of her neck, soaking her clothes with her tears. Bella started getting heavy in her arms so Cuddy sat down in the chair with her, rubbing her back, doing whatever she could to comfort her.

After about fifteen minutes in that position, Cuddy felt Bella's arms loosen their grip around her neck and heard sniffles as her tears subsided. Cuddy tried to slightly pull Bella back so she could look at her, but Bella's arms tightened around her neck once more.

"Bella, sweetie, can you tell me about your nightmare?" Cuddy asked softly.

Bella shook her head, not moving from her position.

"Alright, it's ok, you don't have to talk about it right now." Cuddy reassured her. Cuddy moved to stand, wanting to get Bella back onto the bed. Bella tightened her grip around Cuddy's neck once more.

"I'm just moving over to your bed." She said, rubbing her back soothingly. Cuddy stood, shifting Bella slightly to get a better hold on her. She sat down on the bed with her, propping her feet up and leaning her back against the mattress. Cuddy was slightly reclining, with Bella draped over her. Bella seemed to relax more as Cuddy continued rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Are you thirsty, sweetie?" Cuddy asked softly. Bella nodded her head. Cuddy reached over, pressing the call button for the nurse. After a moment, Nurse Caroline came into the room slowly, seemingly unsure of Bella's reaction if she got too close.

"Yes, Dr. Cuddy?" She asked.

"Could you please get Bella some water?" Cuddy asked.

"Of course." She answered with a smile. Nurse Caroline moved over to the pitcher of water sitting on the nightstand, pouring some into a plastic cup. She handed the cup of water over to Cuddy. "Anything else I can get for you Dr. Cuddy?"

Cuddy shook her head, smiling at her. "Thank you, Caroline."

The nurse left the room and Cuddy handed Bella the cup. "Sit up." Cuddy instructed her gently. Bella slowly sat up and drank the water offered to her. She handed it back to Cuddy and resumed her position, laying her head down on Cuddy's shoulder. Cuddy resumed her soothing movements on Bella's back as she once again tried to ask her about her nightmare.

"Was your nightmare about me again…the same as last night?" Cuddy guessed. Judging by how Bella was reacting to her, she thought it was a safe assumption.

Bella nodded her head.

"But it was worse tonight, wasn't it?" She whispered.

Bella nodded once again, a small sob escaping her mouth.

"Shhh, it's ok. We won't talk about it anymore tonight. Try to get some sleep ok? I'm staying right here." Cuddy reassured Bella. Bella nodded and released a shaky breath, relaxing into Cuddy further. Cuddy leaned her head back on the mattress, closing her eyes. She ran her fingers through Bella's hair, hoping she would feel calm and safe.

Finding it hard to sleep, Cuddy wondered what must've happened to her to cause her to have such horrible nightmares. Whatever it was, it seemed to be worse than her parent's death in the accident. Her mind is apparently substituting her for her mother or father or even her brother. Cuddy wanted to ask Bella about her having a brother and what happened to him, but that would have to wait for another time. 'This girl needs to see someone qualified to help her.' Cuddy thought. She was not sure she could do this.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

A few hours later – 7:30 AM

Bella woke up in her hospital bed lying next to Lisa. She was asleep lying on her side, with her right arm around Bella and her left arm folded underneath her head. Bella looked up at her, grinning. She'd stayed, just like she said she would. Bella was curled up against her, feeling safe and warm at her side. Bella shifted, needing to get up and go to the bathroom.

She tried to move away from Lisa without waking her, but as she tried to move Lisa's arm off of her, she woke up. Bella looked up, feeling bad for waking her, but really needing to go the bathroom.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Bella pointed to the bathroom, making an 'I gotta go pee' face. Lisa laughed at her expression and carefully moved off the bed, helping her with her IV line and wheeling the stand over to the bathroom. When she was finished, Lisa helped her back into the bed. Bella scooted over so Lisa could lay back down with her, but Lisa didn't move. Bella frowned at her, not understanding why she wasn't getting back on the bed with her.

"Bella, I need to go home and get ready for work, but I want to make sure that you're ok first."

Bella sat up, feeling tense at the thought of Lisa leaving her. 'What if something happens to her?' She thought. Bella shook her head vigorously, her eyes going wide and beginning to well up with tears. She moved over to where Lisa was standing next to the bed, throwing her arms around her waist, still shaking her head.

Lisa brought her arms around her. "Do you want to tell me about your dream?" She whispered to her.

Bella wiped her tears from her eyes and looked up at Lisa. She really didn't want to talk about her brother. She shook her head.

"Would you feel more comfortable talking to someone else about it?" She asked quietly.

That confused Bella. 'If she didn't want to tell Lisa, why would she tell anyone else?' She thought. Bella furrowed her brow, not understanding. Bella shook her head once more. Removing her arms from around Lisa's waist, she sat down on the bed, looking at her. Lisa sat down next to her and ran her fingers through her hair. She liked when she did that, it made her feel safe and loved.

"Sweetie, have you been having a lot of nightmares?" Lisa asked slowly, with concern in her voice.

Bella dropped her gaze to her hands. She didn't want to talk about her nightmares.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Lisa told her quietly.

She looked into Lisa's eyes, and slowly nodded her head. Bella's eyes began to tear up again, a single tear escaping her right eye. Lisa reached up with her left hand and wiped the tear away. She nodded and removed her hand.

"I want you to talk to someone about them…could you do that for me?"

Bella shook her vigorously, more tears escaping her eyes.

"Your nightmares can't hurt you, honey. Talking about them might make them go away." Lisa reassured her.

Bella shook her head again, beginning to cry harder. She was afraid that if she talked about them, they would be worse and never go away. She didn't want to see those images in her sleep when she couldn't control them and she didn't want to see them when she was awake and could control whether she saw them or not.

"Will it make it easier if I'm there with you?"

Bella thought about this a moment, but shook her head. Nothing would make it easier. She laid her head down on Lisa's lap as she continued to cry, silently begging her not to make her talk about them. Lisa placed her left hand on Bella's head as her right hand made soothing circles on her back.

"Alright. It's ok, I won't make you talk about it." She whispered.

Bella took in a shaky breath and relaxed upon hearing Lisa's words. Bella brought her hand up to her face and wiped her tears away and closed her eyes. She was getting really tired and all she wanted was to sleep without having bad dreams. Bella sat up and crawled onto Lisa's lap so that she was cradling her. Laying her head down on her shoulder, she closed her eyes once more. She felt Lisa kiss the top of her head just before she fell asleep.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:00 AM

When House awoke this morning, Cuddy hadn't come back from the hospital. Not that he really expected her to. Things with this kid were getting more complicated and he was afraid that Cuddy wasn't going to handle it well when she had to leave. Not to mention the kid; she'd probably have a fit when she figured out she was going to have to go to a foster home when she leaves the hospital.

House decided to see if Cuddy was in her office, wanting to talk to her about the kid. When he noticed her office was dark and still locked up, he knew she was still with Bella. He made his way to the elevator and up to the sixth floor. He saw Big George sitting outside the room.

"Hey, Shrek, how's Mrs. Ogre?" He asked with a smirk. Not waiting for a response, he slipped inside Bella's room. Cuddy was lying on Bella's bed, still dressed in her clothes from last night. She was asleep, with Bella's head on her stomach, who was asleep as well. The kid seemed to have a death grip around Cuddy's thighs.

House walked up to the bed, looking behind him to make sure no one was watching; he gently tucked a stray curl behind Cuddy's ear. She was so beautiful when she slept. Well, she was always beautiful, but he loved watching her sleep. He let his fingers lightly trace down her cheek and over her jaw. He missed waking up next to her this morning. As he continued to caress her face, he noticed her eyes flutter open. Cuddy looked up at him, a small smile coming over her face.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty, time to wake up." House grinned down at her. "I didn't even have to kiss you to wake you up…damn, I'm good." House commented sarcastically.

Cuddy ignored him. "What time is it?"

Looking at his watch, House responded. "10:00." Cuddy sighed and looked down at Bella asleep on her lap.

"You've been here this whole time?" House asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly. Cuddy nodded.

"She's been in and out since I got here…and she wouldn't let me out of her sight." Cuddy raked her hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose.

House sat down in the chair, leaning his cane against the bed. "You took her IV out." He stated, pointing at Bella's hand.

"Yeah, switched her to oral antibiotics." Cuddy responded, looking in his direction.

"You discharging her?" He asked curiously.

Cuddy moved her eyes back down to Bella and sighed, shaking her head. "Not yet, I want to see how she does on them. I'll keep her here for observation for a couple more days."

House nodded. After a moment, he looked at Cuddy. "Hey." He spoke quietly, waiting for her to look back at him. When she did, he continued with his thought. "Are you going to be ok when she has to leave here?"

Cuddy was surprised at his question. She looked back at Bella, combing her fingers through her dark, curly hair. A small tear escaped Cuddy's eye. She shook her head. "No." She whispered.

House sighed. "Does she know what's going to happen to her? Where she has to go from here?"

"She knows…it's not going to be easy on her." Her voice broke, as she held back her tears. She took a deep, shaky breath.

House didn't respond. He didn't know what to say that would be helpful. Against his very nature he held his tongue. He had told her before that this would happen and now two people were going to get hurt instead of one. He lowered his head and stood, grabbing his cane.

"Come on, Cuddy, you can't stay here all day. Go home and get some rest; I'll stay with her." He told her, holding his hand out, offering to help her up.

"I can't, House, I have work to do." Not accepting his hand, she tried sitting up, careful not to wake Bella. "You'll have to move her arm, I can't get up." She said, exhausted after the long emotional morning she'd already had.

House pried Bella's arm from Cuddy's legs. When he did, Bella opened her eyes. She looked up at him and then at Cuddy. She looked panicked.

"Hey, feeling better?" Cuddy asked her. Bella signed, looking at Cuddy.

"She wants to know where you're going." House translated with a sigh.

Cuddy sat up in the bed, placing one foot on the floor, balancing herself. "I have to work, sweetheart, but House is going to stay with you, ok?" Cuddy reassured Bella.

Bella shook her head emphatically, responding to her with quick hands as she signed.

"She wants you to stay; she's afraid something will happen to you if you leave." House said, understanding now why she was so attached to Cuddy.

Cuddy kept her eyes on Bella, looking at her with a caring expression. "Bella, nothing's going to happen to me…I'm just going downstairs to my office, alright? I won't be far."

She still seemed unsure of letting Cuddy out of her site. House spoke up.

"Hey, five minutes with me and you'll forget all about her." House waved his hand dismissively at Cuddy.

Bella shifted her gaze to him, one corner of her mouth curling into a half smile. She shook her head and signed to him.

"Will too." He responded.

She replied.

"Will too." He said more emphatically to her argument. "Besides, I demand a rematch of our poker game…you totally cheated." He accused, pointing his finger at her.

Bella's mouth dropped open in disbelief, signing her disapproval of his statement and scowling at him.

"Did too." He replied, challenging her.

She signed again.

"Did too, did too, did too!" House argued, pounding his cane on the floor, punctuating his statement.

Cuddy had a look of amusement on her face as she watched them argue. She rolled her eyes. "Alright, children, stop fighting or mommy will take away your cards. House, don't make her into a degenerate gambler, she's only eight." She said raising her eyebrows at House.

"Oh so what age should I make her into a degenerate gambler?" House asked, smirking at her.

Standing up, Cuddy looked at him pointedly. "No poker, find something else to do."

Cuddy turned back around to face Bella. "I'll be downstairs, ok?"

Bella nodded, still a little apprehensive at Cuddy leaving her. She held her arms up for a hug. Cuddy stepped up to her and brought her arms around Bella, hugging her tightly and placing a kiss on her cheek. Cuddy stepped back from Bella, looking at House.

"Don't I get a kiss?" He asked with a smirk, puckering his lips.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Only in your dreams, House."

House raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh really? Well let me tell you about this very vivid dream I had just last night at around 11:30, right when I was about to stick my-"

"House!!" Cuddy cut him off, her eyes wide with horror at what he was about to say in front of Bella.

He smirked at her, proud of himself for making her uncomfortable and most likely mad at him. He could fix that later. She glared at him and stormed out of the room, muttering to him to call her if Bella needs anything. He turned his attention to Bella.

"So, looks like we're going on another secret mission, 007." He smirked with mischief in his eyes.

Bella smiled up at him, nodding her head.


	12. Chapter 11

**Thank you for your kind reviews! I have to apologize again for taking so long getting another chapter up. Real life took over and didn't leave me with a lot of time to write my story. **

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 11**

7:00 AM - 2 days later

It was a Sunday morning, and Cuddy was standing in House's kitchen wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of socks, drinking a cup of tea. She stood at the sink in a daze, not really tasting her tea, but thinking about Bella. She was doing well on the oral antibiotics and Cuddy was discharging her on Monday.

Cuddy had spoken to a woman at Child Services on Friday about Bella and her situation. They were sending someone to pick her up on Monday afternoon. This weekend was bittersweet; Cuddy was able to spend more time with Bella, and that was wonderful, but the closer to Monday it got, the sadder she became. Today, she was going back to the hospital to spend as much time with Bella as she could. She wasn't sure if Bella knew what was going on, and she had to give her the news today.

House had been uncharacteristically sweet about all of this, but she could tell he wasn't happy about how complicated this whole situation had gotten. She had grown so close to Bella since she first arrived at the hospital, that she couldn't imagine being away from her. Thoughts of adoption were running through her mind but she was scared of how House would react if she told him. She had a feeling he would hate the idea, judging by how he acted when he'd heard about her adopting Joy. Cuddy was afraid he would end things between them and she didn't want that. They were making things work and she loved being with him.

She jumped when she felt his arms snake around her waist, hugging her tightly to his chest as he kissed her neck.

"You ok?" He whispered.

Cuddy leaned her head back against his chest, setting her tea on the counter. She brought her arms over his and closed her eyes.

"Yeah." She whispered back.

He placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "You going to see the kid again today?"

Cuddy turned her head toward him, opening her eyes. "Yeah…I need to talk to her about tomorrow." She said quietly.

House nodded, placing another kiss on her cheek.

She smiled at him and kissed his lips. "Do you want to come with me today?"

"Nope…Wilson's taking me bowling today. He doesn't know it yet, but he is." House replied. "Besides, I have a feeling there will be a lot of girly things going on at the hospital with you two and I don't want any part of that. I'd probably walk out of there with my toenails painted red or something equally as horrifying."

Cuddy chuckled at him, and turned around in his arms. She moved her arms around his neck as he lowered his hands to her hips.

"Aww…but you'd look so cute with your toenails painted." She teased him with a smile on her face.

"While I do look good in red…there's not anything you could do to improve my hotness. Anything more would just be overkill." House said with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Cuddy laughed at him. "You are sooo full of yourself." She said, raking her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck.

"You've known me for way too long for that to be surprising to you." He leaned down, kissing her lips. "And I've always known how hot you've been for me all these years."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows and shook her head at him. "Have not. But maybe I would be if you painted your toenails." She said with a smile.

House narrowed his eyes at her. "Ha, you just want blackmail material. Either that or you have a thing for men with painted toenails…if that's the case, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Cuddy laughed at him and rolled her eyes. "This conversation just took a weird turn."

"That's your fault, you're the one with the weird foot fetish."

"I do not have a foot fetish!" She exclaimed with amusement. "You're such an idiot.

"Cuddy, just admit how hot you've always been for me and we can move on to the getting naked part of the festivities." He said as he moved his hands down to her ass.

"Can't we just get naked?" She said, smiling up at him.

House smiled, chuckling at her response. "See, I was right, you are hot for me…you can't even wait to get me naked." He moved his hands up her back, pulling her closer to him. He leaned down and kissed her lips. Cuddy moved her hands under his t-shirt and over his bare back as she returned his kiss. She felt House's hands move down her thighs to the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing, intent on ridding her of it.

Cuddy leaned back from their kiss and raised her arms, helping him as he slipped the shirt over her head. She smiled up at him as he leaned down to claim her lips once more, moving his right hand around to cup her breast. His left hand moved down to the small of her back, pulling her into him. Cuddy moved her arms around his neck, as they kissed each other passionately. House released her lips, moving them down to her neck and making his way down to her collarbone.

"You look awfully cute in just your underwear and socks…maybe you should make this your new uniform for work." House mumbled as he kissed her neck with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy tilted her head, giving him more access. She chuckled at his statement, rolling her eyes.

"It would be counter-productive." She replied.

"It would boost morale." He countered, lifting his head and looking into her eyes and smiling.

"It would boost something…but it wouldn't be morale." She said, raising her eyebrows at him.

House laughed. "Very true." Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. "Besides, if everyone got to see the twins, it wouldn't make them mine anymore."

Before she could reply, House swooped down and captured her left nipple between his lips. Cuddy gasped and closed her eyes, moving her left hand to the back of his head.

Cuddy's ears were ringing as House brought his hand up to cup her right breast. It took Cuddy a full minute to realize that the ringing in her ears was coming from her cell phone. She slowly opened her eyes. "House." She breathed heavily into his ear. He continued, moving his lips to her right nipple. She closed her eyes again, not able to concentrate on what she was trying to say, but on what he was doing to her. She swallowed before trying again. "House, my phone." She whispered with some difficulty.

"Let it ring." He mumbled into her chest, kissing his way back up to her neck and finally her lips. She heard her phone stop ringing as she kissed him. A moment later, it began ringing again. House abruptly pulled away from her, looking pissed. She looked up at him apologetically. Kissing him lightly on the lips, she bent down to pick up her shirt. Slipping it on, she went to answer the phone.

A few minutes later she returned to the kitchen to see House standing at the kitchen sink, his head lowered and his hands on either side of the sink, trying to calm himself. He still looked pissed that they'd been interrupted. Cuddy came up behind him, winding her arms around his waist, hugging him. She laid her forehead on his back and kissed him.

"The kid?" He asked gruffly.

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah."

"She alright?" He asked with a bit of concern in his voice, slightly turning his head in her direction.

"She had another nightmare. Not as bad this time, but bad enough." She hesitated for a moment, before adding. "I'm sorry, House. Please don't be upset about this." She moved her hands over his chest and stomach, hugging him tighter. "Come with me today…I want you there." She said against his back, her voice slightly muffled.

House turned around, causing her to loosen her hold on him. He looked into her eyes. She could tell he didn't really want to spend the day at the hospital.

"Cuddy, she is not going to handle leaving you very well. You have to be careful, she's become too dependent on you." House said seriously.

Cuddy frowned at him. "I know, House. But what am I supposed to do? I can't just ignore her now." She responded softly.

"That's my point, Cuddy, you'll never be able to ignore her." He paused a moment. "She gets taken away to some foster home and she keeps having these nightmares…you can't go to her like you are now. What are you gonna do then? What is she gonna do?"

Cuddy looked at him with confusion. "What are you saying, House?"

"I'm saying…maybe you shouldn't go to her today. Let her get used to you not being there."

Cuddy scowled at what he was saying to her. She shook her head and stepped away from him. "I can't do that to her, House. She is terrified. Whatever happened to her that's causing these nightmares…they include me now. I…I can't leave her to deal with these nightmares on her own. I can't. She needs to know that I'm there for her." Cuddy stressed. "You haven't seen her when she's shaking with fear over whatever images she's seeing in her head…or when she's sobbing and grabbing onto me for dear life like she'll never see me again if she lets go." She finished, releasing a shaky breath.

Cuddy didn't realize that she'd been crying as she said all of this to House until he reached up and wiped her tears away with his thumb. She sniffed, using her hand to wipe away the tears on her other cheek. House took a step toward her, enveloping her into a tight hug. She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat and closing her eyes, letting the rhythmic beating of it relax her.

But House was tense; she could feel it in his embrace. He didn't like this situation and she knew it, but she was hoping he would get past whatever was holding him back and join her today.

He pulled back from their embrace and looked into her eyes. House shook his head. "I'm sorry, Cuddy."

He released her and walked out of the kitchen. Cuddy turned around to see him walk in the direction of his bedroom. She let out a deep breath, standing in the middle of the kitchen feeling completely alone.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

House heard Cuddy go into the bedroom, pack her bag and change her clothes. He was in the bathroom when she knocked lightly and told him she'd see him later. He told her he'd call her and listened as she walked out of his apartment.

After a few minutes, House came out of the bathroom and limped into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed and rubbed his thigh, sighing loudly. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Wilson's number. He wasn't sure what damage had been done by him not going with Cuddy today and he needed a distraction to help get his mind off of the potential mess he'd made of the situation. If he was honest with himself, bowling was an excuse to get away from the kid. He had already made up his mind last night that he wouldn't be going with Cuddy to the hospital today. He liked Bella, she was a good kid, but it was a mistake to get close.

Wilson picked up on the other end. "House? Why the hell are you calling me this early on a Sunday?"

"Colonial Lanes, 11:00…don't be late." House said in answer to his question. Not giving Wilson a chance to respond, he hung up the phone.

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9:30 AM

Cuddy opened the door to Bella's room, seeing her curled up under the covers with her back towards the door. Cuddy couldn't tell if she was asleep or not, so she walked in quietly, making her way to the other side of the bed. Bella had her eyes closed and she was breathing deeply, but Cuddy could see that she'd been crying because of her nightmare.

Cuddy sat down in the chair next to the bed, letting Bella sleep as long as possible. She leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. Her mind wandered to her conversation with House that morning. She had no idea what his problem was. She thought they had moved past this argument. She understood that he didn't want her to get hurt, but that was inevitable at this point and there had to be more to it if this argument kept coming up between them. She knew that he hadn't wanted her adopting Joy and she knew he would feel the same about Bella. What she couldn't figure out is why.

Cuddy heard Bella shifting on the bed and she looked over, noticing that her eyes were opened and she was scooting to the other side of the bed wanting Cuddy to lie next to her. Cuddy smiled, getting up from the chair and laying down on the bed facing Bella.

"Hey, you doing ok?" Cuddy whispered, tucking Bella's hair behind her ear.

Bella shrugged, moving closer to Cuddy and bringing her arms around her waist. She snuggled up to Cuddy, hugging her tightly. Cuddy reciprocated the hug and played with Bella's hair, massaging her scalp hoping to relax her.

"Was this a bad one?" Cuddy asked, whispering into Bella's ear.

Bella shook her head.

"I wish you would talk about it, sweetheart." Cuddy encouraged her. "It might help you to sleep better."

Bella shook her head again. Cuddy sighed, not knowing what to do to help her if she didn't want it. They lay there in silence for about 10 minutes as Cuddy tried to think of a way to tell Bella that she had to leave the hospital on Monday.

"Bella, look at me, sweetie." Cuddy instructed gently, moving back from her on the bed.

Bella leaned back, looking up at Cuddy.

"Listen, you've been doing really well on your medicine that you've been taking, and it's time for you to be discharged from the hospital. Do you know what that means?"

Bella shook her head.

"It means that…tomorrow you'll have to leave the hospital and someone else will be taking care of you." Cuddy said quietly with regret in her voice.

A look of complete panic overtook Bella's face. She sat up in the bed, shaking her head with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Cuddy knew this was going to be hard. She sat up as well, looking at Bella with sadness. Cuddy watched as Bella brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them, laying her head down on her knees as she cried. As a tear escaped Cuddy's eye, she put her left hand on Bella's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry…I know this is hard for you." Cuddy whispered, trying to keep her emotions under control. "It's hard for me too."

Bella looked up with a tear stained face and practically jumped into Cuddy's arms, throwing her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly as she continued to cry. Cuddy closed her eyes, feeling a tear escape her right eye, not able to hold them back any longer.

Suddenly, Bella released her tight grip around Cuddy's neck and grabbed her notepad. 'i do not want to leave here please do not make me go away.' She begged. 'i will be good i promise.'

Cuddy read what she wrote and looked at Bella with sadness and a bit of shock. 'How could she think that's why she had to leave?'

"Sweetheart that is not why you have to go. You never did anything bad, do you understand?"

Bella nodded and wrote on her notepad. 'i hate them i do not want them to take me please let me stay here with you.'

Bella's tears were dripping onto her notepad as she scrawled on it.

"As much as I want you to, I can't let you stay, honey. I am so, so sorry." Cuddy tried explaining through her tears.

As soon as Cuddy finished explaining, Bella broke down again, laying her head down on the bed and curling herself into a ball. Cuddy had learned that she did that as a defense mechanism. She had found her in that position several times after she'd had nightmares.

Cuddy laid her hand on Bella's back, trying to sooth her but Bella shrugged her away and continued sobbing. Cuddy pulled her hand back in surprise, almost like she'd been bitten. She might as well have, it hurt just as badly.

"Bella, please try to understand that I don't have a choice. I don't want you go but you have to."

Bella continued to cry, not responding to anything Cuddy said to her. It seemed, with just those few words, they'd regressed back to where they'd been when Bella first arrived. Cuddy understood that she was upset; hell, who wouldn't be. It hurt Cuddy to know that she was the cause of this. She had allowed them to get close to each other. She knew this was going to happen; House had tried to stop it, but she didn't listen.

Cuddy felt responsible for this little girl for some reason. Maybe because they were both alone in their lives, that it was a natural connection; like God had brought them together. Right there, Cuddy made the decision. She was going to talk to the social worker about her chances of adopting Bella.

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At 11:30 that afternoon, House walked into the bowling alley and found Wilson waiting for him at lane 6.

Wilson turned around and rolled his eyes. "House, you call me at 7:30 this morning and tell me to meet you here at 11:00 and not to be late and yet you are 30 minutes late…what the hell is that about?"

"There was traffic." House replied with a smirk.

Wilson shook his head, obviously not believing him. "Why am I even surprised?" Wilson watched as House put his bowling shoes on before he set up the game for them. "So, what's the occasion?"

"No occasion, just bowling." House replied.

"I would believe you, but you have your 'something's bothering me face' on, so…what's bothering you?"

House looked up at Wilson and rolled his eyes. "Nothing, now are we going to bowl or not?"

"Sure…but I can talk and bowl at the same time." Wilson said as he picked up his ball and walked up to the lane. He held the ball up and lined up his shot. "Is it Cuddy again?"

"Would you shut up and bowl the damn ball." House grumbled.

"Well that answers that question. What'd you do to her this time?" Wilson asked, just before he threw the ball directly down the center of the lane, hitting a strike. He turned around with a smug look on his face.

House rolled his eyes. Just as Wilson was about to bowl his second shot, House stood up. "I've been sleeping with Cuddy."

Wilson let go of the ball as he crookedly threw it down the lane, getting a gutter ball. He turned around to look at House with shock. "Wh-What?!" He squealed.

House smirked and nodded his head. "Well, actually it's more of a dating type of situation."

Wilson stared at House with his mouth agape. "Why…why am I just now hearing about this? How long has this been going on?"

"6 months." House replied, not cracking a smile.

"WHAT?!" Wilson yelled out into the bowling alley, garnering stares from other bowlers.

"Keep it down, Wilson, we don't want to get thrown out like last time." House said calmly. He smirked at Wilson, letting him know that he was lying.

"Oh, you are a bastard. How much of that was a lie?" Wilson pointed his finger at House.

House took his bowling ball and went up to the lane, lining up his shot. "The last part." He stated, just before he let the ball go down the lane.

Wilson furrowed his brow. "So, you have been sleeping with Cuddy…but not for 6 months."

House turned around. "Dating…yes."

"For…" Wilson asked, trying to coax it out of him.

"Couple of weeks." House replied, bowling his second shot, hitting another strike, smirking as he walked back to sit down.

"I can't believe you guys kept this from me." Wilson said, completely distracted as he stepped up to the lane without his ball.

"Get over it." House said, as he watched Wilson stand there with a puzzled expression. "This isn't telekinesis bowling, Wilson, you need a ball for it to work. Knocking the pins down with your mind is just cheating." House announced sarcastically.

"Haha." Wilson remarked without amusement, going back and grabbing the ball. He thought for a moment. "So how did you screw it up?"

"Excuse me?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

Wilson looked at him. "That's why we're here, right? Because you screwed up and you need to talk about it."

"I didn't screw anything up." Still confused, he shook his head.

Wilson looked at him doubtfully.

House pointed down the lane. "Wilson, are you going to bowl or what?"

"Right." He said, readying his shot. "But seriously, what'd you do? I know that look, House…you did something and you're feeling guilty."

"Why does it always have to be something I did?" House defended, losing his patience.

"Is that a serious question?" Wilson turned around to look at House.

"Bowl the damn ball, Wilson!" House shouted at him.

"Wow, you must've really screwed up." Wilson said, raising his eyebrows in surprise at House's tone. He turned back to the lane, bowling the ball down the center and only knocking down 4 pins as it veered off to the left.

House sighed, seeing that he wasn't going to leave it alone. "She got attached to the kid." He said, finally.

"Bella? So?" He shrugged his shoulders. After a moment, Wilson lowered his head. "Oh no, what did you say to her?" Putting both hands on his hips, Wilson frowned at him.

"Nothing." House replied.

"House." Wilson said with warning in his voice.

"Nothing. I just told her I wouldn't go spend the day at the hospital with her and the kid."

"Why not?" Wilson asked with confusion.

House rolled his eyes. "Because it's a bad idea." He said, as if it were obvious.

Wilson furrowed his brow, not understanding. "Why is that, exactly?"

House shook his head. "The kid is leaving on Monday, Wilson. It's pointless."

Wilson looked at him with sudden realization. "You got attached too, and now you're afraid of getting hurt when Bella leaves…aren't you?"

House rolled his eyes. "I told you, Wilson, you are really bad at this game…and I'm not just talking about bowling." House said sarcastically.

"Where am I wrong, House? Admit it…you like Bella, you like spending time with her."

"If that were true, I'd be at the hospital right now, not having this stupid conversation with you." House grabbed his bowling ball and stepped up to the lane, shoving Wilson aside.

This time Wilson shook his head. "Ok, so what's got you so bent out of shape then?"

House glared at him. "Just drop it, Wilson, I came here to bowl, not listen to you tell me that I screwed up."

"Ha! So you did screw up." Wilson pointed his finger at him.

"I can fix it." House said confidently.

Wilson nodded. "Whatever is going on between you two, don't do anything stupid, just…talk to her. It would suck for things to fall apart after you finally got what you wanted, House."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:00 PM

Cuddy was headed home after a long, emotional day at the hospital with Bella. After Bella wouldn't speak to her, she'd gone down to her office to get some work done, but all she could do was think about Bella. Cuddy had checked on her throughout the day, she still had no luck at getting Bella to talk to her again. She figured Bella was distancing herself so she wouldn't feel another loss in her life. That sounded exactly like something House would do. Cuddy furrowed her brow at that thought. 'Maybe that's why he didn't want to be there today.' She thought.

Cuddy was just pulling into her driveway when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID out of habit, but already knew who it was.

"Hey." She answered softly.

"Hey. You coming over?" House asked. He sounded normal, not upset like he did this morning.

"No. I just pulled in to my driveway and I'm really tired."

"You're mad because I didn't go with you today." He stated.

"I'm not mad. I'm just…" Cuddy paused, closing her eyes and sighing. "Today was an awful day and I just want to go to bed." Cuddy responded.

She heard him sigh on the other end. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

"She shut me out." Cuddy whispered. "She won't even talk to me."

She sat in her car in the dark driveway feeling a million miles away from him, as she had felt all day today. One moment they're so close to each other, in sync with their feelings and the next, there was a giant crevice between them.

"I needed you today, House." Cuddy felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Why wouldn't you come with me?" She needed to know if what she suspected was true. He cared for that little girl just as much as she did and he was pulling back so he wouldn't get hurt.

"I was busy." He said quietly into the phone.

"Bowling? I'm so glad you have your priorities straight, House."

"Don't confuse me with yourself, Cuddy, that kid has never been a priority for me."

"She may not have been, House, but I thought at least I had some priority in your life now." Cuddy said with sadness in her voice.

"I could say the same thing about you, Cuddy." House said bitterly.

"What? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind…it doesn't mean anything."

"Yes it does, so just tell me." She said with an edge in her voice. Her tears had stopped and now she was getting upset.

"I don't want to fight with you, Cuddy." House responded.

"You know, you're right, House…I don't want to talk to you anymore tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." She said quickly and then hung up the phone before he could respond. She was suddenly very pissed off. Why did everything have to be so complicated with them?

She had had a horrible day today and now it was turning into a horrible night as well. She didn't expect to get any sleep tonight, knowing that she'd be thinking about her conversation with House and what had happened today with Bella and everything that awaited her tomorrow.

Cuddy opened her car door, got out and slammed it shut. She walked into her house, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Making her way to her bedroom, she decided to take a bath to try and calm down and hopefully relax enough to get some sleep.

A few minutes later as she sat in her bathtub with her eyes closed, relaxing with her head leaning against the back of the tub, she felt all of her emotions start rising to the surface. Her eyes began to well up with tears, some spilling over silently as she kept her eyes closed. Cuddy swiped at her tears with her hand, opening her eyes and staring up at the ceiling. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't stop the tears that followed. She sat up in the tub, leaning her elbows on her knees, placing her left hand on her forehead, supporting her head, as she let them fall.

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2:30 AM

Bella was lying in her bed pretending to be asleep, but watching the activity outside her room. The guard looked like he was falling asleep. His head was bent toward his chest and lolling from side to side. Suddenly his head snapped up and he looked around him, checking to see if anyone noticed he'd just dozed off. Thinking he'd gone unnoticed, the guard closed his eyes again.

Bella watched for another ten minutes until she was sure that he was asleep. She threw the covers off her body and got out of bed. Grabbing the clothes she'd worn the other day she began to dress quickly. Once she was ready, she made the bed to look as if she were still in it, setting Splat down on the floor. The notepad that she'd been using was on the nightstand; she flipped the page to the note she'd carefully and thoughtfully written out earlier today for Lisa.

Bella bent down to pick Splat up and stuff him inside her coat. She zipped it up as far as she could, leaving room for him to stick his head out of the top, close to her neck. Bella walked quietly with her rain boots in her hands, careful not to wake the guard. She stared at him as she quietly and slowly opened the door. As she was slipping out the door, she gave Splat her finger to lick, keeping him from meowing at the wrong moment.

Keeping her eye on the guard, Bella backed away from him down the corridor. There was no one else around at this hour, not even the night nurses. Bella quickly turned around when she was far enough away that the guard couldn't hear her, and made her way to the stairwell, slipping on her boots before making her way downstairs. There was one more thing she needed to do before she could leave the hospital.

After almost running down six flights of stairs, Bella was winded. She took deep breaths before walking out of the stairwell and into the lobby. She made her way to the payphones and looked in the phonebook. Scanning through, she found what she was looking for and quickly made her way back to the lobby. Bella started to make a run for it until she saw a security guard walk inside the glass door entrance of the hospital. Splat chose that moment to let out a loud meow into the deserted lobby.

Bella's eyes widened and she slinked into a dark corner. She could tell the guard heard it, but didn't know where it had come from. He looked around the lobby trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Bella closed her eyes and stuck her finger in front of Splat's face again, in case he decided to say something else.

When Bella opened her eyes again, she looked for the guard but didn't see him. The lobby was deserted once again. She quietly made her way to the exit, looking behind her. Once she reached the door, Bella stepped out into the cold darkness.

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4:00 AM

House had fallen asleep on the couch watching television. After talking to Cuddy earlier that night, he had been upset that he had potentially screwed things up again. But he would have to fix this; he didn't want to lose her. He was currently snoozing peacefully with his back facing away from the flickering screen of the television. His face was buried in the back cushion of the couch, lying on his left side. There was suddenly a knock at his front door. After a few minutes the knocking was constant until finally House started awake.

"Wh-what the…" House mumbled in his foggy state. He squinted in the dark to look at the clock, checking the time. At seeing how early it was, he became angry, determined to kick whoever's ass that was banging on his door at that very moment. House carefully stood up from his couch and grabbed his cane. Slightly unsteady on his feet at first, he slowly limped to the door, still hearing the knocking.

"Whoever you are better have a DAMN good reason for knocking on my door at 4 AM." He shouted. House looked out the peephole but didn't see anyone. "And if this is a joke, I will hunt you down and beat the shit out of you with my cane!"

Opening the door, his gaze went immediately to the little girl standing there, bundled up with the clothes he'd found in the lost and found closet the other day, holding her cat and smiling up at him.

**I need reviews!! Lots and lots of reviews!!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Thank you ALL for your reviews and compliments! They are so amazing to read and they help motivate me to write more. Dmarchl, thank you for what you said in the reviews for chapter 11, because it was difficult for me to write. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and it took me forever to get that chapter where I wanted it. It meant a lot that you saw the work that I put into it, so thanks again. I hope this chapter will be just as good. **

**Please keep reviewing! The more reviews, the more motivation I have to continue the story.**

**Enjoy chapter 12!**

**Chapter 12**

3:55 AM – 5 minutes ago

Bella stepped out of the cab and motioned for the cabbie to wait, holding up her index finger. She quickly made her way to the front of Greg's building, opening the door to the foyer quietly. She looked around, quickly finding his apartment and began knocking softly. She didn't hear anything inside his apartment; she knew he'd be asleep so she kept knocking, increasing the frequency and volume of the knocks.

Suddenly she heard his voice on the other side of the door. _"Whoever you are better have a DAMN good reason for knocking on my door at 4 AM."_

When she heard him she smiled, excited that she'd found him. 'He is so grumpy.' She thought to herself, as she smiled. Next she heard him say something about a joke and his cane but she wasn't really listening. The door swung open and she saw him stare at her in shock. She signed 'hi' to him. He frowned at her and looked around the foyer.

"How the hell did you get here?" He asked gruffly.

Her smile faded at his tone. She thought he'd be glad to see her. She answered his question, signing that she'd taken a cab and that he was waiting to be paid.

"Oh so you come here uninvited and expect me to pay your fare?" He said as he disappeared into his apartment, leaving the door open. She peeked in, but didn't enter. She heard him limping back to the door. Bella stepped aside as he made his way outside to pay the cab. She watched from the doorway of the foyer.

"Hey, what kind of parent lets their kid take a cab alone at this hour?" She heard the man inside the cab say.

"Hey, what kind of man accepts a fare from a kid at this hour?" Greg responded, mocking the man and throwing the money at him.

Greg turned around and walked back to the door where she was standing. He pointed to his apartment. "Get inside." He said, with a seriousness in his voice that she'd only ever heard from her father when she was in trouble. She turned around and walked into his warm apartment with her shoulders slumped. She heard the door slam behind her, causing her to jump and turn to face Greg.

"What the hell are you doing here? And how do you even know where I live?"

She answered him quickly.

"I'm not listed in the phonebook." He stated, with irritation in his voice.

She nodded her head slowly, indicating that he was listed.

Bella looked up at him, not understanding why he wasn't happy to see her. He looked really mad. She hoped it was just because she woke him up so early and not because of her being there.

"Fine, you found me in the phonebook, now why did you come here?"

Bella lowered her head, looking down at the floor. She held Splat tighter, getting the feeling that it was a mistake to come here. She heard Greg sigh loudly and walk away from her, into the kitchen. She turned around, but didn't follow him. She heard him moving around in the kitchen, but she wasn't sure what he was doing.

"You like hot chocolate, kid?" He asked, poking his head out of the kitchen, sounding a little less upset.

She nodded.

"Have a seat on the couch and don't touch anything." He instructed, pointing to the couch.

She relaxed a little and went to sit on the couch like she was told. Bella looked around the room. She loved his piano, and remembered taking lessons on one just like that before her mom and dad died. She looked at his bookshelves with all of the medical books on it. 'He must be really smart.' She thought.

A few minutes later, Greg came out of the kitchen holding a steaming mug in his hand. He set it down in front of her on the coffee table. She looked up at him and signed a question to him.

"No, I'm not mad at you. But you need to tell me why you left the hospital and came here." He said, sitting on the table across from her.

She looked away from him, slowly answering his question.

He sighed when she was finished with her answer. "You know I can't stop them from taking you, right? Hasn't Cuddy explained this to you?"

Bella nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. She wiped her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Greg. She signed again.

"You don't want to live with me, kid, trust me. I am not as nice as you think I am."

She signed her response. She knew he was nice, he didn't fool her for a second and she liked him a lot. She didn't want to go to that horrible place; she wanted to live with him.

"Am not." He countered.

She responded again.

"Am not." He smirked.

Bella smiled at him as they 'argued'. She stood up and slowly moved her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. She held on until she finally felt him place his arms around her, returning her hug. She relaxed, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Look, you can stay here for a few hours, but then I have to take you back to the hospital. Got it?" He said, releasing her from his hug.

She leaned back and looked at him with sadness. She sat down, defeated. Her plan hadn't worked. She thought if anyone would help her out of this, he would. She was wrong. Bella sat on the couch trying not to cry.

"Kid, listen to me. If you want out of this, you gotta do it the right way."

Bella didn't understand what he meant by that. She frowned at him, making it clear she didn't understand.

"I mean you gotta let this happen. I know it sucks, but you can't run away from it." He said.

Bella let her tears fall as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Do you trust me, kid?" She heard him ask suddenly.

Bella nodded, not looking at him.

"Then you know I'm telling you the truth." Greg tilted her chin up so she could see his face and that he was telling her the truth. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "Now, come on, you need to get some sleep. You can nap on my bed till I have to go to work."

He led her to his bedroom, standing in the doorway as he watched her crawl into bed and pull the covers over her body. Splat roamed the bed until he found a comfortable spot curled up next to her. She looked at Greg standing in the doorway, looking at her. She signed 'goodnight' to him with a small smile. She felt scared about going back to the hospital, but she felt safe with Greg and she knew that he would make sure everything would be ok.

"Goodnight, kid." She heard him respond, before he turned out the light and walked back into the living room.

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8:00 AM

Cuddy walked into her office feeling more tired than she's felt in a long time. She only got a couple hours of sleep last night, spending most of it thinking about Bella and House. She woke up at 5 AM, not able to go back to sleep, so she went for a run, hoping she'd be able to work off some of her stress and think more clearly.

Before Cuddy could even sit behind her desk, her phone started ringing. She groaned. 'Here we go.' She thought. Cuddy picked up the phone.

"Dr. Cuddy."

"Dr. Cuddy, this is Nurse Kasey in pediatrics. I…"

"Is Bella alright?" She asked with urgency, cutting her off.

"Well, I came in to give her her meds and…she's gone."

"Excuse me? Gone? How can she be gone?" She asked in disbelief; that was the last thing she expected to hear.

"I…I don't know, but it looks like she left you a note."

Cuddy closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead in panic. "Oh my god. I'll be right up."

She hung up the phone and ran out of her office. When she arrived on the 6th floor a few minutes later, she could see Big George and another security guard standing outside of Bella's room.

"What happened…how did she get past you?" Cuddy asked the security guard who was on duty last night, upset that he'd let her get past him.

"I must've dozed off, ma'am. I'm sorry." The security guard answered nervously, hanging his head.

Cuddy glared at him and then looked at Big George. "I want her found." She demanded curtly, her lack of sleep and stress at the situation causing her mood to shift quickly.

"Yes ma'am." He answered and walked off with the other guard down the hall.

Cuddy turned to the nurse. "Where's that note?" She asked, trying to calm herself, knowing that none of this was the nurse's fault.

Nurse Kasey handed her the notepad with Bella's handwriting on it. She read over the note in a flash, feeling as if she were going to cry at the words Bella had written. She read over it again and again, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

deer Lisa

Thank you for being my family and staying with me so i would not be scared. i will miss you so much. i wish i did not have to leeve becuz i like that you taked care of me. i love you.

Bella

Cuddy couldn't believe this was happening again. She should've seen this coming. Bella is a smart girl; she should've known she'd find a way out of here. Cuddy thanked Nurse Kasey and turned around, heading back down to her office.

Once she was in the elevator, Cuddy let out a sigh and tried holding back her emotions. She wondered if she should call House. Would he even care? He'd probably be pissed at her for waking him up.

Cuddy entered her office, closing the door and flipping the blinds shut. She sat behind her desk, switching on her computer. She had so much work to do but she couldn't keep herself from worrying about Bella. Cuddy had no way of knowing when Bella left the hospital and how far she could've gotten. 'Damn it, this was two weeks ago all over again.' She thought.

Suddenly, Cuddy had another thought. The social worker was supposed to come and pick Bella up this afternoon. "Great." She said aloud to herself. She decided to call House; maybe he could help her find Bella. Cuddy just hoped they could get passed their own problems until she's found.

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8:45 AM

House was asleep on his couch when he heard his cell phone ring. He turned over on the couch and looked at the time. He groaned, feeling some soreness in his leg after sleeping on the couch all night. He reached for his pills with his eyes only half opened. He caught a glimpse of something black and furry sitting beside his pill bottle on the coffee table. House lifted his head off the couch and opened his eyes further. The cat was sitting there staring at him as he wagged the tip of his little tail. He meowed at him and continued staring.

House glared at the cat. "What the hell do you want?" He asked, as he sat up further, shifting his feet onto the floor. His cell phone had stopped ringing and was now beeping; alerting him that he had a voicemail. He popped a couple of pills in his mouth and stood up from the couch. "I don't have any kitty kibble, so scram." He said gruffly, waving off the cat.

House grabbed his cane and limped to the bathroom, completely forgetting about his voicemail. He peeked in on the kid, still asleep in his bed. She hadn't even taken off her coat and toboggan last night. Her boots lay next to the bed. House found that the corner of his mouth had curled into a half smile. There was a part of him that liked that she had come to him. When he realized the thought he'd just had and that he was smiling, he straightened his back and let his smile fade. He shook his head and continued into the bathroom, closing the door.

After his morning routine was complete he went into the kitchen to find Bella sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal and Splat drinking milk out of a bowl on the floor. He stopped at the door. "Oh well, just help yourselves." He said sarcastically, as he walked to the counter to make coffee.

Bella smiled at him and rolled her eyes. House began making his coffee, glancing over at Bella. "They're probably missing you by now." He stated.

She looked over at him and nodded sadly, before lowering her gaze down to her cereal, taking a half bite.

"I probably should call Cuddy, she's no doubt freaking out right now."

Bella didn't respond. House kept studying her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She looked scared and sad. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better; it wasn't his style anyway. He didn't know if things would be better for her or not, so he didn't say anything. He didn't want to lie to her; she was too smart for that.

As he stood at the counter waiting for his coffee, his cell phone rang again. House walked into the living room and answered it.

"Yeah."

"House, didn't you get my message?" Cuddy asked, somewhat irritated.

"No." He answered simply, not at all surprised that she was calling him. He figured she'd be calling even though they had argued last night. The well being of the kid came first, after all.

"Bella's missing. She ran away again…I was hoping you could help me look for her." She said quietly. He could tell she was worried, but she was trying to sound normal.

"No she isn't." He stated simply, looking into the kitchen at the kid.

"What?"

"She showed up at my door early this morning." House clarified.

He didn't hear anything for a moment. "Cuddy…you there?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry. She went to your apartment?" Sounding completely surprised.

He could hear it in her voice, along with a mixture of relief and hurt. House looked up at the ceiling for a second before sitting himself down on the couch.

"Yeah, apparently I'm listed in the phonebook. Somebody at the phone company will be getting an ear full." He replied sarcastically.

"Why would she go to your place?" She asked with confusion in her voice.

"I have all the best toys." He replied.

"Why didn't you call me when she showed up, you knew I'd be worried?" Cuddy asked, ignoring his remark.

"It was 4:00 AM when she showed up here, Cuddy, I wasn't thinking about how worried you'd be." He replied, rolling his eyes.

"It being 4 AM has never stopped you from calling me, House." She countered.

He sighed loudly. "Look, Cuddy, she's fine and I'm bringing her in with me, so just let it go."

He heard silence on the other end, before she suddenly spoke up. "House, stay there, I'm coming over."

"I'll be there in half an hour. There's no need for you to come over here." He stressed. She was being ridiculous.

"House, please…just stay there, ok?" She pleaded.

"Fine." He responded, hanging up the phone and sighing loudly.

About twenty minutes later he heard a knock on the door. Bella was sitting on the couch watching cartoons and House was in the kitchen. She looked up at him with trepidation, grabbing onto Splat. She probably thought it was social services here to take her away.

House made his way to the door. "It's ok, it's just Cuddy." He reassured her. He opened the door to see Cuddy standing there.

"Hey." She said quietly, looking into his eyes.

"Hey." He responded flatly, opening the door wider for her to enter the apartment.

She walked in slowly, looking around for Bella. Bella didn't move from the couch. House closed the door and walked over to stand next to Cuddy.

"Hi, Bella." Cuddy said with a smile.

Bella gave her a small smile and lowered her head to her lap, as if she were ashamed of what she'd done.

Cuddy walked over to her, sitting beside her on the couch. "Hey, I'm glad you're safe." She paused for a moment, feeling déjà vu, then chuckled. "You've gotta stop doing that me." She said with slight amusement in her tone.

Bella looked up at her, looking relieved and grinned at Cuddy. She nodded and signed.

"She said she's sorry." House translated for Cuddy, as he watched the exchange between them.

"It's ok." Cuddy answered quietly, never taking her eyes off of Bella. "But promise me you won't run away again?" She brushed a curl away from Bella's face.

Bella looked up at Cuddy with hesitation, but gave her slight nod. House could tell she didn't want to make that promise. Cuddy smiled.

"Thank you for your note, it meant a lot to me." She said quietly.

House kept his eyes on them, watching them intently. Bella looked at Cuddy shyly and nodded.

Cuddy finally tore her eyes away from Bella and looked up at House. "I can take her, if you want." She offered.

House looked at her, slightly narrowing his eyes. He wasn't sure if she meant for her statement to have a double meaning, but it wasn't lost on him. Was she talking about just taking her back to the hospital or taking her home with her forever?

"What if I don't want you to?" He responded.

Cuddy tilted her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't you want me to?"

"Maybe I don't think it's a good idea." He countered.

Cuddy furrowed her brow at him, clearly not understanding what he was talking about.

House relented, lowering his gaze down to the floor for a moment before looking at her again. He nodded in Bella's direction. "She's all yours." He said, limping back into the kitchen.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:00 AM

Cuddy and Bella pulled into the hospital parking garage. Cuddy had taken her to the mall to buy her some clothes. All she had were the clothes she came in with and the lost and found clothes. She could tell Bella was a little uncomfortable going shopping with her so she made it quick, buying her several outfits and some everyday essentials.

Bella left the store wearing one of her outfits and Cuddy thought she looked adorable. She was wearing a jeans mini skirt with leggings and a deep purple cotton sweater, winter coat and boots. She looked like a completely different little girl.

They walked into her office hand in hand. Cuddy set Bella's bag down next to the sofa as Bella stood at the door watching her. Cuddy turned around as she walked to her desk.

"Have a seat, I need to get some paperwork filled out for you so you can leave the hospital, ok?" She said softly.

Bella did as she was told but didn't respond further. She sat down with Splat in her lap, watching as Cuddy pulled some papers out of the filing cabinet. Cuddy looked at the space under 'Patient Name,' and frowned, realizing she didn't even know Bella's full name.

"Bella, what's your full name, sweetie?"

Bella looked over at her and began signing her name slowly for Cuddy to understand. 'I-s-a-b-e-l-l-a P-o-r-t-e-r.'

Cuddy smiled at learning this bit of information about Bella. "Thank you." She said softly.

Cuddy quickly finished filling out the rest of her discharge papers and filed them. She looked back over at Bella, seated on the couch with Splat curled up on her lap, purring.

"Want to go get some lunch in the cafeteria with me?"

Bella nodded, straight-faced and with sadness in her eyes.

Cuddy stood up and walked over to her, seeing her expression. She sat down on the couch next to Bella, placing her arm over Bella's shoulder and looking down so she could see her face.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you." She said quietly. Bella leaned against her shoulder. "I'll come visit everyday, would that alright?"

Bella looked up and grinned at her, nodding her head. Cuddy smiled in response.

"Can I ask you something?" Cuddy looked at Bella with curiosity.

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Why did you go to House's apartment?"

Bella lowered her head and shrugged her shoulders once more. Cuddy noticed her reaction. She looked as though she were ashamed, but Cuddy didn't want her to feel bad about the decision she had made to go to House's apartment instead of her house, so she changed the subject.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer that. Come on, let's go eat." She said, hoping to cheer her up. Cuddy stood, holding out her hand for Bella to take. Bella set Splat on the floor and took Cuddy's hand, holding on to it tightly. They walked out of the office, heading to the cafeteria.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:55 AM

House and Wilson sat at a booth in the cafeteria, eating their lunches. Well, House was actually slowly relieving Wilson of his lunch, eating his fries and taking his ice cream from him.

"You talk to Cuddy?" Wilson asked.

"Nope." House replied.

"House, don't screw this up." Wilson pointed his French fry at House.

"I'm not the one screwing it up." House said bitterly in a low voice.

"What?" Wilson asked as if not hearing him right.

"Are you deaf? I said I'm not the one screwing this up, she is."

"I find that hard to believe…what's going on?" Wilson asked, with concern.

House shook his head, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Come on, House." Wilson tried to coax it out of him.

"She's adopting." House stated plainly, after a few moments of silence.

Wilson raised his eyebrows in surprise. "She told you that?"

House shook his head. "No…but I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at that kid. She's been thinking about it for awhile, and it's only a matter of time before she breaks the news to me." He said.

"Well…they do look enough alike." Wilson commented, receiving a glare from House. "Sorry, so what are you gonna do?"

"We've been together for two weeks, Wilson, and now she springs this on me? It's like we're teenagers and she's telling me she's pregnant, only she isn't having a baby, she's having an eight year old with severe emotional problems." House spat.

"House, you know she's always wanted kids. When you started this relationship didn't you think this was going to come up?"

"Honestly, no. She said she was done trying." He shook his head.

"I thought you liked Bella?" Wilson asked.

"Never said that. And even if I did, it doesn't mean I want to become her father."

Wilson raised his eyebrows at him. "Wow, that's quite a leap, House, I don't think Cuddy expects that from you. But you need to talk to her; let her know how you feel. And try not to be an ass while doing it."

House rolled his eyes and looked across the cafeteria, seeing the subjects of their discussion walk through the door. House was surprised for a moment when he saw Bella dressed in her new outfit. She looked completely different, like a mini-Cuddy. Wilson was right; they do like they could be mother and daughter. He shook his head and clenched his jaw in frustration, looking down at the table for a moment, before turning his gaze back at them. He watched as they stood in line picking out their food. Cuddy was pointing to different items behind the glass, while talking to Bella.

When they finished in line and paid for their lunch, Cuddy turned around spotting them immediately. She and Bella made their way over to the booth; Cuddy with a small smile on her face, and Bella following closely behind her, her expression not much different than when he saw her earlier that morning. Wilson followed his line of vision and smiled when he saw Cuddy and Bella approaching.

"Mind if we join you?" Cuddy asked Wilson.

"Of course not, have a seat."

Cuddy sat beside Wilson and Bella sat beside House, scooting in closely beside him until there were only a few inches between them. House and Cuddy looked at each other for a few moments before they turned their attention to Bella and Wilson, who were watching them stare at each other. There was another awkward moment of silence, before Wilson spoke up, trying to break the tension.

"Bella, you look like you're feeling better." Wilson said weakly.

Bella looked over at Wilson, looking unsure of what was going on, but nodding anyway, her eyes then darting back to Cuddy and House.

House looked down at Bella, beside him. "What?" He asked.

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Your food is getting cold." He stated, pointing down at her food, and stealing one of her fries. He watched her smile at him as he took her fries. She offered him another.

"Nah, it's no fun when you want to give it to me." House said sarcastically.

"Is that all it takes?" Wilson said with a smirk on his face. "Wish I'd known that years ago, imagine the money I would've saved."

"It doesn't work for you." House responded. "I'll still take your food and make you pay for mine whether you offer or not."

"Of course, at this point I expect nothing less." Wilson stated.

"Good." House replied, glancing over at Cuddy, who had been quietly eating her salad and watching Bella eat her food.

House hated that things were awkward between them after last night, but they haven't exactly had a lot of time to talk about things, especially when she was so focused on the kid. Which of course was the heart of the issue for him.

They sat in silence for several minutes, until House's pager went off. He checked it and was surprised that it was his team. They hadn't had a patient in weeks and he was shocked and relieved that he wouldn't be working in the clinic today.

House looked back at Cuddy. "Duty calls."

Bella stood up to let House out of the booth. He stood with his cane; ready to walk away, when he felt a small hand tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Bella staring up at him. Her eyes were welling up with tears and her bottom lip began to quiver. She held her arms up for him to hold her. House glanced at Cuddy and Wilson and then back at Bella. He laid his cane against the table and picked her up.

Bella wound her arms tightly around his neck, her legs winding around his back. House hugged her, feeling slightly uncomfortable, knowing that people were watching them. Not just any people though; Wilson and Cuddy.

After a few minutes, House let go and set Bella down on the floor. A few tears fell from her eyes as she looked up at him with what he could only describe as puppy dog eyes. "Remember what I told you, kid." House said.

Bella nodded, wiping her tears away. She signed, asking if he would visit her. He thought about it for a moment. He didn't really want to promise her anything, but he found himself nodding.

House quickly glanced back at Wilson and Cuddy, and without a word, he turned and left.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

20 minutes later

After Greg left, Bella didn't feel like eating anymore. She was sad that she wouldn't get to see him again for a while, but she was so happy that he said he'd come visit her.

Bella played with her food as Lisa and Wilson talked to each other.

"I have to meet with the social worker at 1:00, would you mind watching Bella for me?"

"Sure, no problem."

Bella looked up at Wilson, and signed something.

She knew he didn't speak sign language but she wasn't in the mood to write anything down. Wilson looked at her with confusion, and Bella glanced at Lisa. She spelled out c-a-t, so Lisa would understand that she wanted to get Splat from her office.

Lisa understood. "Sure, we can stop by my office and pick him up before you go with Wilson."

Bella nodded and thanked her. They quickly left the cafeteria, heading to Lisa's office. When they arrived, and Lisa opened the door, there was a wooden box slightly bigger than a briefcase sitting on Lisa's desk, a small note attached to it. Bella looked up at her and saw the confusion on her face.

Lisa rounded her desk and read the note. "It's for you." Lisa said, looking at Bella with a smile.

Bella raised her eyebrows, wondering what it could be. She hasn't been given a present in a long time, it felt weird. Bella walked over to Lisa and read the note: '_For the future Michaelangelo_.' Bella smiled, knowing immediately who it was from. She looked up at Lisa, her face beaming with excitement.

Lisa helped her open the box. Inside, was the biggest collection of drawing supplies she'd ever seen. There was a sketchbook on the top part of the box, being held in place by two Velcro straps on each end. On the bottom, there were two compartments that slid open. They had different sections within, containing several grades of drawing pencils, pastels, charcoals, and colored pencils. There were also erasers, a pencil sharpener, and a couple of rulers.

Wilson had come over to investigate her gift, raising his eyebrows in surprise at what he saw.

"Is this from House?" He asked.

"I think so." Lisa answered with a smile, shaking her head in surprise at his thoughtfulness toward Bella.

Bella nodded slowly, taking in everything she was seeing. She ran her fingers lightly over all the contents of the box as if they were sacred. To her they were sacred, and for two reasons. Because of what the gift was and most importantly, because of who had given it to her.

"Wow." She heard Wilson say.

Bella nodded in agreement at Wilson's statement. She couldn't believe this was hers. No one had ever given her anything for her art before, except for her parents, but nothing like this. 'This must've cost him a lot of money.' She thought. Bella wanted to go and find Greg and give him a hug.

Bella looked up at Lisa. She grabbed a post it off her desk and a pen.

'i want to thank greg.' She wrote.

Lisa read her note and nodded, smiling down at her. "Maybe Wilson can take you to see him before you have to leave."

Bella smiled and nodded her head, glancing at Wilson.

Wilson smiled at her. "Come on, let's go see if we can find him."

Lisa helped her close up her art box and handed it to Wilson to carry. Bella picked Splat up, holding him close to her.

"I'll page you when to bring her down." She heard Lisa tell Wilson.

Bella turned and waved at Lisa before she exited her office with Wilson.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

1:00 PM

Cuddy sat behind her desk answering emails and finishing up some paperwork that had been waiting for her signature, when a knock brought her eyes up to her door. There was a blonde woman standing outside dressed much like Cuddy was. She had a briefcase in her hand and smile on her face. She slowly cracked the door opened and stuck her head inside the office.

"Dr. Lisa Cuddy?"

"Yes."

"Hi, I'm Janine Cohen, with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. We spoke on the phone."

"Yes, of course, please come in." Cuddy stood up to shake Janine's hand and gestured for her to have a seat on the couch.

"Thank you."

Janine sat down on the couch while Cuddy took the chair. "Is Bella here?" Janine asked.

"Yes, she's upstairs being looked after by one of my staff. Before you meet her I was wanting to get some information from you." Cuddy stated, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"Oh, of course. What can I help you with?"

Cuddy began slowly. "Bella and I have bonded in the time that she's been here. She's confided some things in me and we've developed a trust between us." Cuddy took a deep breath before continuing. "I was hoping you could give me some information about my chances of adopting her. What's the process?"

"Oh, ok. Well, assuming she doesn't have any family, which will need to be investigated, you would need to fill out an application for adoption, as well as supply us with some personal references. You would be required to go through some training and interviews along with home inspections by a resource worker who would be assigned to your case. The Office of Licensing would require a home visit as well, in the case that you are approved by DYFS."

"Alright." Cuddy said, sounding slightly overwhelmed by all that needed to be done. "How long does the process usually take?"

"It could be weeks or months, Dr. Cuddy, it all depends on what we find out about Bella and how quickly your paperwork can be processed.

Cuddy nodded her head. "Is it possible to become a foster parent and adopt later?"

"Yes. We have a Fost-Adopt program for children who are not likely to return home or have no home to begin with. Based on what you've already mentioned, Bella would of course fit into those criteria. As with adoption, you would need to complete a training program and a homestudy."

Cuddy nodded at the information she was just given. She wanted to do this; she just couldn't risk Bella getting into the situation she was in before. Cuddy looked at Janine. "I'd like to start the process."


	14. Chapter 13

**I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story! Thanks so much for the reviews and please keep them coming. **

**Chapter 13**

45 Minutes Later

Cuddy couldn't believe she'd done it. She filled out all of the necessary paperwork to start the process of fostering Bella. She finished signing her name on the last page of the application and handed it to Janine.

"Alright, I'll file this today and as soon as you can get your personal references in the better, so we can begin processing your application and get the ball rolling on this." Janine said with a smile.

"Thank you." Cuddy said, gratefully.

Cuddy moved over to her desk and picked up her phone, dialing Wilson's number. When he answered she asked him to bring Bella down to her office. She had been dreading this all day. It was time for Bella to leave and she wasn't ready for it. She had promised herself she would control her emotions in front of Bella so it wouldn't make things worse for her.

A few minutes later, Wilson and Bella appeared at her office door. Wilson knocked lightly and opened the door. He was carrying her art box for her and Bella held Splat tightly against her chest. Cuddy noticed she looked scared out of her mind. Her entire body was tense and her pupils were dilated.

Janine stood from the couch, smiling at Bella as she walked in. Cuddy walked around her desk. "Bella, this is Ms. Cohen, you'll be going with her this afternoon, alright? She's a nice lady, and she'll take good care of you."

Bella walked over to Cuddy and stood next her, pressing her body into Cuddy's side and slightly hiding her face. Cuddy had already made Janine aware of Bella's emotional state and that she had not spoken a word since she's known her. Cuddy brought her left arm around Bella, hugging her.

"She has a cat?" Janine asked with surprise.

"Yes, I'm sorry I forgot to mention it. Is that going to be a problem?" Cuddy answered.

"I'm afraid so, the family that is fostering her doesn't allow pets in their home. I'm sorry." Janine said with genuine regret in her voice.

Bella looked up at Cuddy, pouting her lips, her chin quivering as tears began to well up in her eyes. Cuddy noticed her reaction and looked back at Janine.

"Couldn't they make an exception…he's a good cat and has never caused any problems in the hospital?"

"I'm sorry, they've always been very clear about this. I believe they're allergic. I could try and place her with someone else but not on such short notice…it could take a few days."

Cuddy looked down at Bella with regret and disappointment that she couldn't take him with her. "I'm sorry sweetie, he can stay with me, ok?"

Bella's tears escaped her eyes and she signed g-r-e-g. Cuddy furrowed her brow in confusion. 'She wanted House to keep Splat?' Cuddy thought.

"Bella, you know he won't keep Splat…he'll be ok with me." Cuddy stated gently in reassurance.

Bella looked down at the floor and nodded sadly in agreement.

Cuddy looked up at Janine. "Could you give us a few minutes, Ms. Cohen?"

"Of course." Janine answered with a nod, making her way out of Cuddy's office.

Wilson had been standing by the door, silently watching the exchange. "Goodbye, Bella…I'll see you again sometime." He promised.

Bella nodded, setting Splat down on the floor and slowly walking to Wilson. She moved her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Wilson hugged her in return, glancing up at Cuddy and briefly smiling at her.

Bella released Wilson and walked back over to Cuddy. Wilson quietly left the office, shutting the door behind him.

Cuddy took Bella's hand and led her over to the couch to sit down.

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House was sitting in his chair, his feet propped up on the ottoman, tossing his gray and red ball in the air when Wilson came into his office.

"Bella is leaving in a few minutes." Wilson said.

House didn't respond.

"We were looking for you earlier…she wanted to thank you for the gift."

House looked up at him. "What gift?"

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Don't even deny it, House, I know better." Wilson smirked. "She loved it, by the way."

"I know." He replied, after a moment.

"You're not going to go say goodbye?" Wilson asked him, watching as House continued to toss the ball up in the air.

"Already did. You were there, Wilson." House said, looking back at Wilson.

"Yeah." Wilson replied, nodding his head.

Wilson turned around ready to walk out of House's office, his hand on the door handle. Before opening the door, Wilson turned back to look at House.

"House, why are you so afraid of loving that little girl? And why are you afraid of Cuddy adopting her?" He paused for a second, not giving House a chance to respond. "If you think Cuddy's going to stop loving you just because she'll have a kid, then you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were. And if you're up here thinking about ending your relationship with Cuddy because of it, then you are an even bigger fool than I thought you were…don't ruin this just because you're scared, House. She's good for you…they both are."

House took in every word, but didn't say anything for a moment. He had stopped tossing his ball in the air during Wilson's little speech, setting it down in his lap. House looked over at Wilson standing by the door.

"Have you been talking to Cuddy about this? Did she say something to you?"

"No, but I'm not as big an idiot as you think I am, House. I know you too well…it's somewhat of a curse actually." Wilson answered with a smile.

With that, Wilson walked out of the office, giving House even more to think about than he had before.

House watched as Wilson walked out of his office, and resumed tossing the ball for a few more minutes. He was supposed to be thinking about his latest patient's symptoms but he found he couldn't keep his mind off of Cuddy and her intentions of adopting Bella. Wilson's little speech didn't help him make a decision any faster. The easiest thing to do would be to back away from the situation; to break it off with Cuddy and let her have her kid. He certainly couldn't compete with her desire for a child; he would only be in the way. Then again, Wilson could be right; maybe she could still love him and have a kid too. The question is; is he willing to share her with Bella?

Before he could answer his own question, Kutner came into his office.

"House, we need you…patient won't let us do the test."

House nodded, watching as Kutner walked out of the office. House stood up to follow, putting his problem on hold until he could have more time to think. Right now, he had to go save some guys life.

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Bella sat on the sofa next to Lisa. She had her head on Lisa's lap as she brushed her fingers through Bella's curls. Bella couldn't believe she was going back to live with a bunch of strangers again. She and Mattie hated it when they had to live with the Bedford's after their parents died. The parents were nice enough, but they were also weird. And their real kids were mean to her and Mattie. The older boy, who was two years older than Mattie, always liked to pick on them and play really mean tricks, but acted like they were his best friends when his parents were around. Bella was glad she couldn't remember his name anymore. The younger boy was a year younger than Mattie, and he always said mean stuff about their parents. One time Mattie punched him in the face for saying that it was Bella's fault they were dead. That was when they had decided to run away from there.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" She heard Lisa whisper down to her, interrupting her thoughts.

Bella lifted her head off of Lisa's lap, her eyes beginning to tear up. She grabbed her notepad that was sitting on the coffee table and started writing.

'i am scared please let me stay here with you'

"I know it's scary…but you're gonna be ok. I hear the family you're staying with are really nice." Lisa responded.

Bella shook her head as she lowered her gaze down to her lap. Lisa didn't understand; that's what they said about the Bedford's too.

'i will hate it. me and mattie did last time.' She wrote, trying to explain it to Lisa. 'they was mean to us.'

Bella looked up at her for her reaction; she looked confused. "Who is Mattie?" She asked.

Bella's eyes grew wide at her mistake. She forgot that she wasn't supposed to talk about Mattie. Bella shook her head quickly at Lisa's question. She didn't want to talk about him.

"Is he your brother?" Lisa asked.

Bella was surprised that she knew that. Bella wrote again, ignoring her question and hoping Lisa would understand she didn't want to talk about Mattie. 'please let me go home with you.' She pleaded on paper.

Lisa looked at her with such sorrow and compassion that Bella's tears finally escaped her eyes. Bella understood that it wasn't Lisa's choice to let her go, but she couldn't help it, she needed to do whatever she could to stay away from that place.

Before Lisa could respond, the blonde lady knocked on the door. She came into the office with a sad smile on her face. "Dr. Cuddy, I'm sorry to cut things short, but I have another appointment at 4:00."

Lisa nodded. "Ok." Lisa said, her voice sounding shaky, but no tears were visible.

Bella looked away from the blonde lady and back to Lisa with pleading eyes as her tears continued to fall. Bella hugged Splat to her chest and kissed him goodbye. Lisa stood up from the couch and Bella followed. Lisa took her hand and began moving toward the office door. Bella's body stiffened against Lisa, tightening her grip on her hand. Bella held on to her, not wanting to let go of her.

The blonde lady must have noticed Bella freeze with fear, because she spoke quietly to them. "I'm sorry to do this, it's the worst part of my job." She said, sympathetically.

Lisa nodded her head, "I understand." She looked down at Bella. "It's time to go, sweetie." She said softly.

A sob escaped Bella's lips as she held her arms up to Lisa, to be picked up. Lisa stretched her arms out to her and Bella jumped into her arms. Bella held onto her tightly, wrapping her arms and legs around her and laying her head on Lisa's shoulder.

Bella was sobbing as they walked out into the lobby, her shoulders shaking with the force of her cries. There were people around them staring, but she didn't care. Bella closed her eyes and wished that this wasn't happening.

As they reached the lobby, Lisa tried to put Bella down, but she held on tighter, not willing to let go yet. Bella barely heard Lisa when she spoke to the blonde lady. "Can you give me another minute?" The woman must've agreed because the next thing Bella felt was Lisa sitting down on one of the lobby benches.

"Bella, look at me sweetie." Lisa instructed gently. Bella loosened her hold enough to look at Lisa. Bella took in a shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down. Lisa continued to speak softly. "I know you're scared…but you're going to be ok and I'll see you tomorrow, alright? I'll come see you everyday. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." Lisa swept her hand over Bella's face, wiping away her tears.

Bella breath hitched in her throat as she looked down at her hands in her lap and spoke softly for the first time in almost a year. "Please don't make me go." Her voice was barely audible, but Lisa heard it, because her eyes grew wide in disbelief and her mouth fell open. She stared down at Bella in shock. "Bella…" She didn't know what to say.

Bella spoke again, a little louder this time; the sound of her own voice sounding foreign to her after not using it for so long. "Please," she begged, "please don't let them take me away." She finished her plea, as a sob escaped her lips.

Still in shock, Lisa spoke in a whisper. "Oh my god…y-you spoke to me."

"I want to stay with you." Bella sniffed, looking into Lisa's eyes.

Lisa blinked, seemingly trying to get over the shock of hearing Bella speak. "I know, baby, I want you to stay with me too. But listen, I'm going to give you my phone number, ok? You can call me anytime…if you're feeling scared or if you just want to talk, you call me." Lisa spoke gently and calmly to Bella. She watched as Lisa wrote down her phone number on the back of a card. Bella nodded, but her tears wouldn't stop. "Come on, Janine is waiting, you need to go."

Bella felt defeated, like there was no way of avoiding this. Her body sank in disappointment at Lisa's words, her tears spilling freely from her eyes. Lisa set Bella on her feet and grabbed her hand gently, leading her to where Janine was standing.

When Bella finally let go of Lisa's hand, she let out another sob. As Janine was leading Bella away to the doors of the hospital, Bella looked back at Lisa as she stood at the reception desk watching. "Lisaaaaa!!" She screamed loudly into the lobby, sobbing as she was being led away, begging for Lisa to stop the lady from taking her. Bella saw Lisa give in to her emotions, as tears began falling down her cheeks.

Bella cried all the way to the car, as she held the lady's hand. Once she was inside the car, she looked out the window. Bella unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around, getting onto her knees and watching as they got farther and farther away from the hospital.

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5 minutes ago

House walked out of the elevator on the balcony level of the lobby just as a loud voice filled the room. _"Lisaaaa!!!"_ House scowled, not recognizing the voice. He saw Bella crying as she was being escorted out of the hospital by a blonde woman, whom he guessed was the social worker. 'Was that the kid yelling?' House wondered, slightly shocked. He was surprised that she'd spoken, much less yelled out into a lobby full of people.

His gaze fell on Cuddy, standing by the reception desk. Bella had disappeared out of the front doors of the hospital, but Cuddy stood frozen in place. Her head was lowered, her gaze pointed to the floor. After another moment, he watched as she slowly turned toward the clinic, swiping the tears away from her face, and making her way to her office.

House tapped his cane on the floor as she disappeared into the clinic. Should he go talk to her? He wasn't very good at comforting people; he'd probably end up making the situation worse for her. He'd insult her, say something stupid and make her mad. 'No, he should give her some time.' He thought. He needed to think about what he was going to say to her.

He couldn't believe she'd gotten the kid to talk. House had been wrong about this whole situation. Maybe those two did belong together. But what he wanted to know was; where did he belong in all of this?

House turned around, pressing the button for the elevator, heading back up to his office to think about what his next move would be.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:45 PM

Cuddy sat in her living room reading the information packets about Foster Parenting and Adoption that she was given today. Splat was curled up on her sofa beside her, purring as he slept. She scratched his little head, taking a sip of her tea. She had already gone through some of this when she was going to adopt Joy, but that was a different situation, so it was almost like she had to start all over again.

After Bella left, the day dragged on for Cuddy. She was too worried about Bella and scared that she'd run away again if she didn't like where she was going to live. It was hard to concentrate on her work that had piled up on her desk because of the extra attention she had been giving Bella. Cuddy also feared that Bella would have nightmares and Cuddy wouldn't be able to go to her. She hoped that the people who were fostering her would be sensitive to her needs in that way.

Cuddy suddenly heard a knock at her front door, bringing her out of her thoughts. It had to be House; he was the only one that would come to her at this hour, unannounced. Cuddy went to the answer the door, opening it just as House was about to knock again. He stood there for a moment, looking at her with a blank expression.

"Did you come here to stare or did you have a specific reason for this late night visit." Cuddy asked, tiredly.

"It's not that late, and yes, I did have a specific reason in mind and it involves you and me naked in your bed." House smirked, trying to break through the tension that had been following them around since last night.

Cuddy didn't crack a smile. She was mad at him, and she was too tired for his bullshit.

"Well then you better get back in your car and go home, because that's not happening." She said.

House's expression grew serious. "Tonight…or ever again?" He asked.

Cuddy stared at him for a moment, thinking about how this could go. "I guess that depends." She answered quietly.

"On?" House asked, his voice just as soft.

"On what we have to say to each other." Cuddy's anger dissipated and she was suddenly nervous; she hadn't told him that she had made arrangements to foster Bella and most likely adopt her. She hadn't even discussed it with him before she signed the papers. She knew how he felt about it and she was afraid he would end their relationship when she told him. She didn't want their relationship to end; it had barely even begun.

"Can I come in then? Because I'm starting to lose feeling in a certain part of my anatomy and if things go my way tonight, I'm going to need them." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and curled his lips into a smile.

Cuddy couldn't help it; she chuckled at him, shaking her head as she stepped aside and opened the door for him to enter. It was a good sign they could still banter like always, even amidst the tension between them. Cuddy closed the door behind him and turned to face him. He had his back to her, staring down the hall into the spare bedroom that she had intended to be a nursery for Joy. She had yet to return any of the purchases she'd made for the room. Cuddy moved to stand in front of him.

"House?" She asked, unsure of what he was thinking. "You ok?"

Looking away from the room, his gaze fell on her. He gave her a slight nod. "How are you doing? I mean…with the kid being gone." He asked.

"It was hard seeing her go…but…" She paused, a small smile coming to her face. "She spoke to me, House." Cuddy's smile grew wider. "She actually spoke."

House nodded. "I heard."

Cuddy frowned with confusion. "Who told you?"

"No, I mean…I heard her scream in the lobby. I had just gotten off the elevator." He explained. After a moment, he nodded his head. "That's good, Cuddy. I'm happy for you…you made a difference in her life."

Cuddy couldn't believe he'd just said that. She raised her eyebrows in complete surprise. "Who are you and what have you done to Greg House?"

"Cute." He rolled his eyes.

Cuddy smiled again and chuckled at him. "Thank you, House." She said, gratefully. She knew that was a big deal for him to say considering the arguments they'd had over it.

House nodded, looking down at the floor.

He was starting to make her nervous; he seemed to be trying to say something to her but having difficulty getting it out. That was never a good sign. Cuddy's smile faded.

"House, are you sure you're ok? I know we've had some tension lately, but not anymore than usual. What's going on?"

House looked up at her. "Mind if we sit down…my leg is killing me."

Cuddy nodded and gestured toward the living room.

They sat down on the couch. House was rubbing his thigh when he saw Splat curled up on the end of the couch next to where Cuddy was sitting, and he narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is he doing here?" House suddenly looked around the room as if trying to find something. "Do you have a tiny, quiet, 8-year-old stashed somewhere in your home, Cuddy? It wasn't very smart of you to leave the cat out in plain sight, you know?" He said with a smirk.

"Shut up…they wouldn't let Bella keep him, so I told her I'd take care of him." She explained.

House nodded, taking his vicodin bottle out of his pocket and shaking two pills into his hand.

"You want some water?" Cuddy asked.

House nodded. "Thanks."

Cuddy stood up and walked to the kitchen, sighing and closing her eyes, not knowing what was on House's mind that he couldn't just tell her. Cuddy felt her stomach suddenly tie up in knots, having a feeling of what he was going to say. She filled a glass of water and walked back to the living room. When she entered, she saw that he was looking at the information packets that she'd been reading earlier along with a copy of the signed application form.

"A bit of light reading?" He asked, expressionless.

Cuddy stopped at the entrance to the room, holding the glass in her hand. She'd forgotten that she had left all of that out on the table.

"House…I-" She started to explain, before he cut her off.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"It just happened this afternoon. I was going to tell you, but I…"

"…thought I'd get upset?" He asked, finishing her sentence for her.

Cuddy sighed, lowering her head, unable to look at him. "Yes. I know how you feel about me adopting…I don't know why you feel that way, but you do, and I was going to tell you but it happened so fast."

House set the papers back down on the table and stood up. He stared at Cuddy for a moment. There was no way to tell what he was thinking. She was sure he was about to walk out of her house, effectively ending their relationship.

"House, would you please say something?" She asked, nervously.

He held his hand out to her. "May I please have my water?"

Cuddy scowled at him, but took a few steps forward and handed him the glass she was holding. That wasn't what she thought he was going to say.

House downed the pills and drank the water, setting the cup down on the coffee table. He straightened back up, and held out his hand, nodding for her to come to him. "C'mere." He said softly.

House resumed his place on the couch, waiting for her to join him. Cuddy moved slowly over to the couch, sitting down next to him at an angle so she was facing him.

House rubbed his finger over his chin and softly clearing his throat, before he began speaking. "Cuddy, ever since you met that kid, I knew this was something you've been thinking about. It didn't just happen. I know that having a kid is something you've wanted for years…and this is your chance to have one. I can't get in the way of that…as much as I'd like to. You know me, Cuddy, normally I'd stand in the way of any chance at happiness you could get your hands on…but not this. Things have changed between us in the last couple of weeks and…it's just different now." He paused for a moment. "I-… He shook his head.

"You're breaking up with me." Cuddy interjected, trying to save him the trouble of saying what he seemed to be having trouble with.

House looked at her, rolling his eyes and sighing in frustration that she'd interrupted his train of thought. "Would you let me finish?" He asked, looking at her. "Yes, I was going to break up with you…then I realized we weren't in the eighth grade." He said sarcastically.

Cuddy scowled at him. "You ass…are you screwing with me?" She asked, getting upset that he'd joke about something like this.

"A little…but only because you just sounded ridiculous when you said that I was breaking up with you…we're not twelve, Cuddy." He rolled his eyes again.

"Then what are you saying, House?" Cuddy raised her voice, her frustration growing.

"Well, if you'd shut up and let me finish. I'm saying that I get that you want to have a kid. I came here to say that I was ok with it, Cuddy, but apparently I had nothing to say in the matter to begin with." House looked away from her, across the room. After a moment he turned his gaze back to her. "What happens with us now, Cuddy? Where does that leave me in all of this?" He asked softly, almost whispering. "When you signed those adoption papers today, did you even consider how this would affect me? Was I even in your thoughts, or were you so blinded with wanting that kid in your life that I wasn't even there?"

His honesty and openness surprised the hell out of her. She had no idea he thought about this. It meant he was serious about her; that it would hurt him to lose her and that this thing between them wasn't temporary. For some reason it surprised her that she could affect him that way.

Cuddy's eyes welled up with tears. She scooted closer to him on the couch, reaching for his hand. She looked away from him to their joined hands in his lap. She hesitated to tell him the truth. She was thinking of him when she signed those papers, but she was thinking of how scared she'd be to tell him what she'd done.

House noticed her hesitation and released her hand. "I guess I have my answer." He moved to stand, grabbing his cane and limping away from her.

She realized he was leaving and shot up from the couch, moving quickly to stand in his way. "House, please don't leave. Please stay here and talk to me." She asked him, placing her hands on his chest. Cuddy looked into his eyes. "Nothing has to change, House." She took a deep breath. "I was thinking of you, but I was thinking how scared I was to tell you about it…afraid that you'd react just like you are now."

"I know that I'm an ass, Cuddy, but you could've talked to me." He told her firmly.

Cuddy shook her head. "You wouldn't have listened, House. You would've bitched about what a mistake I was making." She dropped her hands from his chest. "You are not an easy person to talk to, House. I know that you don't want kids. Can you really blame me for not telling you?"

"I never said I didn't want kids, Cuddy, you just always assumed."

"Then why are you so opposed to me adopting?" She asked him in a whisper soft voice.

"We've only been together for two weeks, Cuddy. I'd kinda like to get to know my girlfriend first, you know, before we start raising a kid together."

Cuddy was stunned at his admission. She blinked, snapping out of her daze. "Wait…what?" She was confused; uncertain about what he actually admitted to.

House rolled his eyes. "Don't start overreacting to what I just said. All I meant was that I'm ok with you taking in the kid, not that I want to be her father…jeez, Cuddy, I've got to maintain some of my bastard image. I'm not changing overnight, you know." He added sarcastically.

Cuddy allowed a smile to come to her face, placing her hands on his chest again and lightly caressing him with her thumbs. She nodded happily.

"We need to work on our communication." He stated, more seriously. "I promise to be less of an ass…well, with regards to important relationship stuff; if you promise to be honest with me about what you want. I don't know unless you tell me, Cuddy."

"Ok." She whispered.

House leaned his head down, placing his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "Neither one of us is good at relationships, but I want us to try harder. I want this to work between us." He whispered, repeating the words she'd said to him just a few days ago.

Cuddy smiled, recognizing her own words. Her eyes were closed; she felt a tear run down her cheek. She ran her hands up his chest until her arms were hugging his neck tightly. Cuddy felt his arms hug her close to him as he placed a feather light kiss on her neck. They held each other for several minutes, neither of them speaking a word. It was House that broke the silence.

"Cuddy, as much I'm enjoying your breasts pressed up against my chest, I really need to sit down before my leg gives out on me and we both end up on our asses." She heard him mumble into her neck.

Cuddy laughed, letting go of him and planting a kiss on his lips. She bent down and picked up his cane that he'd dropped on the floor when he hugged her.

"Come sit down." She said, grabbing the fingers of his left hand with hers, lacing them together.

House followed, holding onto her hand. They resumed their places on the couch next to each other. Cuddy sat slightly facing House with her legs crossed at her knees and her right arm supporting her head against the back of the couch. Her left hand reached for House's left hand on his lap. Splat was still curled up on the couch. House looked over at him.

"Seriously? You're keeping the fur ball?"

Cuddy nodded.

"Damn, just when I thought I was never going to see that thing again. Black cats are evil, you know?" He said sarcastically.

Cuddy laughed. "Yeah, well, Bella wanted you to keep him. I saved your ass from having to take care of him. I think I deserve some gratitude." She said, raising her eyebrows and smiling at him.

"Oh well, come with me to the bedroom…I'll thank you good and hard in there." House leered at her, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Or right here…I'm not choosy."

"Wow, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet, House." She replied, kissing him back.

House smiled and nodded. "What can I say…I'm made of charm." He kissed her again.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You're made of something, but it's definitely not charm." She replied.

House shrugged. "Well, it worked on you."

"Yeah, 20 years later…that should tell you something."

"It tells me that you're stubborn." He said, inching even closer to her.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows in surprised amusement at his comment. "I'm not the only one who's stubborn."

House backed away from her and pointed at his chest. "Moi?" He asked, innocently.

Cuddy smiled, nodding her head.

"Hmm…fine, I'll give you that, but you still hold the title for most stubborn." He said, pulling her over to him with the hand he was holding.

She chuckled at him.

Their faces were mere inches apart now. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before House leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. Giving her a kiss that said how much he wanted her. Cuddy returned his kiss with equal passion. Cuddy found herself moving over to straddle his legs, never breaking their kiss.

House placed his hands on her hips, before moving them onto her ass, scooting her forward and onto his pelvis. Cuddy moaned into his mouth at the contact, running her hands over his chest and up to his neck, deepening the kiss. Her tongue sneaking passed his lips, into his mouth. She felt him respond in kind, their tongues battling for control. In the next moment, they slowed their kiss, becoming more and more sensual and passionate. They continued in the moment; one passionate kiss following the next. She could feel how much he wanted her. She wanted him just as badly.

Cuddy pulled away first, her eyes closed and leaning her forehead on his. "Am I hurting your leg?" She asked, with concern in her voice, ready to move if he needed her to.

"No." He answered. He leaned in, kissing her again, moving his hands under her sweater, feeling the warm flesh of her back.

House pulled away, breathing heavily. He moved his lips to her neck and up to her ear. "Oooo, no bra, Cuddy…you slut." She could feel him smiling into her neck, just before he nipped at her.

Cuddy pulled away, narrowing her eyes at him. "Is this that charm you were talking about?"

"See, I knew you'd recognize it." He retorted.

"Hm, well…I better be the only one receiving your special brand of charm." She stated with amusement.

"Of course. When I told my other girlfriends that I'd charmed a new love muffin, they got jealous and I kicked their asses to the curb." He answered.

"Are you sure they didn't leave because you insist on calling your girlfriends love muffin?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it was jealousy. You're the only one I call love muffin."

"I feel so special." She said, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Eh, you're just ok." House shrugged his shoulders and scowled at her.

Cuddy thrust her hips forward, causing him to gasp. She smiled at him. "It seems you think I'm more than just ok." She ran her fingers lightly over his stubbled jaw, kissing him again.

"You better be careful or I'll throw you down on this couch and show you just how ok you are, Cuddles." He responded, thrusting his hips.

Cuddy leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Can we stop playing this game and get to the good part?"

Her question stunned House because she saw the shocked and very pleased look on his face when he pulled away from her, looking into her eyes.

"Oh hell yes." He replied, leaning in to kiss her.

Cuddy pulled away from him. "Not on my couch…come on." Cuddy stood from his lap and held out her hand to help him up. House accepted her help and stood up from the couch, towering over her as he looked down into her eyes.

"Lead the way, love muffin." He smiled, leaning down to kiss her lips softly.

Cuddy grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the living room and down the hall to her bedroom.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

1:00 AM

Bella lay in her new bed staring up at the ceiling in her room. When she arrived this afternoon, she was surprised to see the house where she would be staying. It was huge and beautiful; nothing like the place she stayed with Mattie a couple of years ago. The James' were pretty nice so far. They had two other kids, girls not boys. They seemed nice too. The older girl was a year younger than Bella and the younger girl was 4 years old.

The house was so big that she was given her own room, which she loved because she liked to be alone a lot. Bella had not said a word since she arrived, not wanting to talk to anyone. Mr. and Mrs. James tried to get her to talk during dinner, but Bella didn't feel like it.

Bella sat up in bed, looking around her dark room. The James' had made her room look nice for her. It looked almost like her room when her mom and dad were still alive. She missed having her own stuff to play with and this was the closest she's come to having those things again in a very long time. 'Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad.' Bella thought. She could learn to like it here. They had everything. There was a pool and one of those big trampolines like she and Mattie had always wanted. There was a playhouse in the backyard too, with all kinds of toys inside. There were lots of trees to climb and plenty of things she could draw, using her new art box.

Bella got out of bed and looked out the window, into the dark night. She missed Splat and wondered if he liked living with Lisa. She had given Bella her phone number and said she could call anytime. Maybe she should call and see how he's doing without her. But Bella wasn't sure if she should call her so late. She also wanted to tell Lisa that she missed her and that she was ok; she didn't want Lisa to worry about her. She decided it would be ok, since Lisa gave her permission.

Bella grabbed the business card with Lisa's phone number on the back and quietly slipped out of her room to get the cordless phone in the upstairs den. Bella had not yet learned her way around the house yet so she was careful not to get lost in the big house. Walking around in the dark made it worse; she couldn't see where she was going. Bella placed her hand on the walls to guide her way along the dark hallway. She walked slowly, watching every step she took so she wouldn't accidentally trip over something or make a noise in the house and wake everyone up.

Bella found her way to the den, sitting herself down on the couch and grabbing the phone on the end table. When she picked it up, the numbers on the phone lit up so she could see what she was dialing. Bella looked at the card in her hand and began dialing the phone number.

Bella heard it ring 4 or 5 times before she heard Lisa pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

Bella didn't say anything for a moment; she froze, suddenly not knowing what to say. It's been a long time since she's spoken on the phone to anyone and it felt weird.

"Hello?" She heard Lisa say again.

Finally Bella spoke; whispering so she wouldn't wake anyone.

"Hi." She said simply.

Bella heard rustling on the other end before she heard Lisa speak in a surprised and relieved tone.

"Bella? Are you ok, sweetie?"

Bella smiled, happy to hear Lisa's voice again and relieved that she wasn't mad that she'd called so late.

"Yeah." She whispered again. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, sweetheart." Lisa said lovingly. "What are you doing up so late…did you have a nightmare?" She then asked with concern in her voice.

Bella shook her head, but remembered that Lisa couldn't see her so she quietly answered. "No. I couldn't sleep."

"I'm happy you called…I was worried about you all day. Are your foster parents nice?"

"Yeah. I have my own room." Bella told Lisa proudly.

"That's great, sweetie. I'm happy for you."

"Are you coming to visit tomorrow?" Bella asked with a hopeful tone.

"I am…I can't wait to see you."

Bella smiled. "Is Splat missing me?"

"I'm sure he is…but he's ok, so you don't have to worry about him, alright?"

"Ok." Bella thought for a moment. "Is Greg going to visit me tomorrow too?"

"I don't know…but I'll try to get him to come with me."

Bella smiled once more. "Ok."

"You should get some sleep, I don't want to get there tomorrow and have you fall asleep on me." Lisa said, teasing her.

Bella chuckled. "I won't. Will you bring Splat with you?"

"I'll ask if it's ok…but there's a chance I won't be able to bring him."

"Ok." Bella said with disappointment.

"Get some sleep." Lisa instructed gently.

"I love you." Bella whispered.

"I love you too." Lisa responded.

Bella hung up the phone quietly and made her way back to her room. She got back into bed, smiling that she'd get to see Lisa tomorrow. She hoped Greg would come too; she missed him a lot. Bella closed her eyes and within minutes, she was asleep.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Cuddy hung up the phone with a smile and looked over at House, sleeping soundly next to her on the bed. At least she thought he was.

"How's the kid?" He asked groggily.

His voice startled her. She was sitting up on the bed with the blanket covering the front of her body, leaving her back exposed to the cold air in the room. House moved his fingers over the small of her back as he lay on his side, facing her. Cuddy set her phone down on the nightstand and lay back on the mattress, turning her head to look at House.

She smiled at him. "I didn't mean to wake you." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Go back to sleep." She whispered.

House closed his eyes, reaching his arm over her waist to pull her closer to him.

"It's ok." He mumbled sleepily.

She scooted over as close as she could get, bringing her arms around him and hugging him tightly, stroking his back.

"You're cold." She stated, kissing his chest, and covering them both with the blanket. House didn't respond except to hug her tighter.

Cuddy sighed softly into his chest, closing her eyes and relaxing her body, trying to go back to sleep.

She felt him kiss the top of her head and roll onto his back, bringing her with him. She shifted her arms so he wasn't lying on them. Cuddy looked up at him; his eyes were still closed, but she could tell he wasn't sleeping.

"You ok?" She whispered.

"Mmhmm." He answered.

"Are you sure?" She asked; He looked pensive.

House looked down at her, furrowing his brow. "Just trying to go back to sleep like my mommy told me."

Cuddy shook her head. "Your wheels are turning…what are you thinking about?"

House sighed. "You're going to see the kid tomorrow." He stated.

"Yeah. Did you want to come, House?"

House looked down at her. "Can't…I have a patient. But if I can work my magic on him by the time you leave, yeah I want to come."

Cuddy smiled. "She'll love it if you come, House."

"Shut up, woman, I'm trying to go to sleep." House mumbled, with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy chuckled, laying her head on his chest once more. She hugged him and placed a kiss on his chest. "'Night, House."

"Mmmm." He grunted in response, making her smile as she drifted off to sleep in minutes.


	15. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Please keep commenting, I like to read your thoughts on each chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy this one!**

**Chapter 14**

6:15 AM – The Next Day

Bella awoke with a start. She opened her eyes, looking at her surroundings and not remembering where she was. She sat up in bed, slightly disoriented. It was still dark outside, but she could tell the sun was getting ready to peek over the horizon at any moment. Finally, she remembered she was at her new home. She looked around for Splat, but quickly remembered he wasn't there with her. Bella lay back down, curling up into a ball under the covers. She suddenly smiled, remembering her conversation with Lisa last night; she was coming to see her today.

At that thought, excitement coursed through her and she threw the covers off of her body and began getting dressed. She decided to wear the jeans that Lisa bought her with the sparkle design down the legs and the pink-stripped sweater to match the sparkles. She put on her socks and the boots she wore yesterday, grabbed her sketchpad and pencils out of her art box and made her way down the hall.

Bella didn't even know what time it was, but she couldn't wait until Lisa got there. She made her way to the upstairs den where she made her phone call last night, and sat down on the sofa. She switched on the lamp and waited.

The clock on the wall told Bella what time it was and she slouched her shoulders in disappointment. Lisa wouldn't be here for a long time. Bella stood up, making her way downstairs to the kitchen. She heard someone moving around in there, and the smell of coffee told her it was either Mr. or Mrs. James. She slowly peeked around the corner to the kitchen without a sound. It was Mrs. James. Bella stood at the door watching her pour a cup of coffee in a mug. She turned around to face Bella, jumping when she saw her, placing her hand over her heart.

"Oh, Isabella, you scared me. I didn't hear you come in." She gave Bella a friendly smile.

Bella stood in the doorway, looking up at Mrs. James. She was nice, but she always called her Isabella and that was kind of annoying…nobody had ever called her Isabella, not even her parents. Bella wanted to say she was sorry for scaring her but she didn't want to talk to her. Instead she lowered her head, and turned to leave the room.

"Wait, you don't have to leave, honey. Can I get you something to eat?"

Bella turned back around, nodding her head.

"Ok." She smiled. "Do you like pancakes?"

Bella nodded slowly.

"Would you like to help me make them?" She asked sweetly.

Bella nodded once more. She used to help her mother make pancakes, and she missed it very much. Mrs. James waved her into the kitchen.

"Ok, we'll start with the flour." She said, moving over to the cupboard and grabbing a jar with the white powder in it.

Bella stood in the middle of the kitchen holding her sketchbook and pencils, watching Mrs. James as she gathered the ingredients.

In the next half hour, they had gathered and combined all of the ingredients for the pancakes. Bella was standing on a step stool waiting for the griddle to heat up so they could begin pouring the batter.

"Be careful not to put your hand too close to the top when you pour, you'll get burned." Mrs. James said, standing next to her.

Bella nodded, dipping the cup into the batter, gathering a hefty scoop and pouring it onto the griddle. She listened to the sizzle as the batter touched the surface and spread out into a perfectly round, rather large pancake. Bella looked up at Mrs. James and smiled, pleased with herself that she'd made the first pancake look just right.

Mrs. James smiled down at her, patting her shoulder. "Great job, Isabella."

Bella continued making the pancakes as Mrs. James set plates on the table. Turning it over was tricky, she hadn't done it before, but she didn't want to ask for help; she could do it herself. Noticing the batter start to bubble on top, Bella picked up the spatula. She gently moved the spatula under the pancake, scooting further and further underneath until she was sure she could turn it over. Bella used both hands to get a good grip on the handle and lifted the pancake up from the griddle. She paused for a second, thinking of the best way to do it.

Bella stuck her tongue out to the side of her mouth, thinking she could just flip it over, letting it drop onto the griddle. She started flipping it over, but as she did the pancake started slipping off the spatula falling onto the griddle and splattering the batter onto the stove and her sweater. Her pancake had bent in half, leaving part of the batter exposed and uncooked on the other side. Her perfectly round pancake was now a perfectly half-round pancake.

Mrs. James had turned around at the sound of the splatter. "Oh, that's ok Isabella, just try another one…it just takes practice to get it right."

Bella nodded, and grabbed the cup to pour another one onto the griddle.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:50 AM

Cuddy sat in her office going over some figures on the budget, when House walked into her office. She looked up from her paperwork briefly, but turned her attention back to her work.

"Love muffin, I need to borrow $10 bucks." House stated, holding out his hand and sitting down in the chair opposite her desk.

Cuddy's head snapped up, scowling at him. "No…and stop calling me that."

House pouted. "I thought you liked that one?"

Cuddy resumed her work. "When did I ever say that, House?"

"Last night…when I had you moaning so loud in my ear, my eardrum nearly exploded."

Cuddy tried to keep a smile from coming to her face at his statement, but was unsuccessful. She shook her head at how ridiculous he could be. Cuddy looked up at him again, seeing his own smile creep up on his face.

"Your boobs look particularly perky today, like they're happy or something, have they been getting some action?" He asked with a sneaky smile on his face.

"Shut up…but yes they have." She retorted with a smile.

House smiled as well at her response. "Care to give me a peek at the goods?"

"No." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, I'll close the blinds and lock the door." He offered, standing up and moving to the door.

Her smile disappeared and her mouth fell open. She didn't think he was serious. "House, we can't…"

"What? I can't feel up my girlfriend in the work place? What the hell is this country coming to?" He said with mock disdain as he closed the blinds and locked the doors.

"House, stop it, anyone could come in here."

"Duh, Cuddy, that's why I locked the doors." He rolled his eyes, making his way over to her.

"House." She said, with warning in her voice.

He held his hand out to her. "Come on, I didn't get a good morning kiss because you left so early." He said.

He sounded genuinely saddened that he didn't get to see her before she left that morning. She looked up at him and took his hand. "Fine, one kiss." She stood up from her chair as he pulled her to him. His left arm moved around her waist as his right hand cupped her jaw, bringing her face closer to his. He looked into her eyes, before he spoke softly to her.

"Good morning." He said, before leaning in and kissing her.

She was expecting a peck on the lips but she should've known that with Greg House, you get more than you bargained for. His kiss was sensual and sweet. Cuddy melted into the kiss, moving her hands up to the lapels of his jacket and grabbing fistfuls as she pulled him closer to her. His hand caressing her jaw, moved down to her shoulder and around her back. He held her tightly to him, pinning her arms between them as he deepened the kiss. She returned his kiss eagerly, not realizing how much she'd missed him this morning.

When their lips parted, House didn't stop at one kiss. He moved his lips to her neck, keeping his grip tight around her body.

Cuddy smiled, loving the fact that he couldn't get enough of her. "House." She whispered in his ear.

"Mmm." He mumbled, his lips still on her neck, kissing their way to her collarbone. He moved his right hand to cup her breast as his left hand remained on her back, keeping her close to him.

"We have to stop…we can't do this here." She said, her eyes still closed, feeling somewhat dizzy.

"Let's move to the couch, then." He replied, his right hand moving under her blouse to cup her breast once more.

"You know what I mean…we can't do this at work."

"God you smell good." He responded, ignoring her.

Cuddy smiled at his compliment. She didn't want him to stop, but if they got caught, they'd both get fired. Cuddy pushed on his chest with her arms that were still pinned between them. "House, come on, we have to stop before someone catches us."

House pulled away from her. "The door is locked, Cuddy, no one's coming in here."

"I know, but I don't want to risk it, House." She rubbed her hands over his chest. "I'm all yours tonight…you can wait until then." She continued with a seductive smile, leaning up and kissing his lips.

"You are evil, Cuddy." He stated, letting go of her. "Can we make out in the car before we go see the kid?"

"No." She answered simply. "But I'll let you hold my hand on the way there."

House rolled his eyes. "Ooo, big deal, Cuddy, thanks for nothing." He paused, thinking about it for a second. "Wait, can your hand be on my crotch?"

It was Cuddy's turn to roll her eyes. "No."

"Damn it, I changed my mind, I'm not going. It sounds like this little trip is gonna suck."

"You're going."

"Or what?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Or…you can spend the night at your place, alone."

House's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You're threatening to withhold sex if I don't go with you?"

"Was I not clear?"

House shook his head slowly. "You're only hurting yourself, Cuddy."

"Yeah, you tell yourself that tonight when you're all alone in bed with your right hand."

"Where did 'I'm hot for House' Cuddy go? I want her back." House sat down heavily in the chair as Cuddy stood beside her desk, looking down at him.

Cuddy was trying with all her power not to bust out laughing at his expression. She wasn't being serious; she was just messing with him like he always messes with her. She turned around moving behind her desk.

"Well, now that we understand each other, meet me at my car in an hour and we'll go." She stated with a smirk on her face.

House stood up in a huff, limping to the door. He unlocked it and opened the door, but before walking out he turned around and gave Cuddy the most mischievous and devious smile he could muster. Cuddy saw it, her smirk disappearing as quickly as it had come and she knew she was in trouble.

"House, what are you planning?" She asked in warning, sounding a bit nervous about his intentions at the same time.

Without a word, House backed out of her office, still smiling. He closed the door, leaving her alone in her office, fearing what he was going to come up with to make her life miserable today.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10 minutes later

House burst through Wilson's door, sitting himself down on the sofa in his office.

"You want to help me screw with Cuddy?"

Wilson was looking at him, an exasperated look on his face. "No."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

"Don't you have a patient?" Wilson asked.

"Oh please, I cured him hours ago. Now, let's go, I have evil plans to impart on a certain hot Dean of Medicine slash girlfriend." He said with his devious smile in place.

"So I take it you two have worked things out?"

"Well, if all the sex we had last night was any indicator, then yeah."

"Good…what do you have planned?" Wilson asked, out of curiosity.

"Can't say just yet…it's a doozy though."

"Is this going to mildly piss her off, or piss her off beyond belief?"

"Somewhere in the middle, I think."

Wilson thought about it for a minute. "Alright, I'm in."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

2:00 PM

Bella sat on the front porch swing of the house, with her legs crossed Indian style waiting for Lisa. It was pretty cold outside, but she didn't care. Bella had her sketchpad on her lap, drawing a picture for Lisa. After breakfast, her day had been slow and boring. She was so excited that Lisa was coming that she couldn't stop thinking about it and it made the day go by slowly. Bella had spent most of the day up in her room drawing, but then she got bored and went outside to explore.

Mrs. James was busy with Samantha, the 4 –year –old, and the older girl, Kara, was in school. She tried to include Bella in what they were doing, but she wasn't interested.

As she sat on the porch, Bella had her attention on her drawing when she heard a car pull into the driveway. Her head snapped up, seeing that it was Lisa inside the car with Greg beside her. Bella gave them a huge excited smile when she saw them. She set her sketchpad down and made her way down the steps. Lisa and Greg had gotten out of the car and were making their way towards her as well.

Bella ran up to Lisa, giving her a tight hug. Lisa's arms went around Bella, smiling at how excited Bella was.

"Hi." Bella said, her voice muffled by her arms that were slung around Lisa's waist.

"Hi, sweetie." Lisa replied.

Bella released Lisa from her hug and slung her arms around Greg's waist. She looked up at him with a smile. "You came." She said happily.

"You talked." Greg mimicked her, with a smirk on his face.

Bella giggled at him, making him chuckle and look over at Lisa. She chuckled as well, gently placing her hand on Bella's head.

Greg looked up at the house, noticing how big it was. "Looks like you hit the jackpot, kid."

"Wanna see my room, it's huge?" She asked him, excitedly grabbing his hand.

Before Greg could answer, she heard Mrs. James call her name from the front door of the house.

"Isabella, who are you talking to?"

Bella looked up at her, but didn't respond. She looked back at Lisa and Greg. "That's Mrs. James." She said quietly.

Lisa grabbed Bella's hand and walked up to the house. "Hi, Mrs. James, I'm Lisa Cuddy and this Greg House. I believe Janine Cohen mentioned to you that we'd be coming by everyday to see Bella."

"Oh, of course, I'm so sorry. It's a pleasure to meet you, why don't you come inside and have seat? And please, call me Emily." She greeted them.

"Thank you." Lisa replied, as they all walked inside the house.

Emily led them into the living room, gesturing for them to have a seat on the sofa. Samantha came into the room, carrying a stuffed teddy bear in her arms. She went to stand beside her mother, who was seated on the couch opposite Greg, Lisa and Bella. The little girl was looking at Greg's cane sitting beside him on the couch.

"Why do you got a cane?" The little girl asked suddenly.

"Samantha!" Emily said sternly. "That is not polite."

"I'm sorry, Mr. House." Emily said, apologizing for her daughter.

"It's Dr. House, actually. And don't worry, kids say crap like that to me all the time."

"House." Lisa warned.

"What? I said it was ok." House defended.

Bella sat beside Lisa and watched as they argued.

"Could I get you two something to drink?" Emily offered.

"No, thank you." Lisa answered.

"Nothing for me, thanks. I'm hittin' the 'ole pub soon after we leave here, anyway." Greg replied with a smirk.

Lisa looked at him, horrified. "He's joking." She said, glaring at House.

Bella thought they were being hilarious. She wanted to laugh, but she thought it might be rude.

"Well, I'll let you guys talk. You're welcome to go up your room, Isabella." Emily said with a strange looking smile on her face. Bella thought she might be uncomfortable with Lisa and Greg, but she wasn't sure why.

Bella nodded, grabbing Lisa's hand as she stood, ready to head upstairs to her room.

Once they reached her room, Bella closed the door.

"So what's up with Suzie Homemaker calling you Isabella?" House asked sarcastically with a smirk, mimicking Emily and the way she said her name.

"House, shut up." Lisa said, rolling her eyes and making Bella laugh at them.

"Wow, your room is beautiful. Do you like it?" Lisa asked her, changing the subject.

Bella nodded with a smile.

"Emily seems nice." Lisa said, sitting down on Bella's bed next to her.

"She's ok…we made pancakes this morning. I flipped it by myself." Bella said proudly.

"That's great, maybe you can teach me how to flip them sometime…I always seem to mess them up." Lisa replied.

Bella shrugged. "It just takes practice…that's what Mrs. James said."

Lisa nodded, smiling.

Bella sat quietly, leaning against Lisa's shoulder and loving that they were there with her. "Lisa." Bella said, quietly.

"Yeah."

"How long do I got to stay here?"

"I don't know, sweetie. It might be a little while." Lisa answered, looking up at Greg, who was sitting on the desk chair across the room.

"Oh." Bella replied with disappointment.

"You don't like this place, kid? There's a pool, what kid does like to swim?" Greg remarked.

"I can't swim in the wintertime. Anyway, I don't know how. Mattie tried to teach me one time but I was scared so I didn't learn too good." Bella answered, looking at Greg.

He nodded. "That's your brother, right? Mattie?"

Bella looked away from Greg and nodded slowly. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"What happened to Mattie…why isn't he with you?" Greg asked, gently and quietly.

Bella shook her head. "I don't talk about him." She said firmly, her eyes looking anywhere but at Greg.

"Why not?" Greg questioned again.

"I don't talk about him…I don't talk about him." She repeated, with more emphasis, her tears falling from her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't talk about him."

Lisa placed her arm around Bella, hugging her and gently rubbing her arm reassuringly. "Shhh, it's ok, Bella, you don't have to."

Lisa looked up at Greg with concern as she continued to comfort Bella. Greg lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Why don't you show us the rest of your room?" Lisa whispered down to her.

Bella nodded slowly, wiping the tears from her eyes. She took in a deep breath, trying to be brave in front of Greg and Lisa. She didn't want to ruin their time together.

They spent a few more minutes in Bella's room as she showed them some of her drawings she'd made that day. Most of them were objects she had around the room; like stuffed animals, flowers, and other small decorations and knick-knacks.

"These are impressive, Bella, where did learn to draw like this?" Lisa asked.

Bella shrugged. "I just draw what I see." She answered softly, feeling slightly embarrassed at the attention she was getting about her drawings.

"Well, you're very talented." Lisa said as she flipped through her drawings.

"Make sure you keep those…start you a portfolio." Greg said, pointing at the drawings.

"What's that?" Bella asked, curiously.

"It's a book of all your best work. So you can show people when you're trying to get into school or trying to get a job." He smirked. "But in your case, you can use it to show off to all your friends so they'll know how much better you are than them."

"House, don't say it like that."

"It's true…show me any 8-year-old who can draw like that." He said, pointing to the drawings.

Bella felt good that Greg and Lisa liked her drawings. Her parents use to always encouraged her to keep drawing as well. They reminded Bella a lot of her parents. Maybe that's why she liked them so much.

Lisa and Greg had spent a couple of hours with her when Lisa's cell phone started ringing. She stood up from the bed and went to the other side of the room to answer it. After a few minutes she came back and resumed her place next to Bella.

"Sweetie, House and I have to get back to work." She said with sadness.

"But you just got here and I didn't get to show you the backyard and stuff." Bella protested.

"We'll be back tomorrow, remember?" Lisa said.

Bella nodded sadly, not wanting them to go just yet. "I wish you could spend the night." She pouted.

Lisa smiled at her sweetly. "Me too."

"Not me…I need my beauty sleep and you snore." Greg said, looking at Bella.

"I do not." Bella defended, rolling her eyes.

"Hey look, Cuddy, she's got that eye roll down just like you do." Greg smirked at them.

"Well, maybe if you didn't say dumb stuff all the time." Bella replied in a smart aleck fashion.

Lisa laughed out loud at her retort to Greg. "That's what I keep telling him." She said.

"I thought we had to leave?" Greg said, standing up in a huff.

Lisa and Bella smiled at each other as they got up to follow. Bella was holding Lisa's hand as they made their way out to the car. Lisa and Greg had said their goodbyes to Emily, saying they'd be back tomorrow. As they stood at the car, Bella hugged Lisa around the waist tightly. She wasn't crying but she was sad that she had to say goodbye again so soon.

"I wish I could stay with you instead of here." Bella said, looking up at Lisa.

"Really?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Bella answered happily.

"I'd like that too." Lisa replied, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie. Call me if you need anything, ok?"

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Bella released her hold around Lisa's waist and hugged Greg.

"Will you come again tomorrow?" Bella asked hopefully.

"I don't know, kid, we'll see?"

"Ok." She replied. "I love you."

She looked up at Greg. He was looking at her, but he looked like he didn't know what to say. Maybe he didn't love her. Bella's smile faded a little at that thought.

"You too, kid." Greg said, after a moment.

Bella's smile returned when she heard his words. She released her hold on Greg and watched them get into their car. She was waving at them as they pulled out of the driveway. Bella watched them drive off until she couldn't see the car anymore.

She stood in the driveway for a few more minutes. She couldn't wait until tomorrow.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

As House and Cuddy drove down the road, House was looking out the window thinking about what Bella had said to him.

"You ok?" He heard Cuddy ask, placing her hand on his thigh.

He looked over at her and nodded. "Yeah." He answered. He knew she wouldn't believe his answer so he decided to talk to her.

"Why would she say that to me? That kid doesn't know me, Cuddy, why would she say that?"

"That she loves you?" She asked.

He nodded, looking over at her as she drove.

"Because she does love you, House. Children see things differently than adults do. She sees all things you really are, not the things that you want people to see. She's a smart girl." Cuddy answered, smiling at him.

"Too smart." House replied.

"Yeah." Cuddy said, chuckling in agreement.

They were silent for a few minutes. House looked over at Cuddy as she drove them back to the hospital. She looked deep in thought. House placed his right hand over hers on his thigh, holding it gently.

"You're thinking about what she said about her brother, aren't you?" He paused for a moment. "Or rather, what she didn't say."

Cuddy nodded. "I wonder what happened to him." She whispered.

"Whatever it was, she saw it happen."

Cuddy looked over at him, surprised at his statement. "How do you know?"

"She's clearly traumatized over it, Cuddy. She couldn't even talk about it." House looked away from her, out the window. "That means he's dead." He finished, more quietly.

"Yeah." She whispered in agreement.

A few minutes later, they were pulling into the parking garage at the hospital. Cuddy parked her car in her parking space and looked over at House as she shut off the engine.

"Thanks for going with me, House. I know Bella loved it that you showed up." She said quietly, the mood still somber after their conversation about Bella's brother.

House nodded, looking completely serious. "So, do you want to make out?"

Cuddy's brow furrowed just before she laughed at his comment when she realized he was joking. He knew she wasn't expecting that comment just then and House gave her a full smile at her reaction. He was trying to lift her spirits after their conversation and it seemed to have worked.

Cuddy shook her head with a smile on her face. "I would love to make out with you, House. But it'll have to wait till tonight."

"Damn." He answered, still smiling.

"My place, tonight at 7:00?" She asked.

House nodded, grabbing her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it just before he opened the door and got out of the car.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

15 minutes later

When House reached his office, his curiosity was still peaked about Bella's brother and what had happened to him. He decided to do some research. He sat down at his computer and got online. There wasn't much information to go by but he had some ideas where to start.

Pulling up the internet, he started his search with the New Jersey obituaries. Since he didn't know when Bella's parents were killed, he did a wide generalized search for everyone with the last name Porter in the last 2-3 years. Surprisingly, there were only a few, but there were several online newspapers to sift through. He read through the first one, not finding what he was looking for, he moved on to the next one.

An hour later he still hadn't found what he was looking for. He was beginning to get impatient but he still had one more newspaper site to go through. Typing in the only information he had, he pressed search, bringing up 10 people who had died 2 years ago. He came upon the names of a couple; Nathan and Claire Porter. He'd found them.

_Nathan Edward Porter and Claire Anne Johnson Porter's lives were tragically cut short on October 11, 2006 when a drunk driver struck their vehicle. They are survived by their two children, Matthew and Isabella Porter. Funeral services will be held in Trenton at Brenna Funeral Home on Saturday October 14, 2006 at 2:00 pm._

As he read the obituary, the information given was information he already knew. The only news to him was that Bella's brother didn't die in the car accident. House printed out the obituary and did another search; this time, for Matthew Porter.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

7:15 PM

House arrived at Cuddy's place 15 minutes late. He knocked on the front door, ready to get scolded for being late. When she opened the door, she was smiling, looking happy to see him.

"Hey." She said, holding the door open for him to enter.

"Why are you smiling? You should be yelling at me for being late." House said, suspiciously.

"House, you're always late, I'm not surprised in the least…or upset. But I will be if you don't get in here, it's cold out there."

House entered her home, placing a kiss on her lips as he passed by and watched her close the door behind him. He took his coat off, hanging it up by the door.

When he turned around Cuddy was looking at him suspiciously.

"What?"

"I was expecting some sort of crazy stunt from you today." She stated.

"I was going to plan something but I ran out of time…sorry to disappoint you." He said with a smirk.

"Right…just remember that I can make your life just as miserable as you can make mine." Cuddy said with a smirk, not believing a word he said.

Cuddy turned around, heading for the kitchen.

House smiled behind her back. His plan was still in the works, it was just going to take a little while. Long enough for her to forget that he'd planned anything.

"I was just about to order something for dinner, do you have a preference?" She asked over her shoulder.

House's smile faded on his way into the kitchen, watching as she pulled out several take out menus from a drawer.

"Anyplace that has actual food and not the crap you usually eat is fine with me."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, picking up one of the menus. "Italian?"

House nodded.

Cuddy handed him the menu, letting him decide what he wanted to order.

After they ordered their dinner, they went into the living room. House sat down on the couch, shooing Splat out of the way.

"You should get rid of that thing, cat's carry disease, you know?"

Cuddy sat down next to House, rolling her eyes. "He's had his shots…he's fine. And didn't you have a rat? They carry more disease than cats do. I'm not getting rid of him, Bella would be crushed."

"Steve was clean." He informed her as he fished through his pants pocket for the printout he'd made earlier, handing it to Cuddy. "Speaking of the kid…" He said.

"What's this?" She asked, unfolding the paper. She read over it quickly, her eyes growing wide at what he'd given her.

"Her parents obituary. How did you find this?" Cuddy asked with surprise, looking over at him.

"I have certain skills that I-…"

"House, be serious. How did you know where to look for this?"

"I didn't. I was curious…and you know how I get when I'm curious." House smirked.

"Right…how many hours of clinic should you have been doing instead of looking for this?"

"No comment." House replied.

"That's what I thought." Cuddy smirked.

"At least we know for sure now that the brother didn't die in the accident." House pointed out to her, as he watched her read over the obituary again.

Cuddy nodded. "I wish I knew how to help her." She said sadly.

House brushed her hair away from her face. "You being there for her helps, Cuddy. Look what you've already accomplished in just a few weeks." He stated reassuringly.

Cuddy smiled over at him. "Thank you, House." She said softly, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

House nodded, smiling at her.

Cuddy leaned her head against his shoulder, his arm winding around her.

"Do you really think her brother is dead?"

"Yeah."

Cuddy nodded in agreement. After a moment she turned her head, looking at him. "You didn't find his obituary, did you?"

"No, I looked under every name in every newspaper I could think of; he's nowhere."

"But you still think he's dead?"

"Yeah." He affirmed softly.

They sat quietly for several minutes. House was gently running his fingers over Cuddy's left arm when a sudden thought came to him. He slowly sat up, removing his arm and causing Cuddy to sit up and look at him strangely.

"What's wrong?"

House looked back at Cuddy, a small smile coming to his face. "I just got an idea."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

5:30 PM – Two Weeks Later

House sat at his desk, going over the notes he'd made over the past couple of weeks concerning his newest obsession; what happened to Bella's brother?

He'd had the idea to look for every John Doe between the ages of 8-14 who had come in to every hospital in the area, including PPTH, in the last 2 years. That also included psychiatric hospitals. It was a huge undertaking and he hadn't gotten as far as he'd like. He had started with talking to the medical examiner at a hospital in Trenton where he'd found out Bella was from, judging by the obituary he'd found in The Times. The guy wasn't very helpful, seeing that House had no reason but sheer curiosity to be digging for this type of information. He thought he had come up with a convincing lie but the guy didn't buy it, having heard of him and knowing exactly who Dr. Gregory House was.

That was when House decided to give a fake name on his other searches. But unless you were someone in law enforcement or a lawyer, no one could give out that information. House was neither of those so he decided to try the 'ole 'grieving family member looking for his missing child and no one on God's green earth will help me but you' ploy. It seemed to work pretty well, because he'd narrowed down the search.

He was getting ready to make another phone call when Cuddy walked in his office.

"House, are you still doing what I think you're still doing?"

"Uhhhh, if you think I'm still masturbating then the answer would be no."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, sitting down on the edge of his desk. "You're disgusting." She grimaced, shaking her head. She picked up some of his notes and leafed through them. "I wish you'd put this much effort into doing your charts."

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen." He responded, rolling his eyes.

Cuddy sighed. "House, you've been at this for the past two weeks, I need you to do your job."

"I'm still doing my job, Cuddy, relax."

"When was the last time you were in the clinic?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Why are you asking me a question you already know the answer to?" House responded sarcastically.

"Why are you answering a question with another question?"

"Why are your boobs looking extra plump today?" He deflected, staring at her chest.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes and shook her head. Finally giving up the argument, she sighed. "Well, have you at least found out anything useful?"

House smirked at her, achieving his goal of deflecting the conversation. "Not a whole lot…I've narrowed it down but that's about it. I'm beginning to think the kid didn't exist."

Cuddy looked away from him with sadness. She shook her head. "What the hell happened to this kid, House?" She whispered.

"I don't know." He replied softly, placing his hand on Cuddy's thigh gently. "Hey, how's the kid doing?" He asked.

Cuddy looked at him with worry. She shook her head once more. "She seems ok, but I think she's been having nightmares again. She has dark circles under her eyes and she looks like she's lost some weight. And when I ask her about it she just says she's fine and changes the subject."

"Haven't they sent her to counseling yet?" House asked, furrowing his brow.

"She's had a few sessions. They haven't gone well, she hasn't a word the entire time."

"And she's not talking to you either?"

"I think you and I are the only ones she does talk to, but she's not talking to me about anything she's going through." Cuddy paused a moment, looking down at her fingers, gently caressing House's hand that lay on her thigh.

House gently squeezed her thigh, standing up and making his way to his office door, locking it and pulling the blinds.

Cuddy turned around to see what he was doing, her brow furrowed. "What are you doing, House?" She stood up as he pulled the blinds looking into the conference room closed, so the only light in his office was coming from the lamp on his desk and the computer.

"My girlfriend looks like she needs a hug." He answered with a smirk, limping over to her.

Cuddy smiled sweetly at him. "How come you can't be this sweet to me all the time?"

"My bastardness keeps things interesting." He said, winding his arms around Cuddy and feeling her arms snake around his waist.

Cuddy sighed into his chest, closing her eyes. "Unfortunately that's true."

They held each other for a few minutes in silence. Cuddy lightly moved her hands over is back.

House leaned his head down to whisper in her ear. "She's going to be ok, Cuddy."

"I know. I'm just really worried about her." She whispered.

House hugged her tighter, trying to offer her as much comfort as he could.

"You keep that up and Little Greg might get excited." House mumbled into her ear as she was caressing his back.

Cuddy laughed and stopped the movement of her hands, looking up at him.

"And that would be a bad thing?" She smirked.

"Don't start what you don't intended to finish, love muffin." House warned, releasing her from his hug.

Cuddy grabbed his hand, as he started moving back to his desk. House looked back at her. "I'll see you tonight."

House nodded. "Your place?"

"Yeah…I have to feed Splat."

House nodded once more, placing a kiss on her lips.

He watched Cuddy walk out of his office. She looked sad. He felt like he should do something for her but he wasn't sure what. But first, he had to figure out what happened to Bella's brother; maybe it would help the kid talk about it if they knew what they were dealing with.

House sat down in his chair, getting back to work.

* * *

_Bella sat in her room, at her desk with her sketchpad open to a blank page. She held her pencil in her hand, ready to draw the first thing that entered her mind. _

_Her mind saw a face, a woman's face. Bella began sketching, her hand moving freely as if it had a mind of it's own. She stared at the wall in front of her, not seeing her drawing but letting her hand do the work. Her hand had drawn the woman's head but there were no facial features. Her mind couldn't see any further._

_Becoming frustrated, Bella flipped the page and started again. When she was finished, it was the same drawing. She began to get angry, her mind not seeing any further than the outlines of a woman's face. She didn't even know who the woman was, but she knew she was important. Bella flipped another page, drawing the same sketch over and over and over again._

_Tears of frustration began falling down her face. She slammed the book closed and stood up from her desk. This room was strange; it wasn't her room. At least not the one she lived in now. Looking around, Bella realized it was her old room. The tears slipping from her eyes now were tears of sadness and longing. She began to look around, remembering her old stuff. Her bed, all her furniture, her clothes, shoes, pictures, toys, and even her easel and a canvas she'd been painting on. It was all there, just like she'd left it. _

_Bella spun around and saw three people staring at her from the doorway of her bedroom. The only person she recognized was her brother, Mattie. Next to him, was a tall man and a woman. She thought they might be her parents but she wasn't sure. She couldn't see their faces; or rather, they didn't have faces. The man had a partial face, only his nose and mouth were clear. Bella couldn't see his eyes. And the woman's face was completely gone, like a blank slate. She had no features at all. Bella recognized the woman as the faceless woman in her drawing; the one she couldn't remember. But now she knew who the man and woman were._

_Bella looked at Mattie, her tears falling faster as she cried harder. "Mattie, I can't remember." She cried. "I can't remember them, Mattie. Help me to remember." Bella sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she begged her brother to help her remember her mom and dad._

Bella awoke, crying in her pillow and her clothes soaked in sweat from her nightmare. Bella curled herself into a ball and continued crying, looking around her dark bedroom. Not her old bedroom; the new one, without all her stuff. Bella lay in her bed, crying and wishing she could remember her parents' faces. She missed them so much.

Bella slowed her breathing, calming herself. She grabbed the cordless phone she had started sleeping with in case she needed to call Lisa in the middle of the night. She hadn't used it since the first night she was here. She'd had nightmares almost every night but tonight was the first time since she arrived there that she felt scared enough to call Lisa. Bella dialed the number she had memorized and pressed send.

* * *

3:00 AM

Cuddy lay asleep in House's arms, her back pressed against his chest, sleeping soundly. Her cell phone began ringing and she started awake. Cuddy untangled herself from House's arms and picked up her phone on the nightstand. She looked at the number, recognizing it immediately. Cuddy quickly and quietly answered.

"Bella?"

Cuddy heard sniffles on the other end of the line, but no answer.

"Bella, are you ok, sweetie?" She asked gently.

"No." Cuddy heard Bella say softly through her tears.

"What's wrong, honey, did you have another nightmare?" Cuddy asked with concern, sitting up in bed and looking back at House to make sure she hadn't awakened him, he had shifted onto his back but was still asleep.

"I can't remember." She heard Bella cry on the line. "I want you, can you come get me? I want you to come get me…please?" She sobbed.

Cuddy swung her legs to the side of the bed and onto the floor. She reached for her robe and slipped it on, glancing one more time at House. He was still asleep, so she slipped out of her bedroom and quietly made her way to the living room.

"Honey, I can't come pick you up, but I'm here to talk, ok? Tell me what happened."

"I dreamed." She cried. "I dreamed about them, but I can't remember." She continued, her words broken by her sobs.

"You dreamt about who, sweetheart? Slow down a little, take a deep breath." Cuddy instructed gently.

Bella did as she was told, but Cuddy could tell she was having trouble breathing. "Bella, breathe deeply, honey. Take deep, slow breaths."

Bella began breathing slower and was able to calm herself down. After a moment, Bella said again. "I want you, Lisa, please come get me."

"I can't, Bella. I want to, but I can't. Do you think you could tell me about your dream on the phone?"

"I don't want to, I want you to come here." Bella pleaded.

"Please, Bella. You said you didn't remember someone…can you tell me who?"

Cuddy suspected she'd dreamt about her family, but she wanted Bella to tell her.

"I dreamed about Mommy and Daddy and I didn't remember them. I tried to, but their faces were gone and Mattie wouldn't help me." She explained to Cuddy, crying softly.

Cuddy closed her eyes in sadness and rested her head in her left hand, her elbow on her knee as her hand rubbed her forehead. She didn't know what to say to her. How does she make something like this better for a little girl who desperately misses her parents and will never see them again?

"Bella, I am so sorry you can't remember, sweetie. Maybe you could tell me something you do remember about your mom and dad? Something that made you happy?"

"I can't." She cried again, sounding desperate and frustrated that her brain couldn't piece any memories together.

"Just take your time, and think real hard. Did your mom and dad ever take you somewhere that made you happy...like on a vacation? Or did you ever get something from them for your birthday or Christmas that made you really happy?"

"Yeah." She said in a small voice. "We went to Disney World one time when I was five…and I rode on the rides."

Cuddy smiled, leaning back on her couch listening to Bella talk about her memory. "That's good…did your mom and dad ride with you?"

"Dad rode with me on the teacups because Mom couldn't ride on the ones that go around because she would get sick." She explained, chuckling through her tears.

Cuddy laughed. "Which rides did your mom go on with you?"

"We rode on the Small World ride and Dad said that Mom was lucky she couldn't hear the music, because it drove him crazy. But I think Mom really liked that ride because of all the colorful stuff on it."

Cuddy smiled again, happy that she was getting a glimpse into Bella's life. She suddenly decided to ask about her brother to see if Bella would talk a little bit about him.

"What about Mattie? Did he ride with you?" She asked cautiously.

There was silence on Bella's end for a moment. Cuddy thought she might ignore her question, but she finally answered.

"We rode the teacups together, just me and him one time, and then he got in trouble for spinning it too fast for me." She said quietly.

Cuddy smiled again, relieved that she'd answered the question. "Bella, will you do something for me?" Cuddy asked gently.

"Ok." She answered.

"Will you think of some other things that you did with your mom and dad so you can tell me about them when I see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." She replied quietly. "Will you please come soon…I miss you."

"I'll come as soon as I can tomorrow, ok?" Cuddy answered reassuringly.

"Ok." Bella said, sounding like she was about to fall asleep.

"Goodnight, sweetie. Try to sleep."

"Ok. 'Night, I love you." Bella whispered sleepily.

"I love you too." Cuddy said sweetly, hanging up the phone.

Cuddy sat on the couch for a few minutes, thinking about their conversation and hoping she said the right things to Bella to make her feel better. She felt clueless about what to do to help her sometimes, but the fact that Bella was talking to her made her see what she'd accomplished already and it also made her want to do anything she could to help this troubled little girl get some sense of safety and happiness back into her life. Cuddy just hoped that Bella would continue to open up to her.

Cuddy stood up and made her way back to bed. She shed her robe and crawled in next to House. She felt his arms go around her as he placed a feather light kiss on her cheek. Cuddy closed her eyes and sighed, trying to go back to sleep.

She felt House shift, placing his lips up to her ear.

"Don't doubt yourself, Cuddy. You did good with her." He whispered.

Cuddy glanced over at him and smiled, not surprised that he'd heard the conversation. It meant a lot to her that he said that. "Thank you." She whispered back, kissing his lips.

Cuddy turned around, her back to his chest, his arms hugging her close to him as they both fell asleep.

* * *

12:00 PM

House, Cuddy and Wilson sat together in the cafeteria eating lunch. The morning had gone by slowly for Cuddy because she had been thinking and worrying about Bella all day. She hadn't said much at lunch, letting the boys argue over who should host the next poker game.

Cuddy was staring at her food thinking about what she could do to help Bella with her nightmares when she heard her name mentioned.

"I think we should have it at Cuddy's place…it's bigger." House suggested with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy looked up with confusion. "What?"

"See, she likes the idea." House pointed to her with his thumb.

"If you came up with it I'm sure I won't like it…what did you say?" She asked, looking over at him.

"House volunteered you to host the next poker night." Wilson answered, before House could, receiving a glare from him.

Cuddy looked over at House with a 'you've gotta be kidding me' look. She shook her head emphatically. "No, absolutely not."

"Oh come on, Cuddles, we'll even let you in on the game." House replied with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"And I'd beat your ass…but still, no."

"Come on, that way when I get drunk and disorderly, you won't have far to drag me to put me in bed."

Cuddy grew wide with surprise and she looked over at Wilson to see his reaction, before looking back at House. "House."

"Oh don't worry, Wilson knows about us, remember? He's the one that told me to jump you in the first place."

Cuddy looked over at Wilson again as he smiled at them and lifted his hands up in front of him. "I haven't told a soul."

Cuddy smiled at him, feeling slightly embarrassed. She nodded. "Please keep it that way."

Wilson nodded. "Of course."

House leaned over the table as if he were going to tell Wilson a secret. "She's embarrassed of me…that's why she doesn't want anyone to know." He whispered.

Cuddy dropped her jaw. "I am not!" She said loudly, ignoring glances from people around them. She leaned over to House. "I'd like both of us to keep our jobs, that's why I don't want anyone to know, you jackass." Cuddy whispered back at him, slightly upset that he would think that she was embarrassed of him.

"So then you would be ok with going out on a date with him, not caring if you ran into anyone you know?" Wilson asked, looking at Cuddy with a smile.

Cuddy opened her mouth to answer, but House spoke up first.

"Shut up, Wilson." House said, glaring at him.

Cuddy looked over at House, raising her eyebrows at him. "Now, who's embarrassed?"

"I'm not embarrassed, I just don't like dates." House said with disgust.

"Oh come on, you could make an exception for Cuddy, couldn't you?" Wilson replied, his smile growing as House started shooting daggers at him.

"Wilson, how would you like a cane shoved up your ass?"

Cuddy laughed at House. "Relax, House, I don't expect you to take me out on a date." She reassured him, patting his leg under the table.

"Thank God!" House said with relief in his voice. "See, Wilson, my woman knows me."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Can we please change the subject?"

Wilson laughed at them, shaking his head, but keeping his mouth shut.

Cuddy looked at the time on her phone. "I should go…I want to spend a little more time with Bella today." She said, gathering her trash and placing it on her tray. She slid out of the booth, ready to take her tray when she felt House's hand on her arm.

"I got it…go see the kid." House said with seriousness, nodding toward the tray. She was aware that House knew how worried she'd been about Bella since she'd talked to her on the phone last night.

"Thank you." Cuddy smiled at him. She looked over at Wilson. "Bye, Wilson."

"See ya, Cuddy. Tell Bella hi for me."

Cuddy nodded and walked away.

* * *

1:30 PM

Bella sat at the desk in her room, drawing in her sketchpad. Drawing was all she ever did these days. She didn't feel like playing or being around anyone. She was still in her pajamas; she'd never changed out of them, too tired to get into her other clothes. Emily had been in to check on her several times today, bringing her food for lunch since she'd slept through breakfast, but she didn't eat it. Emily kept asking her if she was ok and if she needed to talk about anything, but Bella just shook her head and resumed her drawing.

She had been working on the same drawing all day, but not getting very far with it. She kept thinking about her nightmare last night. Lisa had helped her to remember some things about her parents that brought back some forgotten memories. Based on her memories, she'd been working on drawing her mother's face, and she had gotten farther than she did in her dream but she still couldn't remember certain details. Right now she was feeling frustrated and upset that she couldn't remember any more details.

Bella heard a soft knock on the door just before it opened. She had her back to the bedroom door and she didn't turn around, thinking it was Emily again.

"Bella." She turned around at the sound of Lisa's voice.

Bella set her pencil down on the desk and ran to Lisa, throwing her arms around her waist and gripping her tightly. She felt tears start to spring from her eyes when Lisa hugged her back.

Lisa kneeled down, taking Bella into her arms as she softly cried. Bella leaned her head on Lisa's shoulder, burying her face into her neck.

"Hey…what's the matter?" Lisa asked softly into her ear.

"I don't want to forget anymore." Bella responded, her breath hitching in her throat.

Lisa hugged her tighter and they both stayed there for a few minutes until Bella's tears dried up.

Lisa leaned back, looking at Bella. Bella sniffed, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"Come sit down on the bed…I need you to tell me what's going on, sweetheart." Lisa said, gently brushing Bella's hair from her face.

Lisa stood up and took Bella's hand, leading her over to the bed so they could talk. Lisa sat against the headboard of the bed and Bella crawled on the bed next to her, laying her head in Lisa's lap and curling up to her as closely as she could get.

"Bella, can you look at me?" Lisa asked gently.

"I don't want to talk." Bella said, her voice slightly muffled and her eyes closed.

"I'm worried about you, Bella. You haven't been eating, and you look like you haven't slept in days. Are your nightmares that bad, honey?"

Bella didn't respond for a moment. She shifted, turning around on Lisa's lap so that she was facing her. "I slept last night after I talked to you on the phone." She mumbled.

"For how long?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know."

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

"I don't know." Bella said again, her voice small. She felt ashamed of herself. She buried her face in Lisa's belly, not wanting to talk anymore.

"Bella, you need to eat. You can get very sick if you don't, do you understand?" Lisa said, somewhat forcefully.

Bella shook her head. "I'm not hungry." She whispered.

"You have to eat anyway. Just a little bit, ok?"

Bella sighed. She really wasn't hungry, why couldn't Lisa just leave her alone? Bella moved away from her, feeling upset that she was being made to eat when she wasn't hungry.

"You know I'm trying to help you, don't you?" Lisa asked in a quiet voice, running her hand gently over Bella's back. "I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

Bella shrugged, her head down and slightly turned away from Lisa.

"What if I order us a pizza? Would you like that?"

Bella shrugged.

Lisa leaned forward, placing her finger under Bella's chin, lifting her head so she could look into her eyes.

"Bella, please talk to me." She begged, in a quiet and gentle voice.

She looked at Lisa, a small tear escaping Bella's eye. Bella laid her head back down on Lisa's lap. "I don't remember what they looked like anymore." She responded in a small voice, giving in to Lisa's request.

"Your mom and dad?"

Bella nodded. "I remember some stuff, but not what they looked like."

"You didn't get to keep any photos of them?"

Bella nodded. "We did but they got lost when we…" Bella paused, not wanting say too much.

"When you what, sweetie?"

"When we lived at the other house." Bella finished, not telling her the complete truth.

When she and Mattie ran away from the Bedford's house, they had taken only a few belongings with them. They had a family picture that Mattie kept with him at all times. They would look at it often, but when Mattie died, he had it in his pocket and Bella never got a chance to get it, now she had nothing. If she told Lisa all of that, she'd have to talk about Mattie and what she saw, and Bella vowed never to talk about it to anyone.

"Maybe they found them. We could call and find out if they kept them for you."

"They don't have any." Bella assured her.

"How do you know?" Lisa asked curiously.

"They just don't." She responded firmly.

"Ok. I'm sorry, I'm just trying to help."

Bella sighed. Not responding or apologizing for being short with her. Lisa ran her fingers through Bella's hair. Bella closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling and she nearly fell asleep. Bella suddenly opened her eyes, a thought coming into her mind. She sat up, looking at Lisa.

"Can I have a picture of you?" Bella asked shyly.

Lisa's face softened at her question. "Sweetie, you don't have to worry about anything happening to me."

Bella frowned. "How do you know? I might not ever see you again, you could have a accident just like Mom and Dad did and never come back." She said, sounding somewhat panicked.

Lisa nodded. "Ok. I'll bring you one tomorrow." She said in understanding.

Relieved, Bella grinned happily and lowered her gaze to her lap.

"Bella, can I ask you something?" Lisa asked, cautiously.

"Are you going to ask about my brother?" Bella looked up at Lisa, her jaw set, ready to deny her request.

"No. I was going to ask why you left your foster home and where you ran to?"

Bella looked away from Lisa, deciding how much she wanted to tell her. She decided it would be ok to talk about it, as long as they didn't talk about Mattie.

"We left because they was mean to us. We didn't like 'em." She stated plainly.

"How were they mean? Did they hit you?" Lisa asked.

Bella shook her head. "The kids was mean, they always said mean stuff to us and we hated them."

Lisa nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry." She said, placing her hand over Bella's. "Why didn't you tell anyone instead of running away?"

Bella shrugged, not really having an answer. "I just did what Mattie said."

Lisa nodded once more. After several minutes of silence, Lisa asked another question. "You and Mattie were really close, weren't you?"

Bella nodded sadly, playing with a loose thread on the comforter.

"Where did he say for you run to?" Lisa asked curiously.

Bella looked up at her. "Far."

Lisa stared at Bella for a moment, seemingly waiting for her to explain further. Bella didn't want to tell where they'd gone; she felt it was too much information because she didn't want to talk about it. And she knew if she told, Lisa would ask more questions.

"Why don't you like to talk about Mattie?" She asked gently.

Bella looked into Lisa's eyes. "Because." She said flatly, not giving Lisa a reason. Her tone indicated that the discussion was over.

Lisa nodded.

"Well, I hope that someday you can tell me about your family…it sounds like I would've like them."

"They would've liked you too." Bella responded quietly, nodding her head as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Lisa continued to brush her fingers through Bella's hair. After another moment, her apprehension about talking about her past had died down and Bella said, "I'm starting to feel a little hungry now."

"Ok." Lisa smiled sweetly at her. "What's your favorite pizza?"

Bella looked at Lisa and smiled. "Cheese."

Lisa seemed surprised by that. She had her eyebrows raised in question and a smile on her lips. She nodded. "Alright. That sounds good to me too. Do you think Emily and Samantha would like some?"

Bella shrugged.

"Come on, let's go ask them." Lisa said, standing up from the bed and holding her hand out to Bella.

As they were walking out of Bella's room, Bella found herself feeling better. Talking to Lisa made her feel a little happier than she had felt in days. Getting her burdens about her nightmare and not remembering her family off of her chest was a relief. She looked up at Lisa as they walked down the hallway together, hand in hand, thinking that it was sad that Lisa didn't have any kids because she would be a really good mom.

Bella suddenly stopped walking, pulling Lisa back slightly when she stopped. Surprised, Lisa looked back with confusion, but still holding on to Bella's hand.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked, looking down at her.

"How come you don't got any kids?" She asked bluntly.

Lisa was surprised by her question. She raised her eyebrows, opening and closing her mouth without any words coming out. Finally, she was able to speak again.

"Uh, for several reasons, I guess. Why would you ask me that?"

Bella noticed she wasn't upset that she'd been asked that question, just confused by it.

Bella shrugged. "I was just thinking that you would be a really good mom if you had kids." She spoke shyly.

Lisa's face softened, and her eyes glistened with tears. "Thank you, Bella, that is very sweet of you to say." Lisa replied softly.

"You're welcome." Bella said. After a moment, she asked another question. "Lisa…don't you want kids, is that why you don't have any?"

Lisa looked at her sadly. "I do want kids, sweetie, but I've just never been able to have any."

"Oh." She said sadly. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I knew you wanted kids because the first time I seen you in the mall, you looked sad when you walked into the baby store, like you wanted a baby but didn't have one."

Lisa smiled at her, shaking her head. "You are a very smart girl, Bella."

Bella smiled. "Thank you."

Lisa laughed at her. "Come on, Smartypants."

Bella chuckled, following Lisa once more down the hallway.

* * *

2:00 PM

House walked into Wilson's office, closing the door behind him. He sat down in the chair opposite Wilson's desk.

"Is everything set up for tomorrow?"

Wilson looked up at him as he walked in the door. "Yeah, you're all set."

House gave Wilson a quick nod. "Thanks, Jimbo." House stood up and walked to the door, ready to make his exit.

"House." Wilson called before he could leave his office.

House turned around.

"Good luck…let me know how it works out."

House nodded and left Wilson's office, heading back to his own office to make further preparations.

House had decided that Cuddy needed a distraction; so he had asked for Wilson's help to set up a surprise date with her. But he was unsure now if it was a good idea because like Cuddy had said earlier, she didn't expect House to take her out on a date. He had wanted to get a feel for what she'd say if he did ask her on a date with him, so he and Wilson manipulated their conversation at lunch to see what she'd say about the subject. Her response today had him a little nervous since he wasn't actually going to ask her. But he knew that what he was about to do would ensure he would score major points.

He entered his office and sat at his desk. Cuddy would be getting back from her visit with Bella any minute now. He would need to do some strategic planning to make everything go as planned. House picked up the phone and dialed a number. He hoped this was going to work.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

10:15 AM – The Next Day

Cuddy was walking toward her office after seeing a few patients in the clinic this morning. The clinic had been backed up and she thought she'd give the nurses and other doctors a hand because her schedule wasn't overloaded and honestly she missed helping out in there.

As Cuddy walked into her office, she stopped short when she saw something on her desk. It was a single red rose, laying across her desk with a note attached to it. Cuddy smiled, knowing it was from House. She walked over to her desk and picked up the rose, smelling it and removing the note.

_Pick you up at 7:00. _

_Wear something sexy._

_-Always,_

_Honeybuns_

Cuddy smiled when she read the note. House was taking her on a date. She was surprised that he'd take her out, considering the conversation they'd had in the cafeteria yesterday. She hoped that Wilson hadn't guilted him into this date, telling him that it was something he should do. Cuddy knew that House didn't like dates so she never expected anything like that of him. She was happy just spending time with him at her place or his. It didn't keep her from being excited about going on a date with him though. 'This should be very interesting.' She thought.

* * *

House sat at his desk wondering if Cuddy had gotten his note. He was trying to do more research into finding Bella's brother but was having trouble concentrating. He was nervous about tonight and that was ridiculous because it was just Cuddy. They talked all the time and spent a lot of time together…what was the big deal? But he couldn't shake his nervousness. Maybe he was concerned about what she'd think of going out with him. What if she didn't want a date? Well, it was too late to change anything now; everything was set.

He decided to forget about it for now and work on his project. House had put it on hold because of the arrangements he'd had to make for the date, but now he was able to pick up where he'd left off. And where he'd left off was nowhere near finding out what had happened to Bella's brother. Cuddy had told him that Bella had mentioned running far away. Maybe he should expand his search out of state.

House sighed heavily, thinking he was never going to find this kid. He tried to think of where he would've gone if he'd ever been in their situation. He probably would've gone somewhere he could blend in; where no one would question him about his parents. Somewhere he could get to by car or bus. House suddenly thought of the perfect place. He sat back in his chair and began a search for all hospitals located in New York City.

* * *

2:00 PM

"How come you're smiling so much? You been smilin' since you got here." Bella asked curiously.

"Have I?" Lisa asked, with a scowl on her face.

"Yep." She answered distractedly. Bella sat on the couch in the den with her sketchpad on her lap. She had been working on her mother's sketch from memory all day. She was able to get her lips and nose drawn, but her eyes were giving her problems.

Lisa was watching her as she sat beside Bella on the couch. Bella became frustrated suddenly, slapping her pencil down in her sketchpad.

"I can't get it!" She huffed.

"Sweetie, it's ok. Just take your time with it; it'll come to you. Why don't you take a break?"

Bella sighed. She set her book down on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms. "I wish I could just remember."

"You will." Lisa said, comfortingly.

"How do you know, what if I forget forever?" Bella asked sadly.

"It's just going to take some time." She said. Lisa reached into her purse and pulled something out. "Look, I brought you something."

Bella looked down at her hand. Lisa held a picture of herself; the one that Bella had asked her to bring. Bella smiled. "You brought a picture!" She exclaimed.

Lisa smiled, holding it out to her. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yeah!" Bella took the picture gently from Lisa's hand, running her fingers over her face in the picture. "You're really pretty." Bella complimented her as she gazed at the picture.

Lisa's smile grew. "Thank you." She placed her hand on Bella's head, combing her fingers through her hair. "You're really pretty too, and I'm going to need a picture of you to put on my desk in my office."

Bella looked up at her with a scowl. "But I don't got one."

Lisa reached into her purse one more time. "That is why…I brought this." She said, showing Bella a small digital camera.

Bella's eyes grew wide and she smiled with surprise. "Can we take one together!?" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Sure." Lisa said, chuckling at Bella.

Bella sat up on the couch. Lisa handed her the camera.

"You know how to use it?" She asked Bella.

Bella shook her head, carefully taking the camera from Lisa.

Lisa showed her how to take pictures with the camera and Bella took several pictures of Lisa using her new knowledge. Bella wanted to get a picture of them together so they scooted closer and moved their heads together. Lisa took the camera and aimed it, getting a pretty good shot of them together. They tried several more in the same pose, laughing and joking as they took silly pictures of each other.

After they'd taken a bunch pictures, Lisa put the camera away, promising to get them printed out so they could frame the best ones.

As Bella resumed her spot beside Lisa on the couch, she turned her head and looked up at her.

"Lisa." She began in a serious tone.

"Yeah?"

"You know what I was thinking about?" Bella asked quietly.

Lisa shook her head, looking at her with curiosity. "What were you thinking about?"

"Well…" She paused, trying to find the courage to say what she wanted to tell her.

"You can tell me, sweetie. You can always talk to me about anything, ok?" Lisa said softly and reassuringly.

Bella nodded. "I was thinking that, since you don't got any kids and I don't got a mom anymore…maybe you could be my mom." She said shyly, looking down at her hands in her lap.

Lisa shifted her position on the couch, turning more toward Bella. "How long have you been thinking about that?" She asked quietly.

Bella shrugged, still looking at her hands and feeling slightly embarrassed about sharing her thoughts. "For a little while, I guess." She responded quietly.

Lisa brushed a stray curl away from Bella's face. "Do you think you'd really like for that to happen?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah." She whispered. After a moment of silence between them, she looked up at Lisa, feeling afraid that maybe Lisa didn't want her since she didn't say anything for a while. When she looked up, she saw her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Bella slumped her shoulders, her fear coming true. "You don't want me, do you?" Bella asked, her own eyes tearing up.

Lisa's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. "Of course I want you." She assured Bella as a tear escaped her eye. Lisa quickly wiped it away and pulled Bella into a hug. "Of course I want you." She repeated softly into her ear.

Bella hugged her tightly around her neck, smiling as Lisa reassured her. She had crawled onto Lisa's lap, straddling her legs, and holding on to her, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Can't I go home with you?" Bella asked, opening her eyes but still holding onto her.

"It's a little more complicated than that, sweetie." Lisa answered.

"Why? Do the James' not want me to go?" Bella let go of Lisa's neck and leaned back, looking down at her hands.

"I don't know. But the law says that you have to stay here." Lisa explained.

"I hate the law." Bella mumbled.

Lisa chuckled at her statement. "I hate it too sometimes." She said, brushing Bella's hair away from her face. "But maybe someday the law will let you come stay with me."

Bella looked up and smiled. "Then I would love the law."

Lisa laughed at her. "Yeah."

* * *

5:45 PM

As Cuddy drove home from the hospital, she kept thinking about what had happened today with Bella. She was happy that Bella felt comfortable enough to want to live with her. Cuddy couldn't believe that this might finally be happening for her; she might be welcoming a child into her home soon, after so many years of wanting to become a mother. She had always wanted to give birth to and raise her own child, but life hadn't worked out that way and she was happy that she could still have a chance at motherhood regardless of the age of the child. Bella needed her and she was more than willing to provide for her.

All in all, today had been a pretty good day. Bella wanted to live with her, and House was taking her out on a date. Cuddy took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She had been having mixed emotions about her date with House tonight. She was happy and had been smiling all day long, but she was also slightly nervous. She didn't have a clue what to expect. With House, anything could happen. She hadn't seen him all day so she couldn't gauge how he was feeling about it, which only served to make her more nervous; especially since her attempts at trying to reach him when unanswered.

Cuddy had arrived home a little later than she'd hoped so she was in a rush to get ready for their date. As soon as she walked in the door, she rushed to her bedroom, throwing everything down on her bed and quickly getting into the shower. She still had no clue what she was going to wear. Once she was out of the shower, she quickly applied her make up and made her way to her closet to figure out what would be appropriately sexy to wear for House. She tried on several dresses, none of which appealed to her. Some of them she couldn't even remember buying and wondered why she had.

After about 30 minutes, she finally settled on one of her black dresses that she'd only worn once before and had been looking for an excuse to wear again. It was one she knew that House would approve of. Cuddy made her way back to the bathroom to fix her hair; she only had about 15 minutes before House would be knocking on her door. That is, if he was on time.

Ten minutes later, she was still putting the final touches on her hair when she heard a knock at the door. Slightly panicked, she turned around and made her way to the front door. He was actually early.

When Cuddy opened her front door, she expected to see House standing there with a self-satisfied grin on his face. But instead, she saw Bella standing there with a self-satisfied grin on her face. She looked adorable, dressed up in a fancy dress with her hair fixed, holding a dozen roses.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" Cuddy asked with complete surprise.

Bella handed the roses to Cuddy. "These are for you." She said, still smiling and looking very excited to be there.

"Thank you." Cuddy said, accepting the roses in a slight state of shock. "Whe-…"

Before she could even finish getting her first word out, House stepped around the corner of the house onto the porch with the grin she knew would be on his face. Cuddy noticed him immediately. He looked incredibly handsome, wearing a charcoal suit and a blue silk tie that brought out his eyes. He limped up and stood next to Bella.

"Surprise." He said, looking into Cuddy's eyes.

Cuddy smiled with complete happiness at him. She couldn't believe he'd done this. House stepped forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "You look amazing, Cuddy." He whispered.

"Thank you. You look very handsome." She whispered back.

Bella cleared her throat quietly and looked up at House. "You promised." She whispered.

"I kissed her cheek." He defended, rolling his eyes. House looked back at Cuddy. "I'm not allowed to kiss you tonight, I promised the munchkin." He smirked, nodding down at Bella.

Bella smiled up at Cuddy. "It's disgusting." She stated.

Cuddy laughed. "Give it a few years, sweetie." She said, smiling at Bella.

"Told ya." House chimed in, glancing down at Bella. She rolled her eyes.

Looking at Bella and how adorable she looked in her dress, Cuddy continued to smile at her. "You look very beautiful, Bella." She complimented.

Bella smiled shyly at her. "You too." She said, quietly.

"Thank you."

"Ok, enough with the pleasantries. Can we get the hell out of here, I'm starving?" House asked, with a bit of impatience in his tone.

"Can I see Splat first?" Bella asked House, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

House sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, go see the fur ball." He waved her inside the house.

Bella stepped into the house and looked up at Cuddy questioningly.

"I think he's in the living room…just through there." She pointed in the direction of the living room and smiled, watching her go.

Cuddy turned to House, still smiling. "So I guess you told her about us?"

"Kinda had to for this to work. Don't worry, she knows to keep her mouth shut."

Cuddy nodded. "House, thank you. She really needed this." She stepped up to him and placed a kiss on his lips.

"I didn't just do it for her." He said, meaningfully.

Cuddy kissed him again. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Oh you thought I meant you." He said around a chuckle. "No, I did it for me…I am gonna get laaaiiid!" He said, with a huge smile on his face.

"Shhh…House!" She said, looking back to make sure Bella was still out of earshot.

"Oh she's too busy with the fur ball, she didn't hear me." He said, rolling his eyes. "But I am gonna get laid, right?" He asked, more seriously, stepping closer to her and slipping his hand around to the small of her back.

"I don't know…what else do you have planned?" She asked sheepishly.

"Can't say."

Cuddy smiled again, not wanting to ruin the surprise by asking more questions. "Well then, I can't say either." She replied, teasing him.

House narrowed his eyes at her. "Let's go, are you ready?" He asked, ignoring her snarky reply.

Cuddy chuckled. "Yeah, let me just grab my purse and put these in some water…be right back." She said, stepping away from him and walking into the kitchen to put the roses in a vase before heading back to her bedroom.

As Cuddy was returning with her purse in hand, she heard House yell out. "Hey, kid, let's go. We're gonna be late."

"Like you care about being late." Cuddy replied, walking up to him.

"We have reservations." He said, hooking his cane on his forearm and helping Cuddy with her coat.

"Really? Where?" She asked, with excitement in her tone.

"Patience, love muffin, patience." House answered.

Bella came back into the foyer with a smile. "He got bigger!" She exclaimed.

Cuddy laughed. "He's a good eater."

Bella nodded at that. "Yep." She agreed, taking Cuddy's hand and following her out the door. "I like your house." Bella said, looking up at Cuddy as she locked the front door.

"Thanks, I'll give you a tour sometime." Cuddy promised, smiling down at her as she took her hand once more and followed House to the car.

"Ok." Bella said, excitedly.

As they got in the car and buckled their seatbelts, Cuddy turned to House. "You're not going to tell me where we're going?"

"Nope."

"Do you know where we're going?" Cuddy asked Bella, looking in the back seat.

"He wouldn't tell me…even after I said please." She said with a mischievous smile.

"Hey, don't make it sound like you didn't bug the hell out me with your incessant pleading on our way over here. 'Please, Greg, please, please, please?" House said imitating Bella as he backed out of the driveway.

Bella chuckled at him.

Cuddy laughed at them. She still couldn't believe that House had set all of this up, and she couldn't wait to see what else he had planned.

* * *

_4:00 PM – 27 Hours Ago_

_House arrived at the James' house, pulling into the driveway. He shut off the engine and got out of the car. As he was making his way up to the front porch, the door swung open revealing an ecstatic Bella, running up to meet House._

"_Greg!" She exclaimed excitedly. _

_Bella threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly._

"_Hey, kid." He smirked down at her, wrapping his left arm around her back._

"_What are you doing here? Why didn't you come with Lisa earlier?" She questioned, as she pulled back to look up at him with a smile._

"_Calm down, kid, I'll explain everything. I've got a surprise…and I need your help with something." _

_Bella grew even more excited, if that were possible. Her eyes got huge and her smile grew, showing almost all of her teeth. House chuckled at her expression._

"_What? I'll do it, what do I gotta do?" She asked, her excitement never waning._

"_Jeez kid, you don't even know what it is yet? You could hate it. Now come on, let's go sit down." House said, pointing at the porch swing._

"_Ok." She responded, grabbing onto House's hand._

_They walked up to the porch and sat down. Bella sat as close as she could to House, her right leg touching his left. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted her to do._

"_Here's the deal, kid. I'm gonna tell you a secret and you're not allowed to tell anyone, you got it?"_

"_Not even Lisa?" She asked with a scowl._

"_She already knows." He assured her._

"_Oh…ok." She nodded in agreement._

"_You remember I told you I have a girlfriend, right?"_

_Bella furrowed her brow and nodded._

"_One guess who my girlfriend is?" House asked with a smirk._

_Bella scowled, shrugging her shoulders._

"_Oh come on, I thought you were smart." House said, rolling his eyes._

_Bella took a moment to think before her eyes grew wide in understanding. She opened her mouth in disbelief and looked up at House. "Lisa is you girlfriend!?" She exclaimed loudly._

"_Hey, I told you to keep it quiet." He scolded. "Yes, Lisa is my girlfriend." House rolled his eyes, feeling ridiculous for having this conversation with an 8-year-old._

_Bella smiled in happy excitement. "Are you going to get married!?" She asked, her earlier excitement returning._

"_No." House responded. "But I am taking her out on a date and I need you to come along." _

_Bella's smile faded and she scowled in disgust. "Why?" She asked, scrunching up her entire face as if she'd heard the most disgusting thing in the world. "I'm not going on a date with you and her so you can kiss each other's mouth and do all sorts of gross stuff!" She exclaimed, standing up in front of House and crossing her arms._

_House rarely laughed out loud at things. But the way Bella had just expressed her disgust at being asked to join his and Cuddy's date was priceless and he couldn't contain his laughter. "Relax, kid, nothing like that is going to happen." He said through his laughter._

_A smile came to Bella's face as she watched House laughing at her. She uncrossed her arms and sat back down next to him._

"_Look at it this way, I'm taking you both out on a date." House explained after his laughter had died down._

"_Oh." She responded, nodding slowly in understanding. "No kissing!" She added suddenly, pointing her finger up at him._

"_I can't promise that, kid. What if I get you an ice cream or something…I'll expect a kiss after a gesture like that."_

"_Not me, stupid. You have to promise…no kissing Lisa! That's disgusting." She scowled again._

"_Yeah well, give it 5 or 6 years and you won't think so, trust me." House responded._

"_Promise." She demanded, holding out her pinky finger to him._

"_You want me to pinky swear?" He asked, giving her a scowl of his own._

"_Yep." Bella said, still holding out her pinky._

_House hooked his pinky finger around hers. "Fine, I pinky swear I won't kiss my girlfriend tonight…but if she jumps me, all promises are rescinded." He stated._

"_What does that mean?" Bella asked with confusion._

"_It means all bets are off; no more promise." House explained._

_Bella reluctantly nodded._

_House stood up. "Alright, let's go…we gotta talk to Suzy Homemaker about getting you a dress."_

* * *

7:25 PM

"Bella, where did you get your dress, it's beautiful?" Cuddy asked.

"Um, Emily took me shopping this morning. She said I should thank Greg for it." She answered, glancing at House with a smile.

Cuddy looked at House with a smile. "You bought her a dress…House, that is so sweet." She commented, again surprised at his actions.

"No it isn't. Wilson made me do it, I was just going to let her wear her regular little girl clothes."

"Yeah right, you realize I'm going to ask Wilson about this?" She asked with amusement.

"He'll just lie and say that it was my idea."

Cuddy laughed at him. "Right."

"Emily said that you called her." Bella said from the backseat.

"Well, Emily has a big mouth." House replied.

Cuddy laughed at his reply, loving that Bella had just busted him.

They soon arrived at the restaurant and House had pulled the car up to the valet, handing the keys to the attendant. He had made reservations at a nice Italian Restaurant in town that had great live music. He had heard about it and thought it would be a great place to bring Cuddy and Bella.

House limped around the car to open the door for Cuddy and Bella, holding his hand out for them to take as they exited the car.

"Thank you." Cuddy smiled at him. Cuddy wrapped her arm around his as Bella took Cuddy's hand.

The three of them walked into the restaurant together. House noticed how crowded the restaurant was when they entered and his ears perked up at the sound of the music inside the restaurant being played by the live band.

"Reservation for House." He said to the hostess. She looked at her list and found his name, crossing it off.

"Of course Mr. House, please follow me." She said, smiling at him and looking over at Cuddy and Bella.

They followed the young lady to their table and took their seats. The hostess handed Bella a coloring page and crayons. Bella took them graciously, but looked at House with a 'is she kidding me with these crayons' look on her face. House smirked at her reaction.

The hostess looked at House and Cuddy. "Andrea will be with you in just a minute." She promised.

"Thank you." Cuddy replied.

House turned his attention to the band. They had been seated close to the small stage they were on, which made House happy.

"This place is wonderful, House, how did you find it?" Cuddy asked, looking around the place.

"Wilson." House responded with a smirk, keeping his eyes on the band.

Cuddy rolled her eyes.

At that moment the waitress came up to their table. She was a cute college girl with dark brown hair and a pretty smile.

"Hello, how are you guys doing tonight?" She asked, smiling sweetly at them.

"We're fine." Bella spoke up, as she was drawing on her paper.

The waitress glanced at her, smiling. Cuddy and House both looked at Bella, surprised that she had answered. They had been the only ones she's talked to until now.

"Great, well, my name's Andrea and I'll be your server this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink and an appetizer?" She asked, ready to take their drink orders.

They quickly gave her their drink and appetizer orders as Andrea wrote it all down. "I'll have your drinks right out along with some bread, and your appetizer will be out shortly. I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu." She told them as she walked off toward the kitchen.

Cuddy and Bella shared a menu as they each looked over their options. Bella pointed to what she wanted.

"I want spaghetti with those giant meatballs on it." She said with a smile.

"Ok." Cuddy replied. "It comes with a salad, do you want that?"

Bella shook her head. "No thank you." She said as she picked up her crayons and started drawing on the paper again.

Cuddy smiled at her politeness. She looked up at House as he watched them with a smirk on his face. "You know what you want?" He asked Cuddy.

Cuddy nodded with a grin, placing the menu on the table.

The waitress returned a few minutes later with their drinks, bread, and appetizers. After placing everything on the table she stood with her notepad ready to take their orders.

Bella spoke up again. "I want spaghetti." She said with excitement before she scowled and added, "but I don't want no salad."

Andrea smiled and nodded, writing her order down. She looked at Cuddy next. "Ma'am?"

Cuddy was still surprised that Bella had spoken to the waitress, but she looked up and gave the waitress her order. House was watching Bella carefully as Cuddy talked to the waitress. When it was his turn he rattled off what he wanted, keeping his eyes on Bella. She was drawing on her paper so she had no idea she was under his scrutiny.

He thought it was curious that she was speaking to other people all of a sudden. It made him wonder what had changed. He glanced at Cuddy; she seemed to be wondering the same thing. His thoughts shifted to his ongoing project. The research he had done today regarding what happened to her brother didn't go well. He had run into the same problems as before. There were so many hospitals to check that he hadn't gotten very far before he had to go and pick Bella up for the night. He thought he could use tonight as an opportunity to get some information out her. He would wait awhile before asking her any questions. House turned his attention back to the band.

Bella sat contentedly drawing on her paper and Cuddy had turned her attention from Bella to House as he watched the band play. She smiled at how he concentrated on the instruments and music being played. His love of music was one of the things she loved about him. She loved how happy it seemed to make him.

House sensed her gaze on him and he turned his head to look at her. "What?"

Her smile grew. "Nothing." She said softly.

House returned her smile and reached his hand across the table, gently taking her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

"What are you thinking right now?" He asked, looking into her eyes and squeezing her hand.

"Just wondering how long you've been planning this and how you were able to bring Bella along?" She lied.

"That wasn't what you were thinking." House stated with a smirk.

"Sure it was." Cuddy replied.

"For the sake of present company, I'm going to let it go…for now." House said with a smirk, nodding toward Bella.

Bella looked up with a crinkle in her brow, thinking she'd heard her name mentioned. "Are you talking about me?"

Cuddy laughed and House looked over at Bella. "Yes, we're talking about you. We were just making a bet on how many points I'm going to beat your ass at in bowling tonight."

"House." Cuddy glared at him.

"You're not going to beat my ass, I'm going to beat your ass…I beat you at poker, remember?" Bella said challengingly, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Bella." Cuddy turned to her in surprise at her swearing.

House narrowed his eyes. "This is different, sister. Bowling is my game." He said, completely ignoring Cuddy as she turned her head back to him with another glare.

"Not anymore…you've never played me." Bella challenged, sitting up straighter in her chair and pointing her thumb at herself to emphasize her point.

"Oh my god." Cuddy mumbled, shaking her head. "There are two of them." She'd never seen this side of Bella before and she was sure it was House's fault. "Can we save the trash talk until after dinner, please?" Cuddy requested, looking at each of them.

"Fine." House said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk on his face and grabbing Cuddy's hand once more after he'd let go during his challenge with Bella. Bella leaned back in her seat as well, keeping her eyes on House. She had a mischievous grin on her face, as she picked up her abandoned crayon on the table and began drawing again.

Cuddy leaned forward, speaking quietly to House. "What the hell was that?"

House nodded toward Bella. "The kid and I are just messin' around, don't get your thong in a twist." He said with a shrug.

Cuddy sighed with exasperation and rolled her eyes at him.

House chuckled as he watched her reaction. He loved doing that to her.

Bella looked up at House suddenly. "Are we really going bowling?" She asked skeptically.

House smirked. "That depends on if you're still awake after the gallery."

Bella furrowed her brow and a smile crept up on Cuddy's face.

"What gallery?" Bella asked.

"The one I'm taking you to so you can look at some art, kid."

Bella smiled. "I get to see a art gallery?" She questioned, excitedly.

"Yep." He said, grinning at her.

"I never been in one before." She told him, her smile growing.

House smirked and glanced at Cuddy. "Wilson's idea." He stated.

Cuddy shook her head, still smiling at him.

They sat and talked about going to the gallery for a few more minutes until their food arrived. Andrea set their plates down in front of them carefully. Bella looked excitedly at her spaghetti and meatballs, stabbing one with her fork and taking a huge bite out of it.

House chuckled. "Way to go, kid, show that meatball who's boss."

Bella smiled at him as she chewed her food.

Cuddy laughed at her expression.

Andrea smiled at Bella as she enjoyed her food. "Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked them.

"Can I have some cheese on mine?" Bella asked.

Andrea grinned at her again. "Of course, sweetie, tell me when." She held the cheese grater over her spaghetti.

"Ok…stop." She told Andrea, holding up her hand, indicating she'd grated enough of the Parmesan onto her food.

Andrea looked at Bella and smiled. "What about your parents, do you think they want some?" She asked, gesturing toward Cuddy and House.

Bella looked at Andrea with amusement before glancing at Cuddy and House. Cuddy paused with her fork in front of her mouth just as she was about to take a bite of her food. She glanced up at House, who had an expression on his face that she couldn't quite read. He looked at Cuddy, not knowing what to say. Bella turned her attention back to Andrea and smiled.

"I think they do." She answered.

Andrea moved over to Cuddy and gestured in question toward her plate. Cuddy gave her a slight nod, with a rather uncomfortable look on her face. Not because of what Bella had said, but because she didn't know what House was thinking about what Bella had said. Andrea moved over to House.

"Sir?"

House thought for a moment, looking at Cuddy. He really didn't want any cheese, but that wasn't what the question had turned into. The question had turned into whether he truly accepted Bella in their lives and if he would ever be willing to be more than a friend to her.

Before he could answer, Cuddy answered for him. "He doesn't want any cheese, thank you."

Oblivious to what was going on, Andrea nodded and left them alone to eat their dinners.

Never taking his eyes off of Cuddy, House leaned forward and whispered. "Cuddy…"

"Later." Cuddy whispered back, reaching her hand across the table and squeezing his hand, letting him know she wasn't upset.

House nodded, keeping his eyes on Cuddy. He rubbed his thumb over her hand just before he let go and glanced at Bella. She was eating quietly, her head down, staring at her food.

The mood at the table had shifted 180 degrees and House needed to do something. He didn't want to the rest of their evening to be ruined because of this, but he didn't know what to do to make it better.

They sat there eating their meals quietly for a few minutes until Bella looked up, glancing at House. "I could totally beat your ass at bowling."

House nearly spit his drink all over Cuddy when he heard what Bella had said. He began laughing, feeling relieved that she had broken the tension at the table. Cuddy was laughing as well, watching House as he laughed harder than she'd ever seen him laugh before.

"You want to bet on that, kid?" He said as he got his laughter under control. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed this hard.

Bella gave House the biggest smile she could muster, nodding her head.

Cuddy was smiling at them, happy that they had put the awkward tension behind them. She was relieved that it hadn't ruined their evening. She glanced at Bella and marveled at how truly intelligent she was. She had picked up on the fact that House was uncomfortable with what she'd said and that she had suddenly been the one they were talking about instead of cheese.

"What do you want to bet, kid?" House asked, as his laughter finally died down.

"Ummmm…" She thought for a minute. "If I win, you have to come visit me everyday at the James's and bring me ice cream with sprinkles and a cherry on top."

"Really? That's what you want?" House asked, skeptically.

"Yep." She suddenly perked up again, lifting her finger up in the air. "And, you have to sit still while I draw you."

House rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you know they have these new inventions called cameras…take a picture."

"Nope, it's not the same…you gotta sit still."

"Fine. Then if I win, you have to watch me kiss Cuddy."

"House." Cuddy said with disbelief. "You can't make her do that, she's just a child."

Bella was looking at him in disgust. "Ewww." She stated, shaking her head.

"Fine. Then if I win, you have to bring ME ice cream with sprinkles and a cherry on top."

"Deal." She said, holding her hand out across the table for him to shake.

"You're going down, shrimp." House said, pointing his finger at her before he shook her hand.

"Nuh-uh, you are!" Bella replied, letting go of their handshake and stabbing another meatball with her fork.

Andrea returned to check up them. "How is everything?" She asked.

"It's wonderful, thank you." Cuddy answered with a smile.

"Actually on second thought, I could use some cheese." House said, looking at Cuddy and quickly glancing at Bella.

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Chapter 17

**So sorry for the delay, folks. I was hoping to have this up sooner, but the holidays seem to take precedence over my story, unfortunately. Thanks for sticking with it, though, I really appreciate it. And thank you so much for all of your reviews.**

**I plan on continuing this story, but with Christmas coming up, I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to get the next chapter up. Although, once I'm on vacation in a week or so for Christmas, I'm hoping to write a ton so there won't be as long between updates for you guys. Waiting is the worst when it's a story you like so I hate making you guys wait.**

**Again, thanks for reading and reviewing and if I don't have an update up before Christmas, which I plan on having so don't panic, I just wanted to say **

**Merry Christmas!!!**

**Chapter 17**

9:00 PM

After dinner they drove to an art gallery a few miles from the restaurant. House wasn't sure what the gallery was exhibiting but he thought it would be educational for Bella since she loved art and also for the fact that she wasn't in school at the moment.

House parked the car in a garage a few blocks from the gallery. As they walked down the street, Bella held onto Cuddy's hand as House slipped his arm over her shoulder. He felt Cuddy's arm go around his waist, hugging him tightly.

Bella looked up at him. "Greg?"

"Yeah."

"What do you do in a art gallery?" She asked, looking puzzled.

House smirked. "You stand around and look at art, kiddo."

Bella furrowed her brow. "That's it?"

"Yep." He replied. "But I think you'll like it."

Bella nodded her head slowly in understanding. "Ok." She said, seemingly accepting what he'd told her.

House glanced down at Cuddy, who had a sweet smile on her face. He gently squeezed her shoulder in amusement, which made her smile grow.

A few minutes later, they walked into the gallery. The place was full of people but not overcrowded. When House noticed what this particular gallery was exhibiting, his eyes grew wide in surprise just before he heard Cuddy gasp.

Cuddy quickly grabbed Bella's hand and led her out of the gallery, placing her other hand over Bella's eyes. House stood in the doorway for a moment, his eyes glancing at the nude photography on the walls. Apparently, he should've checked what was going to be shown here tonight. 'Oops.' He thought, as he turned around to follow Cuddy out the door.

House walked after them as they made their way back to the car. He could tell Cuddy was pissed by the way she was walking. He was very used to that particular walk of hers. House sighed loudly.

"Cuddy, wait up. I'm a cripple, you know." House yelled after her, garnering the attention of the people he passed on the sidewalk.

Cuddy stopped walking, but didn't turn around. She was still holding onto Bella's hand. House reached them, standing beside Cuddy and looking down at her angry face.

"House, what the hell were you thinking?" She hissed at him.

"I didn't know that's what was going to be in there, Cuddy." House answered, raising his voice at her. "You think I'd do that to her?" He asked, with some anger in his voice as he pointed at Bella. Bella stood there quietly, her gaze aimed at the sidewalk.

Cuddy sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head as she calmed herself down. "No. I'm sorry, of course you wouldn't do that, House." She said, just before she glanced up at him.

He nodded his head.

Cuddy looked down at Bella. "Sweetie, please tell me you didn't see anything." She pleaded.

Bella looked up at her. "Ok, I didn't see nothing.'" She said quietly.

"Are you lying?" House asked.

Bella nodded, but corrected herself quickly by saying, "But I just seen a boobie, that's it."

House chuckled and Cuddy glared at him.

"Are you sure?" Cuddy asked, turning her attention back to Bella.

Bella nodded. "I swear."

Cuddy nodded, satisfied that Bella hadn't seen anything more than that.

"Come on, I have another idea." House said as he started limping away from them towards the car. He turned around to see Cuddy and Bella still standing in the same spot. "You still wanna see some art, kid?"

"House." Cuddy warned him.

"Princeton University Art Museum, Cuddy." He said to her, raising his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure there won't be any nudie pictures there." He snarked.

Cuddy nodded her head. "Fine, but are they even open at this hour?" She asked.

House shrugged, "Don't know, let's go find out."

She looked down at Bella. "Does that sound like something you'd like to do?"

Bella nodded excitedly.

Cuddy and Bella caught up with House as they made their way to the parking garage.

* * *

9:25 PM

When they finally arrived at the museum, House paid their way inside and were informed that the museum would be closing in 30 minutes. They walked around for a little while until Bella gravitated to the Realist and Impressionist paintings. House noticed they were similar to the type of art he's seen in her sketchbook.

Bella looked around in awe at all of the beautiful art pieces on the walls.

House was watching her reaction. "What do you think?" He asked her.

"It's totally cool." She said, still in awe, glancing around the room they had just entered.

House nodded as Cuddy smiled down at her, glad that she was enjoying herself.

Bella couldn't take her eyes off of the art pieces. Each piece they went to, she stared at it for several minutes, studying every brushstroke applied to it. House normally didn't enjoy doing this type of thing; he found it boring and pointless. But he found himself enjoying these particular pieces. The paintings were extremely interesting both in subject and technique.

"These are amazing." Cuddy commented to House.

He nodded.

Cuddy turned her head to look at House. "This was very sweet of you, House." Cuddy said, as she took his hand in hers. "Aside from the earlier incident, this has been an amazing night. Bella is really enjoying herself. Just look at her…you've made her so happy." Cuddy added in a whisper, smiling at Bella as she studied the paintings.

House leaned over to whisper in her ear. "What about you, love muffin, are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, slipping his hand out of hers and placing it on the small of her back, drawing her closer to him.

Cuddy looked up at House with a smile. "I am." She whispered back.

"I really want to kiss you right now, but the runt might catch me breaking my promise."

"Then I guess you'll have to make it up to me later." She replied, placing her hand on his chest and looking into his eyes.

"You know I will." He promised, slipping his hand lower.

"Hand, House. We're in public, and Bella doesn't need to see you grabbing my ass. She already saw a boobie tonight." Cuddy said, grinning up at him with a chuckle.

House laughed at her and removed his hand. "Fine, but tonight your ass is mine…and so are your boobies." He said, so only she could hear.

"Looking forward to it." She responded with a smile, stepping away from him and taking his hand in hers as she looked around for Bella.

Bella had been looking at a particular Degas painting, oblivious to what they had been doing, thankfully. She seemed to study his paintings longer than the others. Cuddy and House came up behind her, looking at it as well. Bella looked up at House with a smile.

"I like this one the most." She stated, pointing her finger at the painting.

House nodded. "No kidding, your eyes are all bulged out from staring at for too long." He said with a smirk.

"Are not." Bella rolled her eyes. She looked back it, pointing. "I like how it looks like the girls are really dancing." She commented about the dancers in the painting.

"It's very beautiful." Cuddy agreed.

House looked at it more closely, seeing what Bella was talking about. He read the caption about the artist, noting that he was famous for his paintings of the human figure in motion. He raised his eyebrows, impressed that she had noticed that about this particular piece. "You should be in art school, kid." He observed.

"Really?" Bella looked up at him with a smile.

"Sure, you're pretty good at this art stuff." House commented, shrugging his shoulders.

Cuddy squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. House looked down at her, seeing that she had a sweet smile on her face. He rolled his eyes, knowing she was thinking what he said was "sweet." He heard her chuckle at him.

Bella had a smile on her face as she continued to look at the painting.

House looked down at her. "Anything else you want to see in here?" He asked, after hearing the announcement that the museum would be closing in a few minutes.

Bella shook her head happily, as she smiled up at House.

"Alright then, let's go so I can kick your ass in bowling."

"Whatever." Bella rolled her eyes.

Cuddy chuckled at Bella. She had enjoyed watching Bella at the museum. She loved how happy she became when she looked at a painting. Cuddy wished she could see through her eyes when she was studying one of them. Her eyes lit up and she would get this look of concentration on her face, like she was trying to decipher what the artist was thinking when he painted the piece. She almost had the same look House had when he listened to music. Cuddy hadn't seen him play much but she imagined he got the same look when he played as well.

They exited the museum together, making their way to the car.

"I wish we didn't have to leave." Bella said, looking up at him.

"Maybe some day I'll take you to The Met, kid." He looked down as he spoke to her, wanting to see her reaction. "You ever been to New York?" He asked, casually.

He had been wanting to ask her about New York all night to get any information out of her about what had happened to her brother. He saw Bella stiffen a bit. 'Bingo'. He thought. He was right, she had been there and it was probably where her brother had died.

Bella quickly shook her head. "No." She said, simply.

House smirked, knowing she was lying. "Too bad, you'd love it there." He commented, keeping his gaze on her. House looked over at Cuddy, who had a furrow in her brow after noticing Bella's reaction, not knowing what was going on but knowing something had just happened.

Cuddy looked up at him questioningly. She had been holding Bella's hand as they walked and she felt Bella's hand twitch in hers when House had asked her about New York. She had looked down to see what had happened, when she saw Bella's eyes grow wide at his question.

Bella held onto Cuddy's hand tighter as they continued to walk. Cuddy glanced up at House once more. He looked at her and shook his head, indicating that they'd talk about it later.

* * *

10:45 PM

Bella was tying her shoes as she sat on a chair at the bowling alley, one of her feet propped up as the other dangled off the edge of the chair. Greg was entering their names on the computer scoreboard. She looked over at him as she finished tying her shoes. On their drive over to the bowling alley, she kept thinking about her lie to Greg about not having been to New York City before. She felt bad for lying but she couldn't risk him finding out about Mattie. She did not want to ever relive that.

She glanced to her right as Lisa was coming back from the restroom.

"We got your shoes." Bella said, holding them up to her.

"Oh, I didn't realize I was playing…and how did you know my shoe size?" Lisa asked, looking over at Greg.

"Do you really want to know how I get my information, Cuddy? And of course you're playing, so put those clown shoes on those dainty little feet of yours."

Lisa rolled her eyes and took the shoes from Bella, sitting down in the chair next to her and putting her shoes on.

Bella scooted closer to Lisa. "Will you help me pick out a ball?" She whispered.

Lisa smiled down at her and nodded her head. "Sure." She whispered back, winking at her.

Bella smiled. They went to the rack with all of the bowling balls on it and picked out a ball for her to bowl. There were some especially for children so Bella chose a blue one.

"I like that one, it's my favorite color."

"Ok, try it out."

Bella nodded, picking up the ball from the stand. It was slightly heavy for her but she thought she'd be able to bowl with it. She looked up at Lisa and smiled. "This one's good."

"Ok…are you sure it's not too heavy?"

"Mmmhmm." She affirmed.

Lisa nodded. "Ok then, I guess it's my turn to pick one out." She said, picking up a few to see which on would be best.

"Hey, hurry it up over there, you slowpokes." Greg yelled over to them. "I've got a bowling game to win."

Bella turned to him holding the ball in her arms. "You wish, old man." She yelled back.

Lisa looked down at her, eyes wide with surprise at what she'd said to Greg. Bella glanced up at Lisa, unsure if she was about to be reprimanded for her comment to Greg. Sometimes she just couldn't control her mouth.

"Sorry." Bella apologized to Lisa, looking up at her with regret.

Lisa smirked at her. "It's ok, just go kick his ass, sweetie."

Bella chuckled and nodded her head, moving over to their lane. As she made her way back, she gave Greg a smart aleck grin. "Lisa told me to kick your ass."

"Yeah sure, pottymouth. Now get up there, you're first." Greg pointed to the lane.

Bella smirked at him and made her way up there. She held the ball with both hands, standing in the center of the lane. She bent down, swinging the ball between her legs and letting it go as hard as she could. It was a little difficult with her dress on but she managed it pretty well. Bella watched the ball roll down the center, knocking down eight pins at the end. She smiled with excitement and turned around to look at Greg and Lisa.

Lisa had a huge smile on her face and Greg was laughing at her, shaking his head. "That's how you're going to beat me? By granny chuckin' that ball down the lane?"

"That's how I beat my dad." She gloated, walking down to join them.

Greg narrowed his eyes at Bella's words. "Right, like he didn't let you win." He snarked.

"House." Lisa said, quietly warning him.

Bella frowned at him. "He didn't, he swore!" She defended, placing her hands on her hips.

"Fine then, show me how it's done." He said, his eyebrows raised in challenge.

"I will, old man."

"I think I liked you better when you didn't talk, peanut." He snarked.

"Oh my god, would you two just play the damn game, I don't want to be here all night." Lisa said, rolling her eyes.

"Calm down, Cuddles, no need to get nasty." Greg said, with sarcasm.

"I bet she could beat you too." Bella challenged, with a smile on her face.

"Oh, really?" He said, looking over at Lisa.

"I am not getting in the middle of this." Lisa said, putting up her hands and sitting down.

"Come on, bet me?" Greg said.

"No, I'd rather see you lose to her." She answered, raising her eyebrows and pointing at Bella.

Bella smiled smugly at Greg.

"Oh so this is how it's going to be?"

Bella nodded and moved to get her ball to take her next turn. "Yep."

Bella walked back up, ready to bowl again. She did the same thing she did last time, but the ball went too far to the right, into the gutter.

"Damn it." Bella swore, as she turned around.

She saw Greg laughing again and Lisa had her mouth open in surprise. Bella made her way down to them.

Greg leaned over to Lisa. "See, I told you she was a pottymouth."

"Now get up there, it's your turn, Cuddles." He said, picking up her ball and handing it to her.

Lisa took the ball from Greg with a frown on her face and walked up to take her position in front of the lane.

Bella leaned over to Greg. "Do you think she's mad at me for saying damn it?" She whispered.

"She's not mad, kid, don't sweat it." He reassured her.

"But she looked mad; I don't want her to be mad at me."

"No she didn't."

Bella furrowed her brow, not believing Greg that Lisa wasn't mad at her.

"Look, half-pint, I've seen her when she's mad and trust me, she isn't mad right now."

They heard the crack of the pins being hit by the ball and they both looked up to see Lisa smiling over at them. She'd hit a strike.

"Told ya." Greg said, when he saw her smiling down at them.

Bella grinned up at Lisa, still slightly worried.

Lisa joined them and stood next to Bella's chair. Bella glanced up at her, trying to judge if she was mad. She couldn't really tell. When Mattie was alive, they used to swear all the time but never in front of their parents, always worried that they'd get in trouble, but also never wanting to be a disappointment to them. And when they died, Bella and Mattie didn't have to worry about disappointing them anymore so they just rattled off whatever came into their heads, whether it was vocal or in sign language. Ever since Mattie was killed, Bella hadn't said a word to anyone until Lisa and Greg, and she was starting to love them like she loved her parents. She didn't want to disappoint them, especially since she wanted to live with Lisa, and didn't know if that was going to be possible. She had to be on her best behavior, in case Lisa changed her mind and didn't want her because she slipped up and did something she didn't like. Which was one of the reasons she was worried right now.

"Hey Cuddles, you're not some sort of secret bowling champ, are you? Since when can you bowl like that?" Bella heard Greg ask Lisa.

"Be afraid, Greg House, be very afraid." She responded with a smirk, pointing at him.

Greg narrowed his eyes at her. "Hphm…you sure you don't want in on this bet?" He replied, stepping up to her and standing at his full height. He looked down at her with a smirk.

"I'm sure, like I said…I'd rather see you lose to Bella." She chuckled.

"Oh please, I'm gonna beat both your asses and when I do I expect a lot of ooo-ing and ahh-ing at my enormous…score." He winked down at Lisa and glanced at Bella before he turned around to bowl his turn.

Bella had been watching them but looked down at the floor, when she felt Lisa's hand gently squeeze her shoulder and sit down next to her.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Lisa asked with worry in her tone.

Bella looked at Lisa and shook her head. "No, nothing." She answered.

"Are you sure…you seem a little distracted. Did House upset you?" She said.

"No…I'm fine." She lied, not wanting to talk about what she had been thinking about.

"Ok. You know you can talk to me, right?"

Bella nodded and Lisa smiled at her reassuringly. They heard the crack of the pins and looked up at Greg. He had an unpleased scowl on his face. He had only managed to knock down 6 of the pins. He was returning to get the ball when Lisa started chuckling at him.

"What's wrong, House, a little problem knocking all the pins down?" She teased.

"Hey, that was planned, Cuddles. Don't worry I'll still beat you both." He assured them.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, they were on their last frame and House was winning by a few points over Cuddy. Bella had been doing well though, her strategy with bowling the ball granny style working well for her. She had 95 points, while Cuddy had 175 and House had 180. House was surprised at how well the girls had been doing. He never knew that Cuddy could bowl and he was enjoying watching her. Bella had been entertaining to watch as well. Every time she'd pick up her ball, she'd hold it in both arms and hug it tightly to her chest as she carried it up to the lane, the curls in her hair bouncing up and down as she walked with the heavy object. He couldn't help himself; he actually thought it was cute.

Bella was standing up there, ready to bowl the ball. She bent over and threw the ball down the lane with all her might. She looked up watching it roll and when the ball managed to knock down all the pins, she turned around and looked at him and Cuddy with the biggest smile on her face as she jumped up and down with total excitement.

"I got a strike, I got a strike!!" She yelled, causing several people in the place to turn and look at her with smiles and chuckles.

Cuddy laughed and clapped her hands as Bella ran up to her and hugged her.

"Great job, Sweetie!" Cuddy said with happiness, throwing her arms around her in a tight hug.

House was smiling despite himself. He had noticed throughout the game how hard she had been trying to get a strike. Their fierce bet put aside for the moment; he held his hand up to her as she gave him a high five.

"Not bad, squirt." He commented, watching her smile.

"I can't believe I did it." She exclaimed. "I never got a strike before."

She was still jumping up and down with excitement, not able to contain it. He couldn't believe how much this kid had changed in the last several weeks since he'd met her. She was truly coming out of her shell. In large part, thanks to Cuddy. He had underestimated how much Cuddy wanted this child. She really was a good mom…even though it wasn't official yet.

"Alright, you got one more…see if you can do it again." House said.

Bella nodded and made her way over to the ball return, still smiling.

House looked up at Cuddy. She was still smiling at Bella and watching her prepare to bowl another strike. Cuddy must've felt his gaze on her because she turned her head to look at him. She tilted her head to the side, seemingly wondering what he was thinking. He reached his hand out and lightly grabbed her wrist, pulling her over to him so she could sit on his good leg. Cuddy chuckled at him and put her arm around his neck.

"What?" She whispered down to him.

"Nothing, just watch the kid get another strike." He said, nodding in Bella's direction.

Cuddy placed a kiss on his temple and turned to watch Bella as she released the ball.

* * *

12:00 AM

They were in the car on their way to take Bella back to the James' house. Bella was sitting in the back seat, almost asleep as she was coming down from the excitement of getting her first strike. Her second bowl resulted in a spare, but she was still elated. House had won the game but she could tell Bella didn't care, the strike she'd gotten erasing any competitiveness there was. Cuddy looked in the back seat to see Bella's head leaning against the car door, her eyes half closed. She smiled to herself and looked over at House.

"She's almost asleep." Cuddy whispered to him.

"It's late." House answered, taking his hand off the steering wheel and placing it on her thigh.

Cuddy placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently.

"I assume the James's knew you were keeping her out this late?" Cuddy asked.

"Yep." He replied. "Actually, I told them 1:00, just in case."

"You thought of everything."

"Well, I am the master of planning and manipulation."

"True."

Cuddy laid her head against the headrest of the passenger seat, turning her head in House's direction as she continued to caress his hand on her thigh.

"Did you have fun tonight?" She asked. She had a wonderful time and she knew Bella did as well, but she wanted to know if House had enjoyed himself.

House looked over at her, seemingly surprised at her question. "Yeah, I did." He stated with seriousness, giving her thigh a squeeze before he looked back at the road.

She thought he'd make a joke about her question but she was glad that he had answered truthfully and seriously. Cuddy smiled at his answer.

"Thank you, House. This was incredible. I had a wonderful time and I know Bella did as well, so thank you." She whispered, bringing his hand up to her lips and placing a kiss there.

House turned his head to look at her once more, nodding his head and accepting her gratitude.

About 20 minutes later they pulled into the James's driveway, noticing that the lights were still on in the house. They got out of the car, with Cuddy opening the car door for Bella. She was sound asleep. Cuddy unbuckled her seatbelt, trying not to wake her. House had walked around the car to stand behind Cuddy as she watched her unbuckle Bella.

"I've got her, Cuddy. No offence, but you can't carry her all the way to her bedroom." House said.

Cuddy nodded, moving aside so he could pick her up.

"Are you sure you're ok to take her up there with your leg?" Cuddy asked with worry.

"I'll be fine, just take my cane." He handed it to her, as he bent down to scoop Bella up into his arms. Her arms went around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder. She didn't wake up as he began to carry her up to the front door behind Cuddy.

Cuddy knocked on the door, not wanting to ring the doorbell and wake up the kids at this hour. A moment later, the door swung open with Emily standing on the other side.

"Hi Emily, she fell asleep on our way over, do you mind if we take her upstairs?" Cuddy asked in a whisper.

"Go right ahead. How was your evening?" She asked, letting them inside.

"It was fabulous, Bella had an amazing time." Cuddy answered, following House up the stairs to Bella's bedroom. "Thank you for letting us keep her out so late, I hope it wasn't any trouble."

"No, not at all, she needed a night out." Emily responded.

"Yeah." Cuddy responded.

Cuddy watched House as he carried Bella in his arms. He looked like a father carrying his sleeping daughter. The image made her smile. He would probably kick her ass for thinking that, but she couldn't help it. Seeing him like this gave her hope that someday he'd want to be a father. After all, he had admitted it once, albeit in a round about way. He said people always assumed he didn't want to be a father; not that he didn't want to be one. That was what really gave her hope.

They reached Bella's bedroom and House gently laid her down on the bed so she wouldn't wake up. Cuddy gently took her shoes off and tucked her into bed. She placed a light kiss on her forehead and stepped away as quietly as she could.

House, Cuddy and Emily walked back downstairs. When they reached the front door, Cuddy turned around to speak to Emily.

"Thank you again, I really appreciate you letting us take her out." She said, shaking her hand.

"Your welcome, I've been very concerned for her and when Dr. House called me I thought it was a wonderful idea." She stated.

Cuddy smiled up at him, remembering his earlier denial of having the idea. House rolled his eyes.

"You weren't supposed to tell her it was my idea, Suzy." House snarked at Emily.

She smiled at him and put her hand over her mouth. "Ooops." She responded with mock sincerity, teasing him.

"It's ok, I always know when he's lying anyway." Cuddy said, looking up at him with raised eyebrows.

House rolled his eyes. "Let's go, I'll never win an argument with two women." He said, grabbing Cuddy's arm and gently pulling her out the door.

Cuddy and Emily chuckled at him. "I'll be by tomorrow, Emily." Cuddy said as they were walking away.

Emily smiled and nodded. "Goodnight."

* * *

1:15 AM

The drive to Cuddy's had been relatively silent as they enjoyed just being together. Cuddy had her eyes closed, leaning against the headrest when she heard House speak softly to her.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" House asked, placing his hand on her thigh. "I still have some plans for you tonight."

Cuddy looked over at him, smiling. "Hmmm, who said I was going to let you carry them through?" She asked.

"Oh believe me, you'll want me to carry them through." He responded, moving his hand under her dress and back up her thigh.

Cuddy chuckled. "Well, you are pretty good with your hands."

"I'm pretty good with more than just my hands, you know." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Cuddy smiled at him. "You are so full of yourself, but it's lucky for you that I happen to agree with that." She retorted.

House kept moving his hand up her thigh further, looking into her eyes.

"Eyes on the road, House, I don't want to get into an accident." Cuddy said, bringing her finger up to his chin and turning his head toward the road in front of them.

House grinned at her as he turned his attention back to the road and removed his hand from her thigh.

They were silent for a few more minutes when Cuddy had a sudden thought. She was remembering what had happened earlier after they'd left the museum.

"House, why were you asking Bella about New York?" She asked, looking over at him.

"I think that's where she and her brother ran off to when they left the foster home and I think that's where her brother died."

"What?" Cuddy asked with surprised confusion. "Why would you think that? Did she say something to you?"

"Nope." House replied.

"Then how did you come to that conclusion?"

"Cuddy, if you were a kid wanting to get as far away from people you hated, where would you go?" He asked, turning his head to look at her. "You'd want to blend in, wouldn't you?" He continued. "What better place than the Big Apple?"

"Oh my god." She gaped, realizing that he could be right. "How could two children survive in a city that big, alone?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"One of them didn't." House replied softly.

Cuddy closed her eyes in grief for Bella's loss. She was silent for a moment before asking her next question.

"Have you found out anything?"

"Just that her reaction tonight told me that she'd actually been there. My next step is to make some more phone calls." He answered.

Cuddy nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"

House looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. "Maybe. It might be easier for you to get the information we need since your Dean of Medicine. No one will give it to a lowly, albeit brilliant and handsome, diagnostician." He answered with a smirk.

Cuddy grinned and nodded. "Ok, make me a list of hospitals and I'll see what I can do."

"It's a long list, Cuddy. It is New York, you know?" House stated.

"We'll start with the biggest and work our way down." She replied.

House nodded as he pulled into Cuddy's driveway. He shut off the engine, got out of the car and made his way to her side to open the door for her.

"Mi lady." He said with a smirk, holding out his hand for her to take.

"Thank you." She replied with a grin on her face.

They walked up to her door, hand in hand. When they reached her doorstep, she released his hand and dug out her keys from her purse. Cuddy unlocked the door and walked in, with House following closely behind her. She heard the door close and the lock turn, as she removed her coat. She turned around, seeing that House had removed his coat as well. 'Rather quickly,' she thought.

"Do you want anything to…" She started to ask, just before she was cut off by House's lips covering hers.

His kiss was firm at first, but became softer as he gently pushed her against the wall inside the foyer. She returned his kiss, moving her arms around his neck as she felt his hands move from around her back and down to her ass. He leaned into her further causing her upper back to make contact with the wall.

House pulled back, looking into her eyes. "I've been wanting to do this all night." He said, punctuating his statement with another kiss. "You look incredible tonight, Cuddy." Leaning in again before she could respond. He moved his right hand up to her breast as he kissed her hungrily. She responded in kind, kissing him with equal passion. House moved his lips to her jaw and down her neck, his stubble tickling her. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the feelings he was bringing out in her. He kissed his way back up her neck, and captured her lips with his once more.

They continued kissing for several minutes, coming up for air when necessary but not for too long before they began kissing again. House moved his hands down her thighs, grabbing fistfuls of her dress and lifting it until he could feel her bare skin against his.

Cuddy ran her fingers through his hair. After another moment, she pulled back from their kiss, taking more air into her lungs as she looked into his eyes. They were dilated, his baby blues now almost completely dark with passion.

"What's wrong?" He asked, furrowing his brow in concern.

"Nothing." She whispered up to him, as she tried to control her breathing. "I just want to slow down a little…I want to enjoy this."

House frowned. "You're not enjoying it?"

Cuddy chuckled at his expression. "I didn't mean it like that, of course I'm enjoying it." She moved her hands gently up and down his chest before cupping his face in her hands. "It's just…tonight was amazing, and I can't believe you did this for us…and for Bella." She smiled, caressing his face with her thumbs. She leaned in and kissed him softly. "I want this to be just as special."

He nodded, placing a kiss on her lips. He removed his hands from under her dress and placed them on top of hers that were on his face. He kissed the palm of each of her hands and led her down the hall to her bedroom.


	19. Chapter 18

**Well folks, here's the next chapter. Thank you for all the reviews on my last update, I always appreciate them. It's likely that I won't be posting another chapter before Christmas, but miracles can and do happen, so you never know. I may surprise you.**

**Again, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you get everything you asked Santa for!!**

**Feliz Natal!!**

**Chapter 18**

9:30 AM – 2 months later

Bella was sitting on the couch in the doctor's office. Except it wasn't the doctor's office she wanted to be sitting in. This office was the office of the child psychiatrist she had been seeing since she had been living with the James's. She had many sessions since then, but never felt like talking. The lady was nice; her name was Dr. Sloane. She looked a lot like Lisa except her hair was a little redder and she wasn't as fun to talk to. Bella always felt uncomfortable in her office because Dr. Sloane was always staring at her and asking her questions like Bella was just going to spill her guts to her.

Bella sat with her head down and her hands clasped in her lap as she always did in her sessions. Bella glanced at the clock; feeling like she had been there forever but in reality it had only been thirty minutes.

"How are your nightmares, Bella? Have you had any recently?" She asked in a soft tone.

Bella nodded.

"Do you want to talk about them?"

Bella shook her head, still looking at her hands.

"What else do you want to talk about today?"

Bella shrugged.

"What about Dr. Cuddy…how are things with her? Do you still spend a lot of time together?"

Bella nodded, this time with a happy grin on her face.

"You like her a lot, don't you?"

Bella looked up at Dr. Sloane, her grin turning into a smile as she nodded.

"Does she remind you a lot of your mom?" She asked softly.

Bella thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"What about Emily?"

Bella furrowed her brow in question.

"Is she a good mom to you?"

Bella didn't quite know how to answer that question. Emily was a good mom, but she wasn't Bella's mom. Bella didn't feel like her daughter. Emily already had daughters and they didn't feel like her sisters. She liked the James family, but they were strangers to her even though she had been living with them for a while.

Bella nodded at Dr. Sloane's question and left it at that.

"Would you like it if the James's adopted you?"

Bella frowned at her question and shook her head.

"Why not?" She asked curiously. "You know, the James's really like you and have expressed interest in adoption."

Bella scowled and folded her arms in front of her chest. She didn't want them to adopt her; she wanted Lisa.

"You would prefer to live with Dr. Cuddy?" Dr. Sloane asked, almost reading her mind.

Bella's face softened as she nodded in relief that her body language had been understood.

Dr. Sloane nodded and gave her a slight smile, as she wrote something down in her notebook. "Ok." There was a moment of silence between them as Dr. Sloane shifted in her chair. "Let's talk a little bit about your nightmares."

Bella bristled, lowering her head, crossing her arms tighter around herself.

"I know you don't want to talk about this, but I think if you try, they won't seem as scary." She said, tilting her head to the side. "Do you believe that?"

Bella shook her head. She did not believe that; her nightmares were awful and she didn't see how they could be any better just by talking about them.

"Maybe I can help you understand them. Perhaps help you determine why you're having them?"

Bella didn't respond.

"We've talked before about your parents and how they died. Are you seeing it happen in your dreams?"

Bella lowered her head even further but didn't respond.

"Do you blame yourself?" She asked gently.

Bella shrugged her shoulders, as her eyes welled up with tears. She kept her head down so hopefully Dr. Sloane wouldn't see them.

"It wasn't your fault, Bella. I want you to believe that." She spoke gently. "I know it's not easy and you feel like you should've been able to help them, but you couldn't. There was no way you could've known what was going to happen."

A tear slid down her cheek, dripping onto her hand.

"Do you understand?" Dr. Sloane asked softly.

Bella wiped the tear off her face and nodded.

"Good, now I want you to believe it. It might take a little while, but you will believe that someday…okay?"

Bella nodded once more.

"How is your drawing coming along of your mother?" She asked after giving Bella a moment to let the information sink in.

Bella leaned over on the couch and grabbed her backpack with all her drawing stuff in it. She took out her sketchbook and handed it to Dr. Sloane.

She took the book and flipped through the pages until she came to the incomplete drawing of her mother's face.

"You erased her nose and mouth…why?" She asked in confusion.

Bella shrugged and shook her head in defeat.

"Keep working, okay? I see you giving up and that's the last thing you should do." She handed the sketchbook back to Bella. "One day you may wake up and remember exactly what she looked like and wonder how you could've ever forgotten." She said, smiling reassuringly at Bella.

Bella put her sketchbook back in her bag.

"Is there something holding you back from remembering your parents?"

Bella furrowed her brow, not understanding what she meant.

"Your file says that you have a brother…can you tell me about him?"

Surprised, Bella shook her head emphatically.

"Why can't you tell me about him? Did something happen?"

Bella's eyes began to tear up again and she shook her head. Dr. Sloane had never asked her about her brother before and she was hoping it would never come up.

"How did you get separated?" She pushed.

Bella kept shaking her head. She would not talk about Mattie.

"Was he hurt?"

She started breathing heavily and continuously shaking her head. Bella was starting to get angry, balling her hands into fists. Her tears were spilling down her face uncontrollably as she stared with hate at Dr. Sloane for asking her these questions.

Dr. Sloane furrowed her brow at Bella. "Alright, I can see this conversation is making you extremely uncomfortable so I won't ask you anymore questions about it today. But Bella, you are going to need to talk about this, understand? It's clearly a subject of great distress for you and I believe that talking about it would help. I can help you with this, if you'll just trust me."

Bella's breathing began to slow down but her body was still stiff and her hands were now clutching the edges of the couch cushions. She shook her head in response to Dr. Sloane's comment.

"Ok. We'll stop here for today. I want you to take some time to calm down a little, alright?" She spoke softly to her. "I'll be back in few minutes." She said, standing up and exiting the office.

Bella did as she was told and tried to calm herself down. She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering Mattie's face as he lie dead in the alley. Bella shook her head trying to get the horrifying image out of her mind. Why could she remember this so clearly but not remember what her parents looked like? It made Bella angry. She needed to get out of here; she didn't want to be here anymore. She felt claustrophobic in the office, the walls seeming to close in on her.

Bella gathered her backpack and quietly opened the door to the office. She peaked out to see if Dr. Sloane was coming back. She looked down the hallway, seeing an exit into the stairwell. Bella made her way out of the office and down the hall as quickly and quietly as she could. Thankfully, she made it to the stairwell undetected. Everyone was going to be mad at her for leaving but she didn't care. She couldn't stay there anymore.

Bella had once promised Lisa that she wouldn't run away again and she had kept that promise…until now. Greg had told her that she had to do things the right way if she wanted to get out of her situation someday. But if that meant talking about what happened to Mattie, she couldn't handle that.

Bella made her way outside into the cold air. She didn't want to worry Lisa so she decided to make her way to see her and hope that she wouldn't be upset when she found out what she'd done.

* * *

10:45 AM

Cuddy was walking down the corridor of her hospital, making her way down to her office when her pager went off. She frowned when she saw that it was the clinic paging her. She wondered what the problem could be because House was busy with a patient so he couldn't be causing trouble. Cuddy picked up her pace as she made her way downstairs to the clinic.

A few minutes later when Cuddy reached the clinic, she walked up to the reception desk.

"What's the problem?"

One of the nurses looked up at her question. "There's someone in your office to see you." She smiled, pointing with her pen at Cuddy's office door.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "I don't have an appointment with a donor do I?" She asked with slight panic in her voice, thinking she might have forgotten.

"No Dr. Cuddy, the young girl, Bella…she's in your office." She answered in amusement.

Cuddy looked at her in surprise and walked away from the nurse toward her office. She opened the door and saw Bella sitting on her couch.

"Bella? What are you doing here…where's Emily?" She asked, making her way over to the couch to sit down next to her.

Bella looked up at her. "I had to do it, I couldn't stay there no more." She answered. "But I didn't want you to be mad at me so I came here so you wouldn't worry." She finished, a small tear escaping her eye.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Cuddy asked, with a little bit of panic in her voice, not understanding what she was talking about.

Bella sniffled, wiping the tears off her cheek. Cuddy placed her arm around Bella, hugging her close. She leaned into Cuddy's side, moving her small arm over her waist. Bella let out a deep sigh, seemingly relieved about something, but not responding to her question.

"Bella, can you please tell me what happened?"

"I was at the doctor's and she wanted me to talk about him but I didn't want too." She spoke quickly. "She kept asking and asking and I got mad because she wouldn't leave me alone." She paused. "So I ran away." She finished in a quiet voice.

Cuddy straightened up and looked down at Bella. "You ran away from Dr. Sloane's office?" She asked with alarm in her voice. She knew that today was one of Bella's therapy days. Bella nodded, with a pout on her lips, looking so ashamed.

"Honey…why would you do that?" Cuddy asked with surprise at her actions.

Bella kept her gaze on her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

Cuddy stood up and walked to her desk, picking up her cell phone. She dialed Emily's number.

"Hello?" She heard Emily pick up on the other end.

"Emily, it's Lisa. Bella's here with me at the hospital. She's fine, she just said she ran away from Dr. Sloane."

Emily gasped in relief on the other end of the phone. "Oh my god, thank you, we've been worried sick about her."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." She replied, knowing exactly how she felt, glancing up at Bella.

"I'll be there as soon as I can to pick her up. I am so sorry about this."

"Don't worry, she's fine. See you soon."

Cuddy hung up the phone and set it on her desk, looking over at Bella.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked in soft voice.

"I'm not mad, but I am a little disappointed. You promised me you wouldn't do this again." Cuddy answered.

"I know. But I couldn't stay there no more." Bella replied, begging her to understand.

Cuddy made her way back to the couch. "What happened that you couldn't stay there? You said you didn't want to talk…but why did you have to run away?"

"Dr. Sloane was trying to make me talk about him and I didn't want too." She said, repeating her earlier explanation but sounding slightly upset this time.

"Mattie?" She asked softly, understanding a bit more.

Bella nodded.

Cuddy was sitting on the couch facing Bella. She lifted her hand to tuck Bella's hair behind her ear.

"Honey, I don't think Dr. Sloane would make you talk abo…"

"Yes, she would. She said I had to and I don't want to talk about him, I don't want to see it happen again. Why can I remember it happen so clear but I can't remember my mom and dad? It's not fair!" She exclaimed as sorrowful tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I don't know, baby. I'm sorry." Cuddy answered with regret, combing her fingers gently through Bella's hair.

Cuddy didn't know what to say because she really didn't know the details of what Bella was talking about. She really wanted to ask what she saw happen but didn't feel it would be appropriate considering it was the reason she had run away in the first place. Cuddy suspected she was talking about seeing what had happened to her brother, as House had suspected a couple of months ago as well.

"C'mere." She said softly, reaching for Bella so she could sit on her lap.

Bella moved onto Cuddy's lap, straddling her legs and winding her arms around her neck. She laid her head on her shoulder as she cried. Cuddy hugged her tightly, trying to offer as much comfort as she could to such a confused and hurt little girl.

After a few minutes as they sat together on Cuddy's couch, Bella wiped her eyes but didn't change her position. Cuddy was leaning back on the couch, caressing Bella's back soothingly. As they sat there, Bella began to play with Cuddy's necklace, gently rolling the little beads around with her fingers.

"Your necklace is pretty." Bella whispered.

Cuddy smiled, glancing down at her. "Thank you." She whispered back.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes when they heard the door to Cuddy's office open.

"I need you to sign off on…" House said, pausing when he saw Cuddy on the couch holding Bella.

House frowned. "What happened?" He asked with concern.

Bella sat up and turned around, looking at House. "Hi." She said, in a tiny voice.

"What's going on…why's the munchkin here?" He asked, looking at Cuddy and nodding towards Bella.

Bella got off of Cuddy's lap, taking her previous position on the couch.

"I ran away again." She admitted, looking away from House.

"How the hell did you get here all the way from your house?" He asked Bella with confusion.

"I was at the doctor's not at the James's house." She said, emphasizing that it was the James's house, not hers.

House narrowed his eyes. "Oh well that clears everything up."

"House, what did you need?" Cuddy asked, standing up and walking over to him.

House handed her the file as he continued to look over at Bella. Cuddy scanned over it, raising her eyebrows in surprise and looking at House.

"Wow, it actually makes sense for you to do this test…what's wrong with you?" She asked with amusement.

"I'm having an off day." He answered, smirking at her.

Cuddy smiled at him and turned around to face her desk so she could sign the paperwork. She handed the file back to House after signing it and walked back over to the couch, sitting down next to Bella. House watched them intently.

"Is this a 'no boys allowed' meeting?" He asked sarcastically.

Bella and Cuddy looked at each other before turning their gaze back to House and shaking their heads at the same time. House scowled and pointed his finger between them.

"You two are up to something." He accused, narrowing his eyes at them.

Cuddy frowned at him. "What? How do you figure that?"

"You have a look."

"Is it the same look you have on your face all the time?" Cuddy asked with a smirk.

"Ohh…I get it, because I'm always 'up to something.'" House replied around a sarcastic chuckle. "Clever." He shifted his gaze between Cuddy and Bella. "Well ladies, if you'll excuse me I have something I need to be up to."

With that House limped out of Cuddy's office.

Bella looked up at Cuddy with a confused scowl. "What was he talking about?"

"I have no idea." She replied, shaking her head.

"He's weird." Bella replied.

"Yep." Cuddy concurred.

* * *

3:30 PM

House strode into Wilson's office without knocking, as he frequently did, and sat down in the chair opposite his desk. Wilson looked up at him expectantly.

"Yes, House?"

"It's set." He said with a devious smile.

Wilson's eyes grew wide in surprise as a smile spread across his face. "Well it's about damn time, House. What the hell took you so long?"

"Hey, this is a big event and it takes time to set this shit up." He said, with a scowl.

Wilson nodded. "Fine, so when is this happening?"

"The sooner the better." He replied, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing a number.

"It's House…do it." He commanded to the person on the other end, flipping his phone shut without waiting for a response.

"And now, we wait. Mwahahahahahaaaa." He said, before giving Wilson his evil laugh.

Wilson laughed and shook his head. "She is going to string you up by your privates and display you in the hospital lobby as an example when she finds out about this."

"Never happen…Cuddy will be too confused to know it was me. I'm an evil genius…it's why I have the special laugh and you don't."

"So how was it you were able to set up with this 'evil genius' plan of yours?"

"Well since you chickened out, I had to call this guy I met at the pub once who works at the cable company and does all sorts of nerdy/techie stuff…paid him to rig it up for me."

Rolling his eyes, Wilson said, "You do realize, when the patients and their families start complaining that the tv's in their rooms keep switching channels willy-nilly, that you're the one she'll blame first, right?"

"Nope, she'll blame the cable company first. Only there won't be anything wrong with the cable." He stated with a smirk. "Plus, I'm able to control the on/off switch, people are gonna think the hospital's haunted." He added with a laugh.

Wilson shook his head. "You are evil and this is going to blow up in your face. House, will just do me a favor?"

"Can't promise anything." House replied with a smirk

"Could you just leave oncology out of your path of destruction? These people already have enough grief."

Without a word, House looked at him with a smirk before standing up and leaving his office. Once outside, House heard Wilson yelling at him. 'House!' and he let out another evil laugh loudly into the hallway, causing everyone in the vicinity to look at him with scowls on their faces.

* * *

Thirty minutes later House walked into the doctor's lounge where Kutner, Chase, and Cameron were sitting on the couch watching television.

"You people are doctors, shouldn't you be doing doctor-ry things?" House smirked as he walked over to the fridge to take a peek inside.

"We could say the same thing about you." Cameron replied.

House turned around with a scowl on his face. "But you won't…because I can destroy you."

Cameron rolled her eyes.

House grabbed someone's sandwich out of the refrigerator and went over to sit at the island in the middle of the small kitchenette in the lounge. He watched Kutner and Chase quietly watching some program on TV. He took a small remote out of his pocket and changed the channel.

Chase looked over at Kutner. "I was watching that." He said with stoic annoyance.

Kutner glanced at him. "Then why'd you change it?"

"I didn't…change it back." Chase said, nodding toward the TV.

"I didn't change it, I don't have the remote." Kutner defended.

"Stop screwing around…change it back." Chase demanded.

"I told you I don't have the remote." Kutner replied, scowling at Chase. He looked behind him at House. Chase followed his line of vision.

"House, change it back." Chase said to him with annoyance.

"Wasn't me…the remote's over there." He pointed at the chair next to Kutner.

Chase and Kutner both looked to where he was pointing and saw the remote for the TV sitting just where he'd said was. They looked at each other and Kutner grabbed it and tossed it to Chase. Chase changed the channel back to what he was watching and placed the remote next to him on the couch. Cameron had been quietly looking over some charts, oblivious to what was going on.

After a few minutes as House sat and ate the stolen sandwich, he waited until something 'interesting' was happening on the show and he changed the channel again.

"Awww, come on man, it was just getting good…why'd you change it?" Kutner protested.

"I didn't." Chase responded, annoyed as well that the channel had been changed again.

"You have the remote!" Kutner exclaimed.

"I didn't change it, I swear…there's something wrong with the TV!" Chase yelled at him.

"There was nothing wrong with it until House came in here." Cameron said, looking up at Chase and Kutner.

"Don't blame me…how can I change the channel all the way over here without the remote?"

"Sheer willpower?" Cameron retorted, looking back at House.

"That's actually a dream of mine…to save people from idiotic programming with sheer willpower…one TV at a time." He replied with a dreamy look on his face and placing his hand over his heart dramatically.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "You have something to do with, House. I don't how, but you do."

"I'm so touched that you have such faith in me. Where were you in the days when I had to quote to myself the story of the Little Train That Could to build my self-esteem?" He asked with sarcasm.

Chase and Kutner were busy trying to figure out what was wrong with the television as he and Cameron bickered at each other. House glanced over at them and rolled his eyes. He stood up and made his way to the door.

"You two are idiots." He said to them as he walked out the door. House smirked and pulled the remote out of his pocket again, pressing the button to change the channel back.

"_Got it."_ He heard Chase say through the door.

House changed the channel again.

"_Damn it."_ Kutner swore.

House laughed as he walked down the corridor, leaving them to figure out what the hell was happening to the television.

* * *

6:30 PM

Cuddy was standing at the counter in her kitchen cutting up vegetables for stir-fry when she heard her front door open and close, just before she heard the thumping of House's cane. She smiled. Their relationship had been going great. A few weeks ago she had given him a key to her house because she had gone out of town on business for a couple of days and she had asked him to come by and feed Splat. Ever since then, he had let himself into her house every time he came over. Not that she minded, she loved that they had gotten to this point in their relationship. He hadn't given her a key to his place yet and she hadn't asked because she didn't want to push him. She wanted him to give it to her when he was ready.

"In here." She called out. She heard the cane thumping grow louder as he headed in her direction.

"How did you know it was me…I could've been some crazy psycho who had stolen your key from under the flower pot." He asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist and placing light kiss on her cheek.

"House, that is the key from under the flower pot and you've had it in your possession for 3 weeks." She replied, as she continued cutting the vegetables. "Does that mean you're the crazy psycho?"

"No because you gave me the key." He replied smartly. "What are you making?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Stir-fry." She responded. "I hope you're hungry."

"Always." He replied, placing kisses on her neck and sliding his hands up her sides and around to her breasts.

Cuddy smiled and shook her head. "You know that wasn't what I meant, so stop it before you lose a hand."

House grinned and moved his lips to her ear. "You wouldn't do anything these hands…they bring you too much pleasure." He whispered.

Cuddy chuckled. "Yeah well, right now they need to bring the carrots that are in the fridge." She whispered back, pointing behind them to the refrigerator.

House removed his hands and leaned away from her. She glanced at him with a smirk on her face seeing that he had a scowl on his. Cuddy chuckled at him as he turned around, moving toward the refrigerator.

"You're mean." He mumbled over his shoulder.

"I promise I'll let you fondle me after dinner." She replied.

"How about I fondle you now and we skip dinner?"

"Sorry, I'm actually hungry for food."

House handed her the package of baby carrots with a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Here, you little tease."

"Thank you." She said, taking the carrots from him.

She opened the package and began cutting the bigger ones in half so they wouldn't take as long to cook. House grabbed a handful and started munching on them.

"So what was up with the kid today?" He asked around a mouthful of carrots.

Cuddy sighed. "She ran away from her therapy session."

House leaned back against the counter, facing Cuddy. "What the hell for?" He scowled.

"She was scared." She stated, looking up at House. "She didn't want to talk about her brother. She said she didn't want to see it happen again." Cuddy told House, looking at him with meaning. "You were right, House, she saw something happen and she is terrified of re-living it." She shook her head and continued to chop up the carrots.

After a moment of silence, House nodded solemnly. "I think I may have found him, Cuddy."

Cuddy stopped chopping and looked up at him in shock. "What? When?"

"I wasn't sure it was him until you just told me what she said." He replied, sighing loudly and shaking his head. "I was hoping it wasn't, but I think that confirms it."

"What are you talking about? What happened to him?" She asked.

"Are you sure you want to know, Cuddy?"

"What happened to him, House, just tell me." Cuddy said, with obvious uncertainty in her voice.

"He uh…he was shot in the abdomen and head." He told her, watching her reaction closely.

Cuddy's mouth opened in horror and disbelief. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard House tell her. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words but none came out. Her eyes began welling up with tears and she set the knife she was holding down on the counter. Cuddy let her tears spill down her face, feeling utter grief for a boy who'd lost his life so young and for a girl who would forever retain the memory of her brother's murder in her mind. At such a young age, Bella had lost so much.

Cuddy saw House slide over and envelope her into an embrace as she cried, holding her tightly to his chest. She wound her arms around his waist, accepting his comforting embrace. She quietly cried into his chest, her shoulder shaking. House never said a word; he just let her cry, and for that she was grateful because there aren't words anyone could say to make it better.

After a few minutes, Cuddy turned her head and wiped her tears away from her face, taking in a deep breath. Still, no words were spoken between them as they stood in her kitchen holding each other. House gently caressed her back as he held her. Cuddy closed her eyes, enjoying his touch.

"You ok?" He asked quietly, breaking the silence and placing a kiss on her temple.

Cuddy nodded, releasing him and looking up at his face. "Yeah." She whispered. "I just can't believe that she saw her brother being murdered. In a million years, I never would have thought that was had happened, House." She said with grief in her voice.

House nodded in agreement. "Explains a lot though, doesn't it?" He asked softly, referring to the way Bella had been when they found her and the reason she never wanted to talk about Mattie.

"Yeah, it does." Cuddy responded. "What do we do now? I mean, do we say something to her…get her to talk about it?"

House shook his head. "We do that, and who the hell knows where she'll run off to." He answered as he continued running his hand over her back.

Cuddy nodded in agreement and laid her head on House's chest once more. After a moment, she looked back up at him. "Why do you think he was killed?"

House shook his head. "I don't know…I'm working on getting the police report, but it's not going to be easy."

Cuddy nodded. "Just let me know if I can do anything." She said, laying her head back down on his chest.

After another minute, House lightly kissed the top of her head. "Come on, woman, don't keep a hungry man waiting…make my dinner." He mumbled to her teasingly.

Cuddy chuckled, but didn't move.

A moment later, House spoke up again. "Seriously, Cuddy, I'm starving."

* * *

8:00 PM

House and Cuddy were lying on the couch watching television after talking a little more about Bella and Mattie over dinner. House was lying on his left side with his arms around Cuddy. She had her back to him with her head on a pillow on top of his left arm as he leaned his head on the arm of the couch. Their legs were entangled at the opposite end under a blanket that was haphazardly thrown over them.

House was making light circles on her arm with his fingers as he watched a mildly entertaining action flick on TV. He glanced down at Cuddy; her eyes were closed but he could tell she wasn't asleep. House leaned his head down.

"Why don't you go to bed, Cuddy, you're half asleep." He said softly into her ear.

"I'm comfortable here." She replied quietly.

"Did you know that the human head weighs 8 pounds, Cuddy? I can't feel my arm." He replied with sarcasm.

Cuddy turned her head to look at him. "Sorry Jerry, you could've just said so." She said sarcastically as she sat up.

"Actually, in the movie it was the kid that said…"

"I don't care." Cuddy responded before he could finish.

House smirked at her, receiving a glare in return just as Cuddy's telephone began ringing. She reached over and grabbed the cordless phone off the table and quickly answered.

"Hello?"

House couldn't hear what was being said so he decided to ignore her and continue with the movie he had been watching.

"Yes, this is Lisa Cuddy."

"Shhh…" House said with annoyance.

Cuddy looked at him with a scowl and stood up, leaving the room and letting him watch his movie in peace.

Several minutes later Cuddy came back, standing in the doorway to the living room. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were red like she'd been crying.

"What happened?" House asked with alarm in his voice. He sat up, unsure of what to think of her expression. She didn't move: she seemed to be in shock. "Cuddy, what happened?" He asked louder as he stood up from the couch.

"I…I was approved. My application to foster Bella was approved. She's coming to live with me." She answered happily, her smile growing as a happy and relieved laugh escaped her lips.

House looked at her in surprise, not sure how he should react to this news. He told her he was okay with this happening, but now it was really happening and he didn't know how to feel about it.

Cuddy walked over to him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. His arms moved around her in response to her hug but he was still in shock. He still had some doubts about this, but it was too late to take back what he'd told her. After all, he liked the kid and spent a lot of time with her. She and Cuddy needed each other; he just hoped he wouldn't get cast aside in the middle of all of this.


	20. Chapter 19

**Ok, so…none of what I thought was going to happen, happened. I'm sorry to say that I did not get ahead on my story. If anything, it took me longer to write one chapter than it ever has…and it turned out to be shorter than I usually write!! Oh well, I'm back and the holidays are over so I can concentrate on telling my story again, if real life will let me. Yay! Thanks for hanging in there, everyone! And I apologize for taking so long on getting you guys an update, and for it being a short one. I wish I could say that it will never happen again, but I would be lying. However, I will try to do better from now on. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, as always they are greatly appreciated.**

**And now, on to our show…**

**Chapter 19**

_7:00 PM – 1 hour and 5 minutes ago_

_Bella sat in her room, bored out of her mind. When they got back from the hospital this afternoon, Emily had sent her to her room and taken away her drawing stuff as punishment. She had been allowed out, only to eat dinner before having to return to her room. Bella never realized how boring her room was without her drawing materials. She had games and other stuff, but none of it was really hers and she didn't find any of it fun._

_She was currently sitting on the floor, bouncing a tennis ball against the wall opposite her. She was thinking about what had happened today. Bella realized she shouldn't have run away, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. Her only regret was that she had disappointed Lisa. Bella threw the ball hard against the wall, watching as it bounced back at her and almost hit her in the head. Bella ducked down and saw the ball bounce away from her. _

_She stood up and retrieved the ball before returning to her spot and continuing to throw the ball. As the ball bounced back to her, her thoughts took her to what had started this whole thing to begin with. Dr. Sloane wanted her to talk about Mattie, but the thought of re-living what had happened to him scared her to death. She could still see his face, lying there on the pavement in the alley. Bella was afraid that image would haunt her for the rest of her life. She just couldn't do it._

_After it had happened, she had staggered out of the alley and aimlessly wandered the streets of the city in total shock. His blood was all over her hands and clothes. She remembers the ringing in her ears caused by the gun, being all she could hear for hours and when she was finally able to hear again, she looked down at herself. Seeing all the blood, she started screaming. That day, Bella had caught the attention of several people as she screamed and cried, trying to get the blood off of herself, but by that point the blood had dried up. There were a few people that tried to help but she had run away, hiding in Central Park so the police couldn't find her. She didn't even get to say goodbye to her brother, just as she didn't get to say goodbye to her parents before they died. As Bella sat there in her room, she felt her eyes begin to tear up at the horrible memories. _

_Before her tears could roll down her cheeks though, she heard the phone ringing in the other room. She ignored it and wasn't even sure when it had been answered but she suddenly heard Emily mention her name to the person on the phone. Her bedroom door was ajar so she could hear Emily's voice in the room down the hall. Bella stood up and made her way to the door to see if she could catch what was being said._

"…_since she won't be here for much longer anyway." She heard Emily say, sounding slightly upset._

_Bella frowned. 'What did she mean by that?' She wondered. Bella opened the door a little wider and stuck her head through, trying to see if she could hear the conversation better. Emily was pacing as she talked on the phone so it made it harder for Bella to hear what she was saying._

"…_away from me." Bella frowned again. She couldn't understand what they were talking about. _

"_It wasn't my fault she ran away…why are they doing this?" Emily said. _

_Bella heard footsteps coming down the hallway as Mr. James made his way to the den, where Emily was. She closed the door until it was only open a crack, hoping she could still hear the phone conversation._

"…_better off" She was saying. "…deserves it." Bella could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation, but she noticed she didn't sound upset, she sounded sad. _

_Bella heard Emily hang up the phone after another minute and Bella closed her bedroom door, wondering what was going on. To Bella, it sounded like the State people were going to take her away again. Maybe running away today was a bigger mistake than she had thought it was._

* * *

8:05 PM

Cuddy was hugging House tightly, happy tears streaming down her face. She was finally getting what she always wanted. She was going to be a mom. Cuddy wiped her tears away and released her arms from around House's neck. She looked up at his face, but was surprised to see that he didn't look happy for her. Her smile fell from her face as she stepped away from him.

"House?" She said with a confused frown on her face.

House looked down at her, giving her a small smile. "I'm happy for you, Cuddy."

"You don't look happy." She replied softly and with a bit of apprehension in her voice. "I thought you were ok with this."

"I am ok with it…just took me by surprise."

Cuddy tilted her head to the side, trying to gauge if he was telling her the truth.

"House, please be honest with me. We said we were going to be honest with one another."

"I'm being honest, Cuddy." He replied softly.

"But you're not telling me something…you're holding something back."

"I'm not." Shaking his head.

"House…please." She begged, taking a step toward him and placing her hands on his chest.

House looked at her and nodded. "I _am_ happy for you, Cuddy, I just…" He paused, shaking his head, having trouble saying what he was really feeling. "I…"

Cuddy took a small step closer to him, moving her hands up to his face. "You're scared." She interjected softly.

House looked away from her and gave her a short nod. After a moment, he looked back at her. "Cuddy…I know that having this kid is more important to you than our relationship." He stated.

"House…" She said, trying to interrupt him. She shook her head and scowled at him, shocked that he would think that.

"Don't deny it…if you had to choose, I know you'd choose the kid."

Cuddy dropped her hands from his face in shock at what he was saying. "Are you making me choose?" She asked with confusion and apprehension.

"N-…that's not what I'm saying, Cuddy, I already told you I was ok with this." He replied with annoyance in his tone, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying that…I'm…expendable in this situation and I…." He paused again, looking away from Cuddy in frustration that he couldn't say what he needed to.

Cuddy scowled at him, surprised and confused by what he was trying to tell her. 'Was he scared she wouldn't want him anymore?' He stood in front of her, his eyes downcast, his expression filled with confusion and frustration. Cuddy slowly took a step closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered without a hint of hesitation in her voice. "House…I will _always_ want you."

House stood there for a moment, his arms at his sides as she hugged him. She finally felt his arms wrap around her slowly. They stood in silence, holding each other for a moment before he responded. "Always is a long time, Cuddy, you can't know that." He said, doubtfully.

"Yes I can." She whispered with a smile on her face, pulling back and looking deeply into his eyes. Cuddy released him from her hug and sighed. "House, I know we've only been together for a few months, and I know that this is happening _so_ fast for you. I've been preparing myself for a child for years…but you haven't, and if you're not ready to be anything more than a friend to Bella, then I'm ok with that and I understand it. I want you to be here in whatever capacity you feel comfortable with…ok? I'm not going to leave you behind." She told him gently.

House nodded his understanding. "Can I just ask you something, Cuddy?

She nodded slowly.

"Is this really what you want? Are you going to be happy not having your own kid?" He asked softly.

She was surprised by his question but she thought carefully about it.

"Yes." She answered simply.

"You seem pretty sure…you're positive you're not settling?" He asked gently.

"I'm sure."

"Because I don't know if I'm ready for this. If you stepped into this relationship hoping that someday I'd give you a kid, I…"

"House." She interrupted. "I've given up on ever having my own baby, I don't even know if it's possible for me anymore. But Bella needs a mother and I want to be that for her."

House nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"And that's not why I stepped into this relationship." Cuddy replied.

House narrowed his eyes. "No? Why, then?"

Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. "Sex." She answered with a glimmer in her eyes.

House chuckled, causing Cuddy to smile.

Cuddy leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She smiled at him, her happiness returning. This time, House smiled back.

"You're gonna be a great mom, Cuddy." He told her, reassuringly.

Cuddy's smile grew bigger. "I hope so." She replied softly.

"So when does this thing happen?" House asked, running his hands over her back as they stood in the living room. "In other words, how much sex do we get to have before the kid moves in here?"

Cuddy laughed and shook her head at him, moving her hands back to his chest.

"About three weeks…I have to go through some home inspections, interviews and training before she can move in."

"We can have a lot of sex in that amount of time." He stated, looking dreamily up at the ceiling before turning his gaze back to her. "For instance, we can have celebratory sex right now and then later we can have middle of the night sex, and then after that we can have morning sex and so on…you get the idea."

"That is a very ambitious sex plan, House, and I'm not sure you have the stamina for it." Cuddy said, teasing him.

"You wanna bet, love muffin?" He replied, leaning in and kissing her lips. Giving her a breathtakingly passionate kiss.

When he pulled back, he moved down to her neck, kissing her softly. "Should I continue?"

"Most definitely." She replied breathlessly with her eyes closed, before he captured her lips once more.

* * *

12:30 AM

House lay awake in bed beside Cuddy, her left arm slung over his abdomen as she lay with her head on his shoulder. He ran his fingers over her arm and down her side soothingly. She was asleep, her warm breaths caressing his neck.

He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how things were going to change for them. He hated change, and this situation made him nervous. His relationship with Cuddy alone was a huge change for him, but after somewhat of a rocky start, it was now going great. But after everything they'd already been through, what was going to happen to their relationship now? She said she didn't expect him to give anything he wasn't ready to, but what if he wasn't ready for any of this? He never thought of having kids before or a family for that matter. He never even thought he'd be where he was right now, lying in Cuddy's bed with her arms wrapped around him. He was always too busy being miserable to have those thoughts.

House turned his head to look down at her as she slept. They had come far in their relationship in such a short amount of time. It felt like they'd been together for years instead of just a few months. He loved her. He's always loved her. He had never told her that and he wasn't sure he could voice it to her just yet, but he did love her. She had practically told him that she loved him tonight, saying that she would always want him. But despite what she'd said, he still feared getting left behind in all of this. He was afraid she'd get comfortable in her role of being a mother and decide she didn't want him after all. That maybe she wanted someone more reliable; less of a liability. He feared he'd screw everything up.

Then there was the kid. She had been through so much emotional trauma that she may never get over it. He didn't know if her being around him was a good thing; he's not the most stable individual himself. But for some reason she liked him…and he had grown to like her too. Knowing what had happened to her in the past made him want to protect her from anything ever happening to her again. He didn't know where that feeling came from. Is that what being a father was? He wouldn't know; he didn't have the greatest example of that growing up.

The kid seemed to have a great life before her parents died. He wanted her to have that back…no kid should have to go through what she has. House knew that Cuddy would give her a good life…a great life. The more time he spent with that kid, the more he found himself wanting to give her a great life as well.

This was insane…he couldn't believe he was thinking about this. But the truth was, if he _had_ ever thought of having a family…the only person he could see having one with was Cuddy. House glanced down at her sleeping form, noticing how peaceful she looked in her sleep. He moved his hand up to cup her cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you." He whispered into the darkness.

* * *

12:30 PM – The Next Day

Bella sat at the table with her head propped up in her hand, eating lunch with Emily and Samantha. Emily had been throwing looks her way for the past 30 minutes and she was sure it was because she was still mad about what had happened yesterday and the phone call Bella had overheard.

"I'm giving you your drawing stuff back…I think you've had enough time to think about what happened yesterday." Emily suddenly stated, as she ate her sandwich.

Bella nodded her head, looking down at her plate of food, not feeling very hungry.

"I hope you know I'm not mad at you, I just don't want you to feel like you have to run away from me. If you want to talk about anything I'll be glad to listen, maybe I can even help." Emily said to her kindly.

"I'm ok now." Bella answered, glancing up at Emily, trying to muster a convincing smile.

"Ok." There was a moment of silence between them as they ate. Samantha had been happily eating her chicken nuggets and watching cartoons on the small television on the kitchen counter. "Oh, Lisa called…she wanted me to let you know that she can't make it today. There was an emergency at the hospital and she can't get away."

Bella looked up at Emily with disappointment and slowly nodded her head. She had really wanted to see Lisa today. Bella wanted to make sure that she wasn't mad at her because of yesterday. She hoped that Lisa wasn't staying away because Bella had messed up and she didn't want her anymore. At that thought, Bella's fear started to grow. What if she was right and Lisa didn't want her? What if the State people were coming to take her away forever? Bella could feel her eyes beginning to tear up, but she tried to hold them back. Bella looked up at Emily.

"May I please be excused?" She asked quietly.

Emily nodded, looking sadly at her.

Bella stood up and made her way to her room, tears streaming down her face as soon as she left the kitchen. 'What had she done?' She asked herself. She had possibly messed up any chance she ever had at having a home again…especially with the one person she could ever see as being her mother.

* * *

1:12 PM

Cuddy stood in the ER stitching up a man's head wound after he'd been brought in, along with 53 other people, after a tourist bus lost control and collided with a semi causing a pile up on the interstate. That was only one crisis going on in the ER today. A classroom full of 2nd graders with food poisoning were brought in and were being taken care of as well, making it a very bad day for janitorial.

Cuddy had assigned every available doctor to the ER to treat the patients, including House, who had yet to show himself. It was chaos and she had her hands full. She had planned on going to visit Bella as usual but was unable to make it because of this sudden emergency. She had wanted to see her today after getting the news last night that her application had been approved to become Bella's foster parent.

Despite what was going on today, Cuddy was in a good mood. She had been smiling all day and was unusually giddy. She realized she'd been getting looks from some of her staff, no doubt wondering what had the Dean of Medicine in such a good mood. 'Let the rumors begin.' She thought.

As Cuddy finished with the man's stitches, Cameron walked up to the bed beside his to tend to a woman with similar injuries.

"Have you seen House?" Cuddy asked.

"Nope, not since this morning, but no surprise there, he's probably around causing his own chaos around the hospital…or hiding out." Cameron replied with a shrug.

"Yeah." Cuddy rolled her eyes, before she placed a bandage over the man's stitches.

"There you go, Mr. Gerrin, keep it covered for 48 hrs. and change the bandage everyday after that for the next 2 weeks. Keep it clean and don't let it get too dried out, use Neosporin or Vaseline on the wound before you put the bandage back on. You'll need to make an appointment with the nurse up front to have them removed in two weeks." Cuddy instructed her patient with a smile.

"Thank you." Mr. Gerrin replied, walking toward the reception desk.

Cameron looked at her with a smirk on her face. "You're in a good mood today."

"Why, because I was nice to a patient?" She asked, sarcastically.

"No, you've had that smile on your face all day…what's going on?"

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at her question. Leave it to Cameron to notice when someone was happy. "Why does something have to be going on just because I have a smile on my face?" She asked, scowling a little. "I was being nice." She reiterated.

"Ok fine, I just find it coincidental that House had the same smile on his face earlier today…and House does not smile unless there's a reason." Cameron stated.

Cuddy looked at Cameron with apprehension. "House was smiling? That's never a good sign." She said, with a frown on her face. "It usually means he's done something he's particularly proud of…and _that_ usually means he's causing trouble."

"True." Cameron nodded. "But, he looked happy…if you can imagine such a thing."

Cuddy gave Cameron a tight smile and nodded her head, not wanting to comment any further and wondering what was going on with House. She sighed. "I should go find him…make sure he's not planning to…blow up the hospital."

Cuddy turned around and headed out of the ER. She was a little nervous about what Cameron had told her. House doesn't do happy…he had to be up to something. After checking some of his usually hiding spots, she found him in coma guy's room, watching television.

"There you are." She stated with irritation. "House, I told you we needed help in the…"

"Hey, Cuddles, come for your afternoon delight?" He asked with a smirk on his face, as he leered at her. A second later he scowled. "Aren't you supposed be with the kid, right about now?"

"Don't change the subject." She replied. "House, I know this comes as surprise to you, but when you get hired somewhere you're supposed to actually do some work. Now, I need you to be a doctor and go downstairs and do your job." She spoke slowly as if talking to a child.

"Sorry, doctorin' gets in the way of my TV watchin'."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and walked over to him, trying to grab the remote from him. He yanked it away from her and held it up and as far out of reach as he could. When she failed to get it away from him, he smirked at her.

"House." She complained at him with irritation.

"Cuddy." He mimicked.

Cuddy sighed. "I talked to Cameron. She said you looked happy today, what have you been up to?"

"What, I'm not allowed to be happy?"

"I'm suspicious when your happy, House, because that normally means you're into trouble."

House stood up from the chair he was sitting in and looking down at Cuddy, towering over her. "It couldn't be that I'm happy for you that you finally got your kid?" He asked her with a serious tone.

Cuddy looked up at him, gazing into his eyes to see if he was being serious. There was a slight glimmer of mischief in them. She narrowed her eyes, not buying it. "No, because I know you'd rather poke your eyes out than show anyone that you're happy…and besides that, you have that 'I did something and I'm so proud of myself' look on your face." She replied with a smirk.

They stared each other down for a few seconds. "Are you thinking about how much you want to do me right now?" House asked.

Cuddy scowled at him. "No."

"Liar." He replied, leaning his head down to place a kiss on her lips.

She placed her hands on his chest, pushing him back. "Get downstairs." She commanded.

"I love it when you boss me around." He stated, leaning into her once more.

"House." She warned, just before she reached out and grabbed the remote control out of his hand. Cuddy stepped away from him before he realized what had happened and turned toward the door. "You'll get this back when you've done your job." She held it up in front of him.

He had a look of shock on his face. Cuddy slipped out the door, smiling at him. Before she left, she saw him reach inside his blazer and pull out another remote control. He held it up for her to see and smirked at her. Cuddy's smile faded. She let out a deep sigh, and turned around, making her way back to the ER. 'How could she be in love with such a jerk?' She mused.

* * *

3:30 PM

Bella was lying on her bed, after crying herself to sleep. She had slept for 3 hours and was now awake but hadn't moved from her bed. She lay on her stomach with her head facing the wall, buried in her pillow. Bella heard a knock on the door but didn't move or say a word. She didn't want to talk to anyone. For a moment she thought maybe Lisa had come after all, but was disappointed when she heard it was Emily.

"Bella?" Emily whispered.

Bella closed her eyes and pretended to still be asleep. She heard rustling in her room and figured out that Emily had brought her backpack with her drawing stuff, setting it on her desk. She moved over to the bed and Bella felt a blanket being placed over her body. When the door closed, Bella opened her eyes.

She felt confused. Why didn't Lisa want her anymore? Yesterday she must have been madder than she'd said she was. But Lisa had never lied to her before. Why were they taking her away again? If they took her to another home, there was a chance it would be like the last time and she would _not_ do that again. Bella's thoughts went to Greg. Would he take her? He once told her that she wouldn't like living with him, but she thought that was unlikely because she loved Greg. But since Lisa was his girlfriend, she probably wouldn't want her to live with him.

Tears began streaming down her face. 'Why was this happening?' She asked herself. Maybe she should call Lisa and talk to her about it. But if she did she didn't want to hear Lisa tell her that she doesn't want her to come live with her anymore.

Thoughts of running away again were springing up in her mind, but that was what started this whole thing to begin with. No, she would stay put until she knew exactly what she was dealing with, then if it came down to it she'd run again and never look back.

**Don't forget to review…let me know how I'm doing, i.e. does it suck? Please be constructive in your criticisms.**


	21. Chapter 20

**It's a miracle! I have a new chapter up and it's been less than a week!! WHAT?! Ok, well I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Chapter 20**

8:30 PM

Cuddy sat at her desk, reading over and signing the day's charts before she could go home for the day. It had been a very long day and she hadn't intended on staying so late, but after the day's events in the ER, she'd hardly had time to get everything else done.

She'd tried to call Bella this afternoon, but Emily said that she was napping and she didn't want to disturb her. Seeing the time, she thought she'd give it another try in hopes that Bella wasn't in bed yet. Cuddy picked up her phone and dialed the number. She heard the phone ringing and a voice pick up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hi Emily, it's Lisa. Is Bella in bed, I'd like to speak with her if she's still awake."

"Well, she's been in her room all day, I've hardly seen her. But, I'll go check." Emily replied.

Cuddy frowned, wondering if there was something wrong. Emily sounded as if she was upset at her. "Is everything ok, Emily?"

"Well, I assume you've been contacted by social services, am I right?"

"Yes, last night, my application was approved."

"And congratulations to you, but you realize that you're taking this little girl away from me, don't you? She has a great home here, I don't see why she has to be moved." Emily replied, irritated.

"Excuse me? Emily, you've been told this might happen, why do you all of sudden have a problem with this?" Cuddy asked, confusion and irritation evident in her voice as well.

"Maybe because I thought it would never happen. Lisa, you are a wonderful person, but to be a mother you have to be there for your child. You are a single woman, you run a hospital and work crazy hours everyday. Do you really think Bella needs to be raised by someone who will never be there for her?"

Cuddy was shocked into silence. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Before she could respond, Emily spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Lisa, she's already asleep. Please call back tomorrow."

Cuddy heard the click as Emily hung up the phone. She removed the handset from her ear and set it down, hanging it up. Cuddy stared across her office, not really seeing anything. She furrowed her brow, thinking that maybe Emily was right. What if Bella was better off there? A fleeting thought, quickly dismissed. "The hell she is." Cuddy said aloud in the quietness of her office. Cuddy stood up and started gathering her stuff, readying herself to go home for the night. She'd deal with this tomorrow.

* * *

_Bella stepped through the doors of the hospital, looking around for Lisa. She walked around the lobby, trying to find her. She needed to see her._

"_Lisa." She called out into the lobby full of people. "Lisa." She said again. No one turned around to help her. None of the people had faces; they were just blank, unknown people occupying the lobby. Except for one, she recognized Greg. Her eyes grew wide and she ran to him as he stood at the reception desk looking over a file._

_She yanked on his sleeve, getting his attention. "Greg." She said, happily._

_He looked at her with a blank expression, like he didn't recognize her. _

"_It's me, Bella." She said to him, patting her chest._

_He shook his head, not remembering her._

"_Bella." She repeated. "Don't you remember me?"_

_He shook his head, a scowl on his face._

_Bella furrowed her brow. 'How could he not remember me?' She asked herself._

_Bella was prepared to rattle off a list of things that they had done together, but before she could she caught a glimpse of Lisa coming out of the clinic doors. She grew very excited and ran over to her. "Lisa!" She exclaimed._

_She stopped in front of Lisa, throwing her arms around her waist excitedly._

"_What are you doing here?" Lisa asked her angrily. _

_Bella let go of her immediately, jumping at the anger in her voice._

"_I asked you a question, now what are you doing here? I don't want you here. Get out of my hospital!" Lisa screamed at her._

_Bella jumped back, frightened of Lisa's anger towards her. Bella didn't understand why she was yelling at her. What had she done?_

_Bella thought about it and remembered what had made Lisa mad at her. She'd broken a promise to her and ran away. Bella looked around the lobby. Everyone had stopped moving and if they had faces, they'd be staring at her. Bella looked back at Greg. He was staring at her, expressionless._

_She turned her head to look back at Lisa, seeing anger in her eyes._

"_Get out, I don't want you!!" She yelled again, pointing toward the door._

_Bella felt tears streaming down her face. She turned and ran out the doors. She heard footsteps running behind her, and she turned her head to see who was running after her. It was Lisa, running and yelling. "I don't want you! Get out! I don't want you!"_

_Bella covered her ears as she ran away, trying to run as fast as she could but not able to outrun the sound of Lisa's voice in her ears._

Bella awoke, screaming, her hands covering her ears. She sat up in bed, screaming as loud as she could. "No!" She screamed. "Lisa!" Bella cried out into the darkness of her bedroom.

* * *

1:15 AM – 2 minutes ago

Emily lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep out of guilt for what she had done to Lisa earlier. When she called and wanted to speak to Bella, she was so upset that Lisa was taking Bella away from her that she had lied about Bella being asleep and unable to speak on the phone.

She really liked Lisa, she was a wonderful woman, but a single woman didn't need to be raising a child when she was so focused on her career. Bella deserved the best after everything she'd been through in her life and Emily didn't think she deserved to be neglected over a woman's career. She planned on telling a judge that when she called the Social Services office tomorrow to contest the adoption.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly heard Bella screaming in her room. Emily shot out of bed and made her way down the hall to Bella's room. She opened the door to see Bella sitting up in her bed with her ears covered, screaming bloody murder.

"Bella!" Emily yelled over her screams, fearful of what had her screaming so this badly.

"Lisa!!" She cried out. "I want…" She sobbed.

"Bella, honey, what's wrong?" Emily tried to ask her.

"I want Lisa!" She exclaimed loudly.

Emily sat on the bed facing Bella, holding her arms down as her husband rushed to her side.

"What happened to her?" He asked in a panic.

"She had another nightmare, I think."

Bella tried to squirm out of Emily's grasp, screaming and crying. "Lisa! I want Lisa!" She cried.

"Bella, talk to me, I can help you. Lisa's not here, I am." Emily told her.

"No, I want Lisa!" Bella cried out again. She twisted out of Emily's grasp and backed away from her. Emily tried to grab her arms again but Bella flinched and screamed. "No!" Emily put her hands down on her lap, hurt that Bella didn't want her help.

Emily watched as Bella continued crying, curling herself into a ball.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I should call Lisa, clearly that's who she wants." Emily told him, with sadness on her face and disappointment in her voice. Apparently she had underestimated how much Bella loved Lisa.

Emily made her way to the phone and dialed Lisa's number.

* * *

1:25 AM

Cuddy woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She opened her eyes, squinting at the clock on House's nightstand. She groaned at the time displayed, reaching out for her phone.

"Hello?" She answered in a raspy voice.

"Lisa, it's Emily. Bella had a nightmare…and she's asking for you." She said softly.

Cuddy sat up in bed, the fogginess clearing away quickly at her words.

"Is she ok? Is she breathing ok?" Cuddy asked, alarmed.

"Yes, her breathing is fine, but she was screaming for you. I'd appreciate if you could come see her…she…she needs you." Emily told her. Cuddy noticed she sounded disappointed.

"I-I'll be right there."

Cuddy set her phone down and got out of bed, changing her clothes as quickly as she could. House rolled over and she looked up at him.

"Hey." She whispered. "I have to go, Bella had a nightmare."

"She ok?" He asked sleepily.

"I don't know, it sounded pretty bad."

House nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's ok, go back to sleep." She answered.

"You sure, Cuddy?"

She smiled at him, appreciating how much he was willing to be there for her and Bella. "Yeah, I'm sure." Cuddy sat down on the bed beside him, cupped his face in her hands and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "I'll be back soon."

He nodded.

Thirty minutes later, Cuddy was pulling into the driveway. She got out of her car and made her way up to the door, knocking lightly. A moment later, Emily opened the door. She looked tired, but she gave her a small smile, motioning for her to enter.

"Thank you for coming." Emily said, softly.

"Of course, how is she?" She asked as they walked up the stairs towards Bella's bedroom.

"She cried for about 15 minutes and then she got quiet, I think she might've fallen back to sleep."

Cuddy shook her head lightly. "She didn't." She told Emily with certainty.

They reached Bella's bedroom and Cuddy reached for the door handle to go in, but Emily stopped her.

"Uh, Lisa…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. I was wrong; I think you'll be a great mom to Bella and she'll have a good home with you. She clearly loves you and wants you to be her mother. I was out of line and I apologize."

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Thank you." She said gratefully.

Cuddy opened the door to Bella's room and stepped in, closing it behind her. She quietly walked over to her bed, seeing her curled up under her comforter.

"Bella?" She whispered. "Hey, it's Lisa."

Bella slowly turned her head. "Lisa?" She mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm here. Emily said you had a nightmare…are you ok, sweetie?" Cuddy asked, sitting down on the bed, facing Bella.

A sob escaped Bella's throat and she shook her head. "No." She sat up and threw her arms around Cuddy's neck. Cuddy hugged her tightly, closing her eyes as Bella cried. She simply held her and let her cry, having learned that it was the best thing for her to do when she had a bad nightmare. When she settled down after a few minutes, Cuddy loosened her hold on Bella.

"Is it Mattie?" She asked gently.

Bella shook her head.

"Then, what is it? Do you want to tell me about it?" Cuddy asked.

She slowly nodded her head, sitting back down on her bed. Bella looked down at her hands, avoiding eye contact. "Why don't you want me?" She asked quietly.

Cuddy furrowed her brow in confusion. "What? I do want you, why would you think that I don't want you, sweetheart?"

"Because I was bad and I broke my promise and ran away." She answered, tearfully. "And you didn't want to come see me yesterday, and I heard Emily say on the phone that they was taking me away again." She explained, through small sobs, her breath hitching in her throat. "And I dreamed that you was screaming at me that you didn't want me and to get away from you." She finished with another sob.

Cuddy's heart broke at Bella's words. She felt tears well up in her eyes and scooted closer to Bella.

"Sweetie, listen to me." She told her gently, lifting Bella's chin so she was looking into her eyes, wiping away her tears. "There is nothing you could ever do that would make me not want you, understand? I love you so much…more than I could ever say." She paused a moment. "Yesterday, I desperately wanted to come see you, but there was a big accident on the interstate and a lot of people got hurt so I had to stay at the hospital and help them. I was never mad at you…ok?"

Bella sniffed, and nodded her understanding. "But why are they taking me away?" She asked, still confused.

"They're not taking you away, I promise." Cuddy reassured her gently.

Bella furrowed her brow. "But I heard…on the phone, Emily said I wasn't gonna be here much longer." She explained.

"Not because they're taking you away, sweetie."

"Then…then where am I going?" She asked, with a bit of fear in her voice.

Cuddy smiled. "Well, I was going to wait to get you something and surprise you, but…the law said you could come live with me."

It took a second for the words to sink in, because Bella didn't react right away. But when she finally understood what Cuddy had said, her eyes grew wide in surprise and a huge smile broke out on her face.

"It did?" She asked, still sounding unsure. "It did?" She repeated, excitement beginning to show itself.

Cuddy laughed and nodded her head, her eyes welling up with happy tears.

"You will be my mom?" She asked, still not quite believing it.

Cuddy nodded once more, several tears spilling down her cheeks. "Yeah." She was so happy that Bella was excited and that Bella wanted her just as much as she wanted Bella.

Bella flung herself at Cuddy, throwing her arms around her neck, nearly knocking Cuddy off the bed. "Whoa." Cuddy exclaimed, with a laugh, steadying herself on the bed. Bella giggled, hugging Cuddy tighter.

After a moment, Bella let go and sat down on the bed again. "Are you taking me with you tonight?"

Cuddy's smile slowly fell from her face. "No, sweetie, you have to stay here for few more weeks until everything is finalized."

Her disappointment evident, Bella nodded. "Oh."

"If it's ok with Emily though, maybe you and I could do some shopping for your bedroom this weekend." Cuddy offered with a smile on her face, hoping it would help ease Bella's mind.

Bella smiled. "Yeah!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Good." Cuddy smiled. "Feeling better?" She asked Bella.

Bella nodded happily. "Will you stay with me a little bit longer?" She asked, after a moment.

Cuddy grinned at her question. "Sure, I'll stay until you fall asleep, ok?"

Bella nodded, laying down on her bed and getting under the comforter. She lay on her side facing Cuddy and pulled the comforter back so she could get under them with her. Cuddy lay her head on Bella's pillow, lying on her side as well. Bella scooted in closer to Cuddy and closed her eyes. Cuddy ran her fingers through Bella's hair soothingly.

"My mom used to do that too." Bella whispered.

Cuddy stilled her movements and looked down at Bella with sorrow. "I'm sorry, I won't do it if you don't want me to." She whispered in response.

"No, I like it, it reminds me of her." Bella said, opening her eyes and looking at Cuddy.

"I don't want to make you sad."

"It don't make me sad." Bella reassured her.

"Ok." Cuddy responded, soothingly combing through her hair again.

Bella closed her eyes again, sighing softly. They were quiet for several minutes and Cuddy thought Bella had gone to sleep, but she spoke again.

"Lisa?" Bella whispered.

"Yeah." She whispered back.

"Um…am I supposed to call you mom, now?" She asked shyly, opening her eyes and looking up at Cuddy.

Cuddy was surprised by her question and she didn't quite know what to say. She was silent for a moment trying to think of what to tell her. Finally, she spoke softly in answer to her question.

"Bella, you don't have to call me that unless you're comfortable doing so. I honestly haven't thought about it. I will love being your mom, whether you call me that or not, ok?"

Bella nodded. "I want to…but I don't know if I can yet. I don't want to forget about my mom, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Cuddy responded, placing a kiss on her forehead. "When you're ready."

"Ok."

With that, Bella seemed to fall asleep immediately. Her breathing changed, and she relaxed her body, almost melting into Cuddy. Cuddy closed her eyes as she continued to comb her fingers through Bella's hair. She thought about Bella's question some more. Cuddy was telling the truth when she said she'd never thought about Bella calling her Mom. To be honest, she thought it might be a little strange to hear that right now. They needed time before that could happen, because they didn't know each other in that capacity yet. She didn't know how long it would take and she didn't care. Cuddy was just happy that she finally had a daughter.

* * *

4:38 AM

House was asleep in his bed, when he suddenly awoke to a pair of arms wrapping around his body from behind him. He turned his head to see Cuddy press her body close to him and place a light kiss on his neck.

"That was fast." He mumbled, groggily.

"I was gone for over 2 hours, House." She whispered to him, settling in behind him.

"Oh…are you sure? Seems like you just left."

He felt her smile into his neck. "I'm pretty sure, unless I was abducted by aliens and I'm experiencing missing time."

"That's not unlikely." He mumbled. "Did I miss a cat fight between you and Emily? Did you kick her ass?"

Cuddy chuckled. "You didn't miss anything…she actually apologized."

"Damn right she did, cuz she knew you'd kick her flabby stay-at-home-mom ass."

Cuddy laughed at him, tightening her arms around him.

"The kid ok?" House asked after a moment.

"She is now." Cuddy responded, sighing softly. "I told her." She whispered.

House scowled and opened his eyes. He turned around to face Cuddy. "Was that a good idea? I mean to tell her now and then make her wait for 3 weeks?" He asked.

Cuddy shrugged. "She needed to know…she thought I didn't want her anymore."

"Why the hell would she think that?" House asked, caressing his hand over her back.

"She thought I was mad that she ran away and the fact that I didn't go see her yesterday made her think that I didn't want to. Plus she overheard Emily's phone call from social services." Cuddy sighed and frowned, looking at House. "She thought they were taking her away again."

House nodded. "You're right, she needed to know, because her next step would've been to get the hell out of Dodge."

Cuddy nodded in agreement. A smile spread over her face, after a moment of silence between them. "We're going shopping on Saturday."

"Ohhh too bad, I have an appointment to have my brain sucked out by those aliens that abducted you earlier." He said with sarcasm.

"Not you and me, you idiot; me and Bella. I'm taking her shopping for her new bedroom." Cuddy replied around a chuckle and rolled her eyes.

"Oh good, I can cancel that appointment then." House replied. "I'm very fond of my brain."

"Well someone should be." Cuddy responded, with a smirk on her face.

"I knew you only wanted me for my body." He replied sarcastically, moving his hand down to her ass.

Cuddy chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "I told you I was in this for the sex."

House gave her a smack on the ass. "Well then, who am I to disappoint?" He asked, leaning in and kissing her. He rolled her over onto her back, kissing her with passion. She kissed him back, placing her left hand on his head, her right moving over his back.

He pulled back, looking into her eyes. "Are you having sex with me so you can try and talk me into shopping with you two on Saturday?"

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at him. "No. I hear enough of your whining at work, I don't need to hear it on weekends too." She smirked.

"Good, glad we're on the same page." He agreed, kissing down her neck.

"But if the weather's nice, I think it'd be fun to have a picnic at the park over by my place. Bella would enjoy that." She added.

House had moved his hand under her sweater, making his way to her breast when he suddenly stopped his movements and lifted his head, frowning at her. "No thanks."

Cuddy moved her hand down to his crotch. "Are you sure?"

House gasped. "Ahhhh, yeah…I'm-I'm pretty sure."

"You don't sound too sure." She smirked, narrowing her eyes with doubt.

House closed his eyes. 'Damn her and her skilled hands.' He thought. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his crotch, moving it above her head. He pinned her down to the mattress, smirking down at her. "That was mean."

Cuddy shrugged and chuckled at him. "You liked it, though."

"That's beside the point." He paused for a moment, a thought forming in his head. "I'll go if you give me back my remote."

She scowled at him. "What? What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

He shrugged. "I want my remote back."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Why, you have another one, what's so special about this one?"

"It has sentimental value…it belonged to my Great Great Great Great Granpa." He stated.

She laughed. "Before TV's, much less remote controls, were even invented?"

"Yes…he was ahead of his time." House leaned down, scrapping his stubbly chin over the ticklish part of her neck. It came in very handy and he used this method of torture to his advantage often, ever since he'd discovered this ticklish spot existed.

She laughed harder. "Stop…stop it." She said in between laughs.

"Are you going to give it back?" He asked, chuckling at her as she writhed under him, trying to get away.

She stopped laughing and took a breath, still grinning at him. "Tell me why you want it?"

"I could do this forever, you should just give in now." He leaned down, ready to go again. "Are you sure you want to keep this up?" He asked as his chin hovered above her neck, giving her a chance to give up.

"Does the remote have something to do with the trouble you've been causing in the hospital and why you looked so pleased with yourself yesterday?"

"Who said I've been causing trouble?" He asked, looking up with suspicion. 'Wilson better not have ratted him out or he'd find himself with a cane up his ass tomorrow'. He thought.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at him. "So you have been causing trouble? What have you done?"

"Nothing…I just want to know who's been spreading dirty, filthy lies about me?"

She laughed again. "Like you care."

"True, I don't care. So what's it going to be? More tickle tickle or remote control?" He asked, threatening her by lowering his chin again.

"You'll meet us for lunch on Saturday?"

"We can still have sex?"

"Oh so you want your remote and sex?"

"Duh." He shrugged and scowled as if it were obvious.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "This deal somehow doesn't seem fair…but fine, you can have your stupid remote control, but if I find out you've been up to something in the hospital, I'll have your ass…and not in the good way."

House smirked. "Don't worry, any way you have my ass is the good way."

Cuddy shook her head and grinned at him. "Say you'll meet us for lunch."

"I'll meet you for lunch."

"Promise me, you'll meet us for lunch _on Saturday_." She specified.

"I promise. Now will you give me my remote back?"

"It's in my bag." She stated, trying to point her finger but he still had her hands pinned to the mattress.

House looked down at her and narrowed his eyes, ready to protest, but he finally got up and went to scrounge in her bag to find his remote that she'd taken from him. She had taken the remote that controls all of the televisions in the entire hospital and he'd been trying to get it back all day but she had hidden it well. When he found it, he smiled. 'Victory.' He thought.

When he looked behind him at Cuddy, she had turned her back and had snuggled under the covers, like she was going back to sleep. House frowned.

"Hey, you promised me sex." He said, stashing his remote where she couldn't find it and making his way back to bed.

"No I didn't, I said you could have your remote back."

He climbed in bed, moving over to her. "Come on, you know you want to get with this sexy bod."

She chuckled. "Well, it is pretty sexy." She said, turning to face him.

"Damn right, it is." He said, kissing her.

* * *

8:00 AM – 2 Days Later

Cuddy pulled into the driveway at the James Residence to pick Bella up to go shopping. They had made plans to spend the day together and she was excited to be able to spend an entire day as opposed to the few hours a day she usually got to see her. Cuddy couldn't wait until Bella moved in with her so they could have as much time to spend with each other as they wanted.

It was a beautiful spring day and the temperature was perfect for what she had planned for the day. She had made House promise to meet them at the park near her house at lunchtime so they could have a picnic together. He wasn't thrilled, but he'd agreed, having gotten his precious remote control back. She really needed to find out what that was about.

Cuddy got out of the car and walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell. Bella answered the door with an excited smile on her face, carrying her backpack that she took with her everywhere she went. Emily came up behind her with a smile as well.

"Good morning." Cuddy said, smiling at Bella and Emily.

"Morning. Come on let's go!" Bella exclaimed, grabbing on to Cuddy's hand.

"Hold on, sweetie." She chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Emily, I'll have her back this evening." Cuddy said, looking up at Emily.

"Take your time…have fun, Bella."

"I will." She smiled up at Emily and waved. "Come on." Giving Cuddy's hand yank.

"Bye." Cuddy chuckled, shaking her head.

They walked to her car hand in hand and Cuddy unlocked the passenger side door in the back for Bella.

"Can't I sit in front with you?"

"Sorry, sweetie, it's safer for you in the back seat."

With disappointment, Bella got in and buckled her seatbelt. Cuddy made her way to the driver side and got settled, starting the engine. She turned her head to look at Bella.

"Ready?" She asked with an excited smile.

Bella nodded her head with a smile of her own. "Where are we going?"

"Well, I thought we could go look at some bedroom furniture first and you could pick out what color you want your bedroom to be so we could buy the bedding and some other things for your room. And later if you want we could pick out paint for your walls."

"I want blue…I like blue, it's my favorite." Bella told her excitedly.

"Ok, blue it is then." She smiled, pulling out of the driveway.

* * *

8:45 AM

Bella held on to Lisa's hand as they walked together into the furniture store. She felt a little intimidated by all of this because she didn't know what to expect and had never shopped for furniture before. Her parents had bought her furniture when she was really little, so she had never picked out her own stuff. When they walked in, she saw beds and dressers and other furniture spread out all over the store. Bella's eyes scanned the store, seeing all the different selections.

Lisa looked down at her with a smile.

"What do think?"

Bella raised her eyebrows. "It's a lot. Do I just pick one?"

Lisa's smile grew and she nodded. "Let's walk around first and if you see something you like we'll stop and talk about it."

Bella nodded.

They walked around for a few minutes and Bella pointed to a few that she liked but none that she loved. She didn't want to be too picky but Lisa kept telling her that she would have this for a long time so it had to be something she could live with for years. They walked around the whole store, but Bella didn't really love any of the ones she'd seen. She had a doubtful look on her face when Lisa asked her, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Bella shrugged.

"You don't have to choose from this store, honey, there are a lot of other places we can go, ok? You don't have to feel embarrassed or afraid to tell me you don't like something…I won't be mad. This is your day, I want you pick whatever you want."

Bella nodded. "I don't like none of those." She said quietly, with a crease in her brow.

"Ok, let's go. I know of another place you might like better." Lisa said, placing her arm around Bella's shoulder and leading her out of the store.

The next place they went was a million times better. As soon as they walked in, Bella's eyes went wide at all the different choices she had. This was a kid's only furniture store and she loved this place. When Bella first saw the name of the store, she didn't know why they were going in a place that sold pottery to look for furniture. On top of that, the place didn't look like no barn.

Bella looked up at Lisa. "I love this place but, how come it's called Pottery Barn?" She asked with an eye roll.

Lisa laughed. "I'm not sure."

Her excitement was growing as she scanned the store and already saw several different sets she liked. Bella grabbed Lisa's hand, leading her to one of them.

"This one's pretty."

"I like it. It will look good in a room with blue walls."

Bella nodded in agreement.

They looked at that set for a few minutes and moved on to others that Bella liked. They spent over an hour in that store, but ultimately, they decided to look in the catalogue for even more choices. Once they'd ordered the one she liked, they picked out accessories and other items Bella wanted for her bedroom. Lisa was good about not letting her pick things she didn't think she'd need, but she would occasionally let her have something just because she liked it. They didn't pick out any art for the walls because Lisa said she could make her own and Bella loved that idea.

The sales lady that was helping them was nice; she had called Bella Lisa's daughter several times and she found she really liked hearing it. She couldn't wait until she got to live with her forever.

Once they had everything they needed, they left the furniture store and went to pick out a few color swatches for the walls in her new bedroom. They spent another hour looking at paint samples. When they left the paint store, Lisa said she had a surprise for her.

"You got me more stuff?" Bella asked with surprised confusion.

"Well this is more like a person than a present." She explained.

Bella scowled, not understanding.

"How would feel about meeting House at the park for a picnic?" Lisa asked her.

Bella looked at Lisa with excitement. "Yeah!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down.

They returned to the car and were soon on their way to Lisa's house. A sudden thought popped into Bella's mind. 'It would soon be her house too.'

**To Be Continued…**

**Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter! Don't forget to review this one.**


	22. Chapter 21

**Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted my last chapter! I'm so sorry, guys, it's just been harder recently to get it posted any sooner. One of these days I will get ahead on this story and post more often than this…I vow it!!! To make up for it, though, this chapter is extra long so I hope you guys enjoy. Anyway, as always I want to thank everyone who has posted a review. You guys are the best and thank you for reading!!**

**Chapter 21**

12:00 PM

Cuddy pulled into the driveway of her home. She was surprised to see House's motorcycle in her driveway already. She couldn't believe he was on time. She and Bella got out of the car. Cuddy moved to the trunk to get the shopping bags out, when she noticed Bella standing beside the car looking at the motorcycle. She appeared to be in deep thought as she stared at it.

"Is that Greg's motorcycle?" Bella asked softly with some curiosity in her tone.

"Yep."

"Oh." She replied with surprise in her voice, just before she tilted her head to the side with a confused expression on her face.

"I'll let House show you where he keeps his cane." Cuddy said, answering the question she knew Bella was asking in her mind.

Bella smirked. Suddenly she frowned, looking up at Cuddy. "It don't hurt him to ride it?" She asked.

"I don't think so. He wouldn't do it if it did."

Bella nodded, satisfied with her answer. A huge smile suddenly overtook her face. "I can't wait to see Splat!!" She said excitedly, snapping out of whatever thoughts she was having a minute ago about the motorcycle. "I bet he's huge now."

Cuddy laughed. "He's grown some more, but I wouldn't say he's huge."

They walked up to the door and Cuddy opened it, allowing Bella in ahead of her.

"House?" Cuddy called out.

She peeked in the living room, knowing she'd find him there watching TV. Sure enough, he sat on the couch, eating chips with his legs propped up on her coffee table.

"Hey, love mu-…" He started to say, until he saw Bella beside her with a bunch of shopping bags in her hands and huge smile on her face. "Geez, kid, did you buy out the place?" He looked at Bella with a raised eyebrow.

Bella giggled. "Hi, Greg!" She set her bags down on the floor by the door and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck, nearly crunching the bag of chips in his hands. He placed the crinkled bag on the coffee table and glanced up at Cuddy, moving his arms slowly around Bella. Cuddy smiled sweetly at him in silent encouragement. He still seemed to be uncomfortable when Bella showed that much excitement at seeing him, even though they had spent a lot of time together in the past. Cuddy figured it had to do with the fact that she was soon going to be a permanent presence in her life. Maybe he still felt threatened on some level, she wasn't sure.

Bella released him and sat down next to him, scooting over until she was right up against him. She looked up and smiled at him. Cuddy almost laughed at the look on House's face. She noticed he tried to scoot over on the couch a little so Bella wasn't crowding him, but she just moved over again.

"Where's Splat?" She asked, tilting her head up to look at House.

House turned his head toward her. "Don't know…I shooed his furry butt out of the room." He replied, picking up the bag of chips and popping one in his mouth.

Bella scowled at him. "He don't bite, you know?" She rolled her eyes. "Are you 'fraid of him?"

House narrowed his eyes and Cuddy laughed at Bella's questioning accusation.

"I'm not afraid of anything." He answered.

"Except cats." She interjected, with amusement.

"Am not." He answered.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am n-…"

"Oh my god." Cuddy interrupted their argument, rolling her eyes.

They both turned their heads in her direction, then turned to look at each other again, smirking at each other.

Cuddy sighed loudly, setting her bags down next to the other ones. "When did you get here?" She asked House, changing the subject before they could continue their little battle with each other.

"An hour ago." He answered as he continued eating his chips.

"House, we're having lunch in a little while, why are you eating now?"

"You're her mom, Cuddy, not mine." He said, nodding his head toward Bella. "Now, if _she_ were spoiling her lunch, then you could nag."

Cuddy shook her head with a grin on her face, not able to keep from smiling at what he'd said about her being Bella's mom. Bella looked back and forth between them.

"Come on, sweetie, let's go put this stuff in your room." Cuddy said, smiling at Bella.

Bella stood up and turned toward House. She grabbed his arm and tried pulling him up. "Come see what I got."

"No thanks, I'm not a girl, I don't care." House replied.

"I don't care that you don't care, come see it anyway." She demanded, with raised eyebrows.

Cuddy laughed. "I guess she told you."

House looked around Bella, toward Cuddy. "Cuddy, you're rubbin' off on this kid…I don't like it, we don't need another bossy, control freak in the world."

"Come. On." Bella insisted, pulling on his arm again, ignoring him and proving his point.

House rolled his eyes. "Fine, but only because I know how you bossy types are…you never let up until you get what you want." He stated with a smart aleck smirk, causing Cuddy to glare at him.

House stood up, placing his chips on the coffee table and making his way over to where Cuddy was standing by the entrance to the living room. Bella followed him and she bent down to pick up her shopping bags, ready to carry them to her new bedroom. House leaned down and placed a kiss on Cuddy's lips. "Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." She responded with a smile, tasting the saltyness on his lips from the chips he'd been eating.

Bella looked at them and scrunched up her face. "Ew." She said.

House looked down at her. "Get used to it." He smirked, and kissed Cuddy again. Bella rolled her eyes.

"House." Cuddy mildly scolded him, pushing him back a little. House grinned at her with mischief in his eyes. Knowing he was only trying to push Bella's buttons, she ignored him and picked up the rest of the bags, leading the way to Bella's room.

About a month ago, as Cuddy was waiting for her application to foster Bella to go through, she had decided to finally get rid of the furniture and other purchases she'd made in preparation of bringing Joy home all those months ago. She was a little wary of buying anything for Bella though, until she knew for sure that this was going to work out. She couldn't handle another heartbreak like the last one. The room was now empty, the walls were still painted the soft yellow that she had picked out for Joy, but now, it was ready for Bella instead.

Bella stepped into the room, looking around with a smile on her face. She looked up at Cuddy. "I love it."

Cuddy's smile grew, happy that Bella was excited about her room, especially considering that her room at the James' house was a lot bigger.

Bella walked into the middle of the room, set her bags down and began removing the purchases they'd made. Most of it was bedding, which Cuddy couldn't do anything with until the bed arrived. But Bella wanted to show House everything, so she spent about 20 minutes going through every item in each bag. Cuddy watched House with amusement, she knew he hated this but she was proud of him for his patience in listening to Bella show and describe everything and where they could be placed when her furniture arrived.

Cuddy had excused herself about halfway through Bella's show and tell, making her way to the kitchen to get their lunches ready to take to the park. She was smiling, still able to hear Bella talking to House on her way to the kitchen. She loved watching House with her; he was playful, going along with _her_ playfulness, but, shockingly, still managed to be an adult at the same time, not letting Bella get into any serious trouble. He would be a good father, even if he didn't realize it. That was what had surprised her in all of this. She had never thought of House as the fatherly type. Sure, she had thought of asking him to donate sperm during her IVF attempts, and nearly did one day; but she couldn't bring herself to do it then. She had always figured he didn't want kids because he hated them or didn't want the responsibility. She knew he was somewhat good with them, having witnessed him with a few children in the clinic on occasion, but he never seemed interested in having one of his own. And these last few months, watching him with Bella, she was able to see firsthand how truly wonderful he is with kids.

As she made their sandwiches for the picnic, she heard House come into the kitchen, interrupting her thoughts. "Did she show you everything?" She asked, teasingly, turning her head toward him as he walked in.

"Not only did she show me everything she got, I even saw the catalog she whipped out of the bag so she could show me what she _didn't_ get." He answered, as he leaned against the counter next to her.

Cuddy laughed. "She's just excited." She looked up at him. "Thank you, House."

He frowned, shaking his head in confusion at what she was thanking him for.

"For listening to her…letting her show you everything. It's important to her to know what you think."

He rolled his eyes. "I have no idea why, it's not like I'm the best roll model for a kid."

Cuddy smiled sweetly. "You are when you want to be. You're good with her and she loves you."

His lips quirked into a smile, glancing down at the counter and scooting in closer to her. "She's a good kid." He replied softly.

She nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, she is." Cuddy smiled at him. "Where is she?" She asked, suddenly frowning in question to Bella's whereabouts.

"I think she went hunting." He answered with a smirk. "For the fur ball." He added in answer to her questioning scowl.

A few moments later they both heard Bella's footsteps in the dining room. "I found him." She declared, entering the kitchen. "He was under your bed and I had to crawl under to get him." She told Cuddy.

Cuddy turned around to see Bella cradling Splat in her arms. "Yeah, he likes it under there for some reason." Cuddy commented.

She turned around and continued making their lunches, as Bella made her way to sit at the small table in her kitchen with Splat in her lap. A moment later Bella spoke up again. "Greg, can I ride on your motorcycle with you?"

Cuddy looked up at House with panic etched all over her face. House returned her stare with a smirk. She glared at him, threatening him silently, daring him to say yes and live to tell about it. Thankfully, Bella couldn't see her, having her back to her as she sat at the table. He turned his attention to Bella.

"Sorry, kiddo…maybe when your older." He told her.

She nodded with disappointment. "Can I just sit on it?" She asked with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"It's up to her, kid." House replied, pointing at Cuddy.

Cuddy looked over at Bella as she looked up at her hopefully. She felt like this was one of the many moments she'd have to make these sorts of decisions. Most of the time, they would probably have disappointing outcomes for Bella. So this time, not thinking there would be any harm in sitting on the motorcycle, Cuddy nodded her head. A huge smile instantly overtook Bella's face.

"Thanks, Lisa!" She exclaimed, standing up from her seated position at the kitchen table and setting Splat down on the floor. She walked over to House and took hold of his hand.

"Yeah, thanks, Lisa!" House mocked with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy chuckled, shaking her head. "Hurry it up, I'm almost finished here, and I'll be ready to go."

"Yes, Mommy." House answered sarcastically. Bella giggled as they made their way out of the house.

* * *

Bella held onto Greg's hand as they walked out the front door. She was having so much fun today and she couldn't wait until this was her life everyday.

"Greg?"

"Yeah."

"Do you live here now?" She asked.

"Nope."

"But you're here all the time?"

"Most of the time." He answered.

"Good." She said happily.

"Why?" He questioned, looking down at her as he removed his helmet from the handlebars of the bike.

"Cuz I like when we spend time together." She responded with a shrug.

Bella noticed he seemed surprised that she'd said that, but she wasn't sure why. In her eyes, he was the best. He always played with her and talked to her like she was older, not a kid. He was funny and a smartass; she liked that about him a lot. She sort of wished he would marry Lisa so he could be Bella's dad, but she didn't want to push her luck. Things were going great for her, now that she was getting a mom, and she didn't want to mess anything up.

"Alright, kid, put this on." He handed Bella the helmet.

"It don't fit." She scowled, as she held the heavy object in her hands.

"Just put it on."

Bella shrugged and placed the helmet on her head. It was huge and it swallowed her entire head. Greg laughed at her when she looked up at him, causing her to smile and giggle in return. She could hardly see out of it and she squealed when he picked her up and placed her on top of the bike. She held on tight; afraid she might slip off. He placed one hand on the bike so it wouldn't topple over with her on top of it.

"How does it work?" She asked, her voice muffled by the helmet.

"Yeah, like I'm going tell you that. You're too smart, kid, I wouldn't put it past you to steal it from me." He snarked.

"I can't even reach the handle bars, stupid." She declared as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Hey, smartass, don't make me tell Cuddy about the time you snuck into her office to rifle through her desk looking for that remote control she stole from you."

Bella scowled at him, having no idea what he was talking about. "I never did that." She exclaimed.

"Oh right, that was me. I couldn't think of anything to threaten you with."

Bella rolled her eyes again. She reached out to touch and look at all of the gauges and dials on the front of the bike. When she first got there and she saw the motorcycle in the driveway, she was surprised because she didn't know that Greg had one. It had brought up certain memories of Mattie. He loved motorcycles and he had always wanted one, but their Dad said it was too dangerous and he was too young to have one. Bella never liked them much, but now that Mattie was gone, she liked them a lot because they helped her remember him in a good way. It was one of the things that she would try to think about when she had nightmares about him and struggled to get the bad images out of her head.

"Mattie would've loved this." She mumbled to herself. She looked up at Greg, wondering if he'd heard her. He had, and he looked stunned by her comment. She lowered her gaze back to the bike. Normally she would've changed the subject but instead, she said, "He was my brother." There was silence between them for a moment and all you could hear were the birds singing and a light rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through the trees.

Greg nodded. "I know." He said softly. "How old was Mattie?" He then asked, gently lifting the face shield on the helmet.

"14." She responded, lightly running her fingers over the motorcycle.

"A lot older than you." He commented.

Bella nodded. "He always used to tell me I was unanticipated." She said, a hint of a grin on her face. "I always got mad when he said that cuz I thought he was calling me retarded or something, but he wasn't. He just meant I was a surprise." She shrugged. "I had to look it up." She told him, turning her gaze back to Greg.

Greg smirked and nodded, but thankfully, he didn't ask her anymore questions. Bella started to take the helmet off but Greg stopped her.

"Hang on." He said, taking his cell phone with a mischievous smirk. He took a picture of her with his camera phone and then snapped his cane onto the bike, throwing his leg over the seat. He straddled the motorcycle with Bella sitting in front of him. Greg reached around her, putting the key in the ignition, ready to start it up.

"You said I can't ride with you till I'm older."

"We're not going for a ride, kid, I just want to freak Cuddy out."

He started the bike, roaring the engine to life. About 10 seconds later, Lisa came running out the front door.

Bella could feel the vibration of Greg's laughter against her back, barely hearing it over the roar of the engine. When she saw the surprised and horrified look on Lisa's face, she began to laugh too. When Lisa realized what Greg had done and saw them laughing at her, she placed her hand over her heart and walked over to them. She looked pretty upset, so Bella stopped laughing, and she could only hide her smile of amusement because of the helmet she wore. Greg revved the engine again, still laughing at Lisa.

"House, you scared me to death, you jackass!" She yelled, smacking his arm.

"Hey! It was just a joke, potty mouth." He yelled back, flinching when she hit him, but continued to laugh at her.

"Turn it off!" She demanded.

Greg revved the engine one more time, probably to piss her off more. He really seemed to like doing that. Finally, he turned the key, killing the engine. Bella took the helmet off of her head. "It was his idea." Bella told Lisa, and pointed her finger at Greg.

"Thanks a lot, Benedict."

Bella looked at him with confusion. "What's a Benedict?"

"You are, traitor." Greg replied with a smirk, taking the helmet from her.

"Come on, sweetie, go wash up so we can leave in a few minutes."

Lisa helped her off the bike and she ran to the front door, turning around to see if Lisa was going to yell at Greg some more. 'He is in so much trouble.' She thought, walking inside the house and heading for the bathroom to wash her hands.

* * *

Cuddy glared at House. She sighed loudly at him as he smirked at her.

"Jerk." She said, with a hint of amusement.

House grinned at her. "You know you love it when I piss you off."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I think you're confused…_you_ love to piss me off, I don't love to be pissed off. Now get off your crotch rocket and let's go, I'm starving." Stepping away from him and turning around to walk back into the house.

"Hey." House called out to her before she got too far. He held his hand out for her to take.

She walked back to him, looking at him suspiciously. "What?" She asked, taking hold of his hand. He pulled her to him gently until she was standing right up against his bike. He moved his arm around her waist, holding her close to him.

"Ride with me sometime?" He asked softly.

She looked at him, with surprise. Cuddy thought about it for second, thinking it might fun. She hadn't ridden on the back of a motorcycle with a guy in ages, probably since college. She's never ridden with House before though; this could be interesting.

"Maybe." She answered, her lips curling into a half smile.

House grinned at her. "Is this that thing you do when you really want to do something, but you pretend not to want to because you don't want me to see how excited you are to do it?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I could live with not riding on your motorcycle, House."

"You could, but you'd regret it cuz you really want to ride with me." He said, pulling her closer. "Come on, you know you want to." He whispered in her ear.

Cuddy felt a smile tug at her lips. She pulled back so she could look into his eyes. "Ok, I'll ride with you, but don't you dare do anything stupid on that thing or I'll never ride with you again."

"Cuddy, I would never do anything to hurt you." He told her softly, kissing her lips, as if to seal his promise to her.

Cuddy smiled at him. "I know you wouldn't." She replied, kissing him. House brought his hand up, moving a stray curl behind her ear that the wind had blown in her face. She held her smile, looking into his eyes. She took his hand in hers and placed light kiss on his palm. "Did Bella like sitting on your bike?" She asked softly.

"I'd like it if _you_ sat on my bike." He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "And by bike, I of course mean, my penis."

Cuddy narrowed her eyes. "You are so romantic."

"Thanks, I pride myself in my romance skills."

"Yeah well, they need some work."

House smirked, pinching her ass and causing her to flinch. She sighed. "Come on, Casanova, let's get to the park."

* * *

1:30 PM

Cuddy, House and Bella sat on a blanket in the park a few blocks from Cuddy's house. Cuddy was handing Bella a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as House piled more meat onto his sandwich, not happy with the little that Cuddy had given him.

"Seriously Cuddy, have you ever fixed a sandwich before?" House asked. "I mean, I know you only eat rabbit food but you should learn how to fix a man a sandwich."

"Well, if I knew you were going to complain the whole time I would've let you fix your own."

"I like my sandwich, peanut butter is the best." Bella commented with a peanut butter and jelly stained mouth.

House looked up at her. "Suck up."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Don't you two start again." Cuddy interrupted before they could get too far into their argument.

Finished preparing his sandwich, House held it up for Cuddy to see. He had it piled with turkey, ham, and roast beef along with lettuce, tomato and cheese. It had to be a good 3 or 4 inches thick. "Now this is a sandwich."

"Just your size too, I know you'll have no trouble getting that thing in your big mouth." Cuddy looked at the monstrous sandwich in his hand.

"As I recall last night, Cuddles, you had no complaints with my big mouth when I…"

"House, shut up." She hissed at him, glancing at Bella to see if she was listening to their conversation. Bella stared at them, munching on her PB & J sandwich but seemingly oblivious to what House was talking about, thankfully. She sighed. She couldn't believe he would say something so inappropriate in front of Bella. "Eat your sandwich." She mumbled, scowling at him.

"What? I was just going to say that you had no complaints with my big mouth when I…blew up all those balloons for the cancer kids in the hospital." He replied with a smartass smirk, looking straight at Cuddy with mischief in his eyes.

Cuddy glared at him. "Right." She shook her head in disbelief at him.

House smirked at her, opening his mouth and dramatically biting into his sandwich. Bella giggled when the juices from the tomato trickled down his chin. Cuddy rolled her eyes.

Sometime later, after they had finished their lunches and Cuddy had cleaned up after them placing everything back into the cooler in the car, House lay on the blanket with his eyes closed listening to his iPod as Bella played on the swings. Cuddy was pushing her even though she didn't really need the help. The park was filled with children of various ages playing on the playground, some parents actively playing with their kids and others sitting on park benches being completely uninvolved with their children.

"Can I go play on the monkey bars?" Bella asked.

"Sure you can…just be careful. I'm going to go sit with House."

"Ok." Bella replied, jumping off the swing and running to the monkey bars where there were a few kids her age playing.

Cuddy watched her a moment, smiling as Bella watched another little girl playing on the monkey bars, before she made her way to sit beside House. As she walked up to him, he looked like he was asleep, but she knew he wasn't. Once she was seated, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek. He opened one eye and stared up at her, a small grin on his face.

"Where's the kid?" He asked, removing one of the ear buds from his ear.

"Monkey bars. I think she wanted to play with the kids her age. Maybe she'll make a friend."

House nodded in agreement. He leaned up on his elbows, looking over at Bella on the playground.

"House, you really need to watch what you say in front of Bella, I can't believe you almost…" Cuddy stopped herself, not wanting to get upset.

House chuckled. "Cuddy, I wasn't going to say anything…I just do that to mess with you, you know that."

Cuddy shook her head. "Yeah, well, one of these days you're going to say something and she's going to hear it and then I'm stuck explaining it. Just…watch what you say."

House looked over at her, narrowing his eyes. "Fine." He turned his head back to the playground and they sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the sound of the children playing and enjoying the sunshine and light breeze in the air.

House sat up, placing his iPod back in his pocket. He glanced over at Cuddy.

"Her brother was 14 when he died, Cuddy."

Not expecting that, Cuddy turned her head in surprise at him. "What…How do know? You found the police report?"

"She told me." He answered simply, with a bit of surprise in his tone. "I don't why…she just…I think my bike reminded her of him. She said he loved 'em and I asked how old he was. I was surprised she answered me."

Cuddy stared at him in shock. She couldn't believe Bella had talked about Mattie. Bella had never wanted to talk about him before. Cuddy understood why, given how he had died and her having witnessed it. She didn't know what to say, she was so shocked. Maybe Bella was getting to a point where she couldn't bottle it up anymore and she needed to talk about it, or maybe it was the fact that she wasn't being pushed to talk about it. Cuddy didn't really know. Bella had opened up to her more in the last few weeks, but she was surprised that she'd spoken to House about Mattie. In truth, she selfishly wanted to be the one that Bella opened up to about everything, but she couldn't complain, knowing how traumatic her life has been and just feeling relieved to have her talk about any of it at all. It didn't matter with whom.

"Did you ask her anything else?"

House shook his head. "I was afraid she'd clam up again, I didn't want to push her."

Cuddy nodded. "Well, the fact that she's talking about him at all is…huge."

House nodded. "I think it has to do with stability. It's why she's talking at all..and not just to you and I, to most everyone now. I mean, look at her, she's playing and talking and laughing like a kid her age should. She's not on her own anymore so she feels safe. Her brother was all she had left in the world, Cuddy, and when he died…her world shut down. Think of the way you found her, there was nothing and no one to answer to anymore…until now." He glanced at her. "She has you now, Cuddy, she feels safe again."

Cuddy's eyes welled up with tears, as she smiled over at him. "Yeah. She feels safe with you too, you know?"

He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.

Cuddy placed her hand on his thigh reassuringly. "She wouldn't have talked to you about Mattie if she didn't, House." She told him softly.

House grinned at her comment, accepting what she'd told him. They looked at each other for another moment or two before House spoke again.

"You want to move that hand up a few more inches and make Little Greg happy?" He asked her with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy laughed, removing her hand from his thigh. "Not in public, I don't."

"Damn." He muttered.

* * *

20 minutes ago

"Can I go play on the monkey bars?" Bella asked.

"Sure you can…just be careful. I'm going to go sit with House." Lisa told her.

"Ok."

Bella jumped off the swing, running toward the monkey bars. She had been watching some of the other kids playing and felt like joining them. She hadn't played with other kids in ages, probably since before her parents died. Bella used to have lots of friends before her world fell apart. Now that she was finally getting a new life and felt almost like she did before everything happened, Bella wanted to make some new friends.

Bella watched as a girl her age climbed up and grabbed onto the bars, making her way across without faltering. When she got to the end, she jumped down and turned to the boy that had followed closely behind her. The girl had black hair that matched her eyes and looked like she was from Japan or China but she didn't have an accent and the boy was skinny with blonde hair and green eyes. Bella wondered if he'd ever been introduced to a brush, because his hair was in his eyes and was sticking out every which way.

"You were supposed to wait till I was done." The girl said to the boy with irritation.

"Shut up, I can go whenever I want, you don't own the monkey bars." The boy replied, running off to do it again.

"That was really good, how did you do that without letting go? Don't that hurt your hands?" Bella asked the girl.

The girl turned her head to her, just realizing that Bella was standing there. She shrugged. "It used to, but now it don't."

"Oh. Well, I was watching and you did better than him." Bella told the girl, pointing over at the boy she had been talking to.

The girl smiled. "Do you want to try it?"

Bella smiled and nodded her head. They both made their way to the ladder. The girl turned to Bella. "I'm Maya." She introduced herself, turning around as she made her way up the ladder.

"I'm Bella." She responded.

"I'll show you how to do it and then you can copy me." Maya told her.

"Ok." Bella replied. She had been on the monkey bars before but she was never good at it and it had been awhile.

Maya grabbed onto the bars swinging slightly from side to side to make sure she had a good grip and made her way across once again without trouble. When she reached the end she hopped down and ran over to Bella.

"See, it's easy. Now you do it."

Bella climbed the ladder and mimicked Maya on the bars, holding on tightly. She grabbed onto the next bar slowly, and repeated her movement with the other arm. Bella slowly made her way to the middle but her hands began to get tired so she had to let go. Maya ran over to her.

"I couldn't do it all the way, it hurts my hands." Bella explained.

"That's ok, it does at first but if you keep doing it, it won't." Maya responded.

Bella nodded. "Let's do it again." She offered and Maya smiled and nodded her head.

They continued to play on the monkey bars until Bella's hands became too sore to do it any longer and they moved on to the slides. There were three different ones, one for the little kids, another taller one and one that twisted around. There seemed to be more kids on the slides, so they had to wait and take turns. The boy that Maya was playing with earlier came up to them.

"Hey Maya, I bet you can't run up that slide without using your hands." The boy challenged.

"I bet I can." Maya responded, placing her hands on her hips.

The boy looked at Bella. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bella."

"I'm Simon and I'm the best climber out of everybody." He boasted, smiling smugly at them.

"Does that mean you're a monkey?" Bella asked with amusement.

Maya laughed at her question as Simon scowled at her.

"If I was a monkey, I'd be a gorilla, cuz they're big and strong." He replied.

"Gorilla's are apes, not monkeys, stupid." Maya told him, rolling her eyes.

"Who cares? I'm still the best."

"Prove it." Bella challenged him, crossing her arms.

Simon narrowed his eyes. "Ok, I will." He ran off to the tall slide as Bella and Maya followed him. "I bet I can make it up there in two seconds."

Bella and Maya looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Yeah, sure, Simon." Maya said.

"Watch." Simon took off and ran up the slide as fast as he could. His foot slipped, but he regained traction quickly and made it to the top. "Told you."

"That was more than two seconds, Simon, it don't count." Maya yelled up to him, with an 'I told you so' tone of voice.

"Does too, my foot slipped a little." He defended. "I'm right aren't I Bella?" He looked to her.

"I seen your foot slip but it still don't count." Bella responded.

She saw Simon roll his eyes and slide down the slide, making his way back to them. "Girls are stupid." He pouted. "Want to watch me climb on the very top of the monkey bars?" He asked, running off and not waiting for an answer.

Maya and Bella looked at each other. "Boys are the stupid ones." Maya said. Bella nodded in agreement.

They followed Simon over to the monkey bars reluctantly. He had already started climbing the bars and making his way on top. He got on top of the bars and stood up, holding his arms out for balance. He began walking on the bars, taking one at a time.

"Simon, you're gonna fall." Maya told him.

"No I won't." He replied. "Watch me, I can make it to the end."

"Simon!!"

Bella heard someone call out behind them. She turned around to see a slightly hysterical woman who she guessed to be his mom, yelling at him and running over to them.

"You get down from there right now, young man."

"But Mom, I'm almost there." He protested and kept on going.

"Get down, now! You could break your arm or your leg or something worse, now get down." She told him firmly.

Bella and Maya turned to look at each other and smiled. Simon sighed loudly and dropped his hands. He quickly climbed down, with a deep scowl on his face. His mom looked at him with anger in her eyes.

"It's time to leave, come on." She told him.

Simon looked up at her with disappointment. "But I want to stay and play with Maya and Bella."

"Simon, you're dad is picking you up in an hour, we have to go."

"Fine." He snapped at his mom, before turning to them and waving goodbye. "Bye Maya, bye Bella."

Bella and Maya waved goodbye.

Bella watched Simon walk off with his mom, feeling kind of sorry for him. Even though he was a show off, she kinda liked playing with him and hoped she'd see him again so they could become friends. She and Maya decided to go back to the slides and play. About 15 minutes later, Maya's mom called her to leave too.

"I have to go." Maya told Bella.

Bella nodded. "Ok, I had fun playing with you." She told her with a smile.

"Me too. Do you live close to here?"

"Not yet."

"Oh. But you'll be moving here soon?"

Bella nodded. "I'm getting adopted." She said with a smile.

"You are?" Maya asked with interest in her voice. "Do you live in a orphanage or something?"

Bella shook her head. "I live at a foster home, but I'll move here soon."

"Ok, well, I'll see you later then. We come here all the time so I'll probably be here one day when you move."

"Ok, bye." She waved to Maya as she walked over to her mom. Bella turned around slowly and made her way over to the slides again. She was happy that she was able to make at least one friend. She couldn't wait to move here forever. Bella smiled as she went down the slide.

* * *

4:00 PM

Cuddy pulled the car into the driveway as they made their way back from the park. She could tell Bella was exhausted from the long day outside, noticing that her face was slightly sunburned. House had taken a long nap on the blanket after their talk earlier and at one point had joined her and Bella at the swings. Cuddy had noticed that Bella was playing with a couple of kids her age on the playground as she and House talked and was happy to see that she'd made some friends.

"Did you have fun Bella?" Cuddy asked as she turned off the engine and glanced in the back seat.

"Yeah, I met Maya and Simon. Maya is nice and Simon is a show off but we had fun. Simon got in trouble with his mom for climbing on top of the monkey bars." She told Cuddy with amusement.

Cuddy laughed and nodded her head. "I'm glad you made some friends. Maybe you'll see them again soon."

"Yeah."

Cuddy looked over at House. "Did you have a nice nap?" She asked, tilting her head to the side with an amused look on her face.

"Yeah, except for this pesky little fly buzzing around my ear at one point wanting me to push her on the swings." He replied sarcastically, glancing back at Bella.

Bella smirked at him.

They got out of the car and Cuddy grabbed the cooler in the trunk while Bella took the blanket in her arms. House unlocked the door and walked in, holding it open as Cuddy and Bella followed. Cuddy took the cooler to the kitchen and began unpacking it while Bella was instructed to place the blanket on the washing machine.

As Cuddy placed the left over food in the refrigerator, Bella walked in and sat down at the table, watching her.

"You ok?" Cuddy asked looking over at her.

Bella nodded.

Cuddy smiled at her. "Your face is a little sunburned. Does it hurt?"

Bella shook her head.

Cuddy could tell she was thinking about something. "What's on your mind, sweetie?"

Bella lowered her gaze to the floor. "I don't want to go back to the James's house. I want to stay here."

Cuddy smiled sadly at her, understanding how she felt. She didn't want Bella to leave tonight either. They'd had a wonderful day today and she didn't want it to end. Cuddy walked over to the table and sat next to Bella.

"I wish you could stay too." She told her, lifting her chin so Bella would look at her. Cuddy smiled reassuringly. "But in less than three weeks, you'll be moving in and not have to worry about leaving."

Bella smiled and stood up to give Cuddy a hug. "I don't got to leave right now, do I?" Bella asked her as she lay her head on Cuddy's shoulder.

Cuddy brushed Bella's hair away from her face. "No, you don't have to leave now." She responded, hugging Bella in return. "What do want to do? Are you hungry? We could order some pizza or Chinese or whatever you want."

"Can we have popcorn and watch a movie?" Bella asked, leaning back to look at Cuddy.

Normally Cuddy would've suggested they eat dinner first, but since Bella was only going to be here for a couple more hours, Cuddy didn't think it would hurt to have popcorn instead. "Sure. But I don't think I have any movies here that you'd like. What do you say we make House go and pick one up for us?"

Bella giggled and nodded. "I'll tell him." She volunteered.

"Ok." Cuddy laughed.

Bella ran out of the kitchen towards the living room. Cuddy followed, wanting to see how she was going to get House to go pick up a movie for them. When she entered the living room she saw Bella seated next to House, looking up at him, having picked up Splat and holding him in her lap. House was watching television, not paying attention to Bella. She kept staring up at him, her eyes never wavering from his face.

House must have sensed her stare because he glanced down at her with a questioning look. "What? Do I have a booger in my nose or something?"

Bella shook her head and let out small giggle. "You said booger." She began laughing as she looked up at House, her shoulders shaking against his arm at what he'd said. Cuddy looked at Bella with a smile, amused that she thought what House had said was funny. She didn't think she'd ever seen Bella laugh that hard before. House had a somewhat amused but also confused look on his face. He glanced over at Cuddy.

"I said booger." He told Cuddy, with sarcasm. He looked back at Bella, who was still laughing uncontrollably. Cuddy watched House as a smile spread across his face as he watched Bella laughing. She couldn't help but laugh as well.

"I wonder what would happen if I said…fart." House asked. Bella giggled even more, as she dropped her head onto House's shoulder, not able to contain her laughter and hold her head up any longer. Splat had squirmed out of Bella's grasp and situated himself on the top cushions of the couch, seemingly uncomfortable with all the noise around him.

"Hey kid, what's gotten into you?" House asked, around his own chuckles of amusement.

Bella tried to calm herself down and looked up at him. "I don't know." She interjected through her laughter, causing House to laugh and look up at Cuddy again. Cuddy looked at him and shook her head, still laughing at Bella.

"You finally got someone to laugh at something you said, House, enjoy it." Cuddy commented.

"Hey if I would've known it would be that easy, I would have said booger and fart a long time ago."

Bella giggled more when she heard him say the words again. Cuddy was still standing at the entryway to the living room as she watched House and Bella together. She chuckled once more at Bella's renewed laughter. House shook his head, still grinning at Bella, and turned his attention back to the television. After another minute of laughter, Bella finally calmed down some. Cuddy came into the room and sat down on the couch next to Bella.

Bella turned to look at Cuddy, still on the verge of laughing. "I can't do it." Bella told her, shaking her head and giggling a little still.

Cuddy chuckled and turned to look at House. "House, Bella came in here to ask you a question."

House looked down at Bella. "What…I told you, you can't learn how to ride my bike…I'm afraid you'd steal it from me."

"I would not…and anyway, that wasn't what I was gonna ask." Bella replied, her laughter dying down.

"What then?"

"Will you go get me a movie to watch? Lisa don't got any."

"I don't have any you'd like, but I do have some." She clarified.

"Yeah, Cuddy only has the movies that make you want to kill yourself. I think they call them "romantic comedies." House said, using air quotes.

"Hey, my collection includes other genres as well, thank you very much, Mr. Blow 'em up or Shoot 'em down."

"Dramas are pretty much in the same category, Cuddy, you can't count those because they still make me want to kill myself."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Well, then, you can go and pick something out for Bella." She paused, thinking that it might be dangerous to let House pick something for Bella. There's no telling what he'd come back with, so she specified. "It has to be a cartoon or some other children's movie." She told him firmly.

House smirked.

"I mean it, House, don't come back here with something she can't watch. She doesn't have much time before I have to take her back to the James's."

"Fine, then order me a pizza, popcorn isn't gonna do it for me. What movie do you want, kid?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

House rolled his eyes. "Oh well, this should be tons of fun." He commented, as he stood up.

House grabbed his jacket and left the house.

When they heard House drive off on his motorcycle, Cuddy stood up to order a pizza for House.

"Sweetie, do you want some pizza too, I can get you cheese, if you want."

"Ok." She said, after thinking about it for a moment. "But can I still have popcorn?"

Cuddy smiled. "Sure."

* * *

5:07 PM

House walked into the video store and his eyes swept over the entire place looking for the kids' section. Finding it, he made his way over and looked at all of the movies he'd never, ever heard of before.

"Shit, how the hell am I supposed to know what to get?" He mumbled to himself, rolling his eyes.

House pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. He heard it ring three times before it was answered.

"House?"

"Wilson, I need you to tell what the hell movies the kids are watching these days."

"What? Where are you?" Wilson asked with confusion.

"Cuddy sent me to the video store to pick a movie out for the kid. What do it get? There are about a million and I haven't heard of any of them."

"How should I know? Call Cameron, she's a woman, she can tell you."

"Yeah right, and have to listen to her tell me how sweet and sensitive I'm being for doing this…no, thanks. And besides, she doesn't know about me and Cuddy and the kid."

Wilson sighed loudly. "Alright, read some of them off."

"Wilson, maybe you missed the part where I said that there are a million kiddie movies in this place. All I see are Care Bears, My Little Pony, Barney, Barbie…what the hell are these, Wilson?" His frustration building.

"Wow, that was really strange hearing those words come out of your mouth." Wilson commented.

"Focus, Wilson, I'm in a hurry." House yelled at him with impatience.

"Alright, alright…uh, I think she might be too old for those. Go with a Disney movie, you can't go wrong with Disney."

"Aren't there about a million Disney movies too?" House snarked.

"Then get someone there to help you."

"The place is deserted, no one around to ask." House replied, looking around the store.

"There's not one person that works there that you can ask?" Wilson asked doubtfully.

"Don't see anyone."

"Ok, are there any on the new release wall?" Wilson asked.

"Hold on." House walked over to the new releases, glancing at the titles. "The only thing I see is Pinocchio…it's older than I am, how about something a little more recent."

"Pinocchio, really? I used to love that movie." Wilson told him excitedly.

"Grow up, Wilson."

"Oh you're telling me to grow up? That's funny, House."

"Why is it in the new releases?" Wilson asked.

"70th Anniversary edition, it says." House answered. "Give me something else, Wilson."

"I don't know, House, just look at all the movies and pick one."

"I'm hanging up on your unhelpful ass."

"Hey, before you do that, rent Pinocchio for me would you?"

House rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. "Idiot." He mumbled.

He turned around to go back to the kid's section when I teenage boy came out of the back of the store carrying a pile of movies in his arms.

"Hey kid, what's the most popular movie out right now for 8 year olds?"

The kid looked at him strangely and slowly answered him. "Well there's _Bolt_, it's pretty good. It's about this dog who…"

"Yeah I don't care, gimmie that one." House told him. "And please don't tell me you're out."

"Oh no sir, we have…"

"Great, I'll take it." House interrupted him again, wanting to get the hell out of that store.

House grabbed the movie, paid for it and got out as fast as he could.

* * *

8:45 PM

Bella, Greg and Lisa stood at the front door, as she was ready to leave for the night. She held her arms up for Greg to pick her up, so she could say goodnight. He smirked at her and lifted her up into his arms. Bella hugged his neck tightly and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for the movie, Greg, I loved it. You pick out the best movies."

He chuckled at her. "Yeah well, you're picking your own movie out next time."

"Ok." Bella replied.

Greg set her down and she grabbed her backpack, placing it on her shoulder. Bella looked up at Lisa.

"Do you have everything?"

Bella nodded. She did not want to leave tonight. She felt sad that she couldn't stay and she wished that these next 3 weeks would fly by. Lisa had promised her that she could come over next weekend and help paint her bedroom and she was very excited about that.

Greg opened the door and Bella walked out onto the porch as Lisa followed her out. Lisa turned around to Greg. "See you in a little while?" She heard her ask him. Bella glanced up in time to see Greg nod, but quickly looked away when he bent down to give Lisa a kiss. She still thought it was gross, but she thought she better get used to it, like Greg said.

They made their way to the car and Bella hopped in the backseat, fastening her seatbelt.

"Are you buckled in?" Lisa asked her, once she was settled herself, and had started the car.

"Yep."

As Lisa pulled the car out of the driveway, Bella laid her head against the window, watching as they drove down the street. She sighed, once again feeling sad that she had to leave. Bella thought about the fun she had today with Lisa and Greg and the friends she'd made at the park. Only a few months ago, she didn't have anything or anyone. She was all alone in the world…but not anymore. Bella turned her head to look at Lisa as she drove the car. Lisa had saved her life and she owed everything to her. At first she didn't trust Lisa because she was afraid of what would happen to her if she did. She couldn't imagine where she would be if she hadn't ended up in the hospital when she got sick.

Bella wondered if she would even be here if Mattie hadn't died. Probably not…they would still be in New York, trying to find food and a warm, safe place to sleep every night. If Mattie hadn't done what he did to those men, he would still be alive.

But what if they _had_ left New York and they _had_ met Lisa and Greg? Mattie wouldn't have trusted them; she knew that for sure. She wasn't glad that Mattie was dead, she missed him so much, but she was glad that she had what she had now. If only Mattie were here with her too. It's been almost a year since Mattie died, the sudden thought entering her mind. Bella lowered her head, looking at her hands folded in her lap. She wanted to do something for him, but she didn't know what to do. She would have to think of something. Maybe she could visit one of their favorite places in New York or something. She wasn't sure that would be possible without explaining to Lisa and Greg. They would never let her go alone, but she just didn't have it in her to tell anyone about it. Not yet, anyway.

"Bella?" Lisa said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hm?" She snapped her head up.

"We're here. I've been calling your name, didn't you hear me?" Lisa questioned.

Bella shook her head, surprised that she'd been that deep into her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Lisa asked with concern.

Bella nodded.

"Are you sure? You've been quiet the whole ride here…is there anything wrong?"

"No." Bella told her.

Lisa grinned at her. "Ok." She said, softly. She got out of the car and walked around to Bella's side to open her door for her. Bella unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her backpack, just as Lisa opened the door. Bella started to get out, but stopped and looked up at Lisa.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" She answered, kneeling down to look at Bella.

"I love you." She told her, shyly.

Lisa smiled at her sweetly. "I love you too." She replied, sounding a little surprised that that was what Bella wanted to tell her. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

Bella nodded. "I was just thinking about some stuff."

Lisa nodded. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Bella averted her eyes, shaking her head. "No." She answered softly. "I don't feel ready yet." She added, glancing back up at Lisa.

"Ok…well, I'm always here to listen, alright?" She told her, reaching out and brushing Bella's hair from her face.

Bella nodded.

A moment later, Lisa took her inside the house, said hello to Emily and followed Bella up to her bedroom. She was excited when Lisa promised she would stay to tuck her in bed after she took a quick bath.

About twenty minutes later, Bella returned to her bedroom in her pajamas to see Lisa looking at the drawings hanging on her bedroom walls. She turned around with a smile when she heard her enter. "Feel better?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah." She smiled. Bella went over to her bed and pulled the covers back, climbing in. Lisa walked over and pulled the comforter up, sitting down next to Bella. She smiled, running her fingers through Bella's hair.

"I had fun today." Bella told her happily. "I can't wait for three weeks to be over."

Lisa chuckled. "Yeah, me too." Lisa bent down to place kiss on Bella's forehead. "Sweet dreams, Bella. I'll come by tomorrow, ok?"

Bella nodded once more. "G'night."

"Night."

Lisa stood and walked quietly to the door, turning off the light before closing it. Bella turned onto her side, looking out the window to the half moon outside. A moment later, she closed her eyes, and fell into a peaceful sleep.


	23. Chapter 22

**This chapter kicked my ass. I think it's been the hardest one to write so far. I wanted it perfect and I'm still not sure it is, but I can't look at it anymore. Hope you guys don't think it sucks. **

**On another note, I've noticed that some people have written reactions to last week's episode in the headers to their stories, but you won't get one from me because I didn't watch it. It may sound stupid to some and that's ok, but I'm DVRing the rest of the season so I can watch it all in one…or two sittings. It's been torturous but I've done it for 4 weeks. I have no clue what's going on on the show and I hope to keep it that way. I haven't been on the Fox site since before the show came back on in January so I've stayed spoiler free pretty easily and anytime the show or an episode is mentioned I have to skip over it. I've distracted myself with writing my fic and reading other's fics as well as watching other TV shows, like LOST, so that helps as well. Anyway, I'm not actually sure I had a point in mentioning that but there you have it. Do with it what you will.**

**And also…thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, glad everyone liked it. Don't forget to review this chapter as well.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 22 **

2 Weeks and 3 days later

Cuddy sat at her desk going through some paperwork that had to be completed before she took time off next week so she could spend time with Bella and get her acclimated to living with her. Bella was moving in this weekend and there was a lot to be done at the hospital before she left. The last two weeks had been busy trying to get the house ready for her to move in. They had painted her bedroom two weeks ago and her furniture had arrived last week. Cuddy purposely kept Bella away from the house after the furniture arrived because she wanted it to be a surprise when she finally saw her bedroom put together. Bella said she had been working on a few art pieces she wanted to hang up on the walls. Cuddy was glad Bella was keeping busy so she wouldn't go crazy waiting for the weeks to pass by.

Aside from everything at the house to be done, Cuddy had been attending the training sessions required of her to be a foster parent, as well as having the caseworker come and do her inspections of the house. So far she was pleased with what she had seen and everything was working out perfectly. It sort of made her nervous though, because how long can something go perfectly well before something unexpected happened to screw it all up? She hated thinking like that, but experience had taught her to be cautious.

In the last couple of weeks, House had been amazing. He had actually volunteered to help her around the house doing what he could without hurting his leg. Cuddy had wanted the place cleaned from top to bottom and he had teased her endlessly about it, saying that she was nesting. She supposed she was, in a way, but it didn't make it less annoying that he was right. Last weekend as they were cleaning, he had gotten called in on a case and had to leave her there alone to finish up. She was surprised an hour later when she got a knock at the front door and opened it to find two women from a cleaning service standing there. They explained to her that they had been instructed by Dr. House to get there pronto, clean the entire house and tell her to 'sit her rotundas ass down on the couch and let them do their work.' At first she had been upset that he would call strangers to clean her home without her permission, but after having the opportunity to get some other things done that she needed to do, she had immensely appreciated his thoughtfulness.

Cuddy had also been looking into schools for Bella in the last few weeks as well. It was spring already so she wouldn't be attending this semester but she wanted to get her tested so that she would know where Bella needed to be placed in the fall. She thought about tutoring her this summer so that she could be in the grade she needed to be in for her age. Bella would turn nine this year, and Cuddy wanted her to be caught up in her education and not be left behind. Cuddy hadn't talked to her about this yet, but she knew the time would soon come to have this discussion with Bella. Given her circumstances, Cuddy wasn't sure how she would handle having to go to school again after not attending for several years. Hopefully it wouldn't be too traumatic for her.

As Cuddy read through some documents, she suddenly heard a knock at the door. She looked up to see Wilson peek his head in. Cuddy smiled at him and waved him in.

"Hey, Wilson."

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked, walking in and standing in front of her desk.

"Busy. I've got about a million things to do before I take next week off. It seems the work is multiplying though…the piles of paperwork are supposed to get smaller, but so far that hasn't happened." She told him, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know what that's like." Wilson replied, standing in front of her desk, holding patient files. "Sorry to add to the pile, but I need these signed when you get a chance." He added, holding them out to her apologetically.

"Sure, just set them there and I'll get to them next." She pointed to a tray of files.

Wilson did as she asked and looked back at her with a smile. "So…this weekend, huh?"

Cuddy smiled and nodded her head happily. "Yeah." She chuckled. "I can't believe this is finally happening."

"You deserve this, Cuddy. I'm happy for you." Wilson told her sincerely.

"Thank you, Wilson."

"How has House been doing through all of this?" He asked curiously.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at his question. "I would think you'd have more insight into that than I would."

Wilson shook his head. "No…House hasn't said anything to me, although he definitely isn't as grumpy as he used to be."

Cuddy smiled at his response, nodding in agreement. "He's been amazing, Wilson. He seems to enjoy being around Bella, although sometimes I can tell he gets a little uncomfortable with how much she loves him. I haven't figured out if that's good or bad yet." She paused a moment, sighing. "I don't know how he feels about all of this. I mean, he's said that he's fine with it…but, sometimes I get the feeling he'd rather just walk away from this situation all together."

Wilson sat down across from her. "Cuddy, I think he's really ok with this. Think about it, if he wasn't…then he'd be acting out in all sorts of ways around the hospital to piss you off. He probably would've broken up with you and become an even bigger pain in the ass than he normally is. I…think he's really trying." He smiled at her. "You just have to give him time to get used it, that's all."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I'm not complaining here, Wilson, I couldn't ask him to do any better than he is already. I think he'd be a really great father someday if he would just allow himself to be."

Wilson raised his eyebrows. "Are you two…_that_ serious?"

Cuddy grinned at his question, but shrugged, not really sure how to answer that. "I don't know." Her smile faded. "I mean…I am, I guess…I just don't know how _he_ feels."

Wilson nodded. "Ask him." He told her, shrugging his shoulders as if asking House that was question was no big deal.

Cuddy chuckled humorlessly. "Do you really think he'd tell me? You know how he is, Wilson, he'd just deflect…make a joke out of it."

"I know you guys haven't been together for that long, but you have asked yourself how he really feels about you, haven't you?"

"Of course I have. House doesn't ever use words to tell people how he feels, he uses actions, but sometimes I'd just like to hear him tell me, you know?"

Wilson nodded. "You love him, don't you?" He asked, grinning knowingly at her.

Cuddy didn't answer right away, but after a moment of silence between them, she slowly nodded. "Yeah."

A huge smile formed on Wilson's face, showing her how happy he was for her. "Have you told him?"

Cuddy shook her head.

"Wilson, please don't say any of this to him. The last thing I want is to scare him off. I mean, it's enough that I'm gaining a daughter soon, that was a big enough change for him to go through. I don't want this to be the thing that makes him change his mind about being with me. He might not be ready to hear it."

"I promise I won't say anything." Wilson told her. "You know…" he began, furrowing his brow in thought. "I don't know how I'd handle hearing a kid calling House 'daddy'. That would be too strange for me." He commented, shaking his head as if it were unthinkable.

Cuddy chuckled. "It's not…entirely unimaginable."

Wilson laughed. "No, not unimaginable…just strange." Wilson stood up, making his way to the door. "Well, I've taken enough of your time. Congratulations, Cuddy. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

"Thank you." She said gratefully, a smile on her face.

Cuddy turned back to her paperwork after seeing Wilson walk out of her office, her thoughts remaining with their conversation. She had been thinking more and more lately what an amazing dad House would be. The only problem was, that she didn't think he really wanted to be a dad. He was fine with being Bella's friend and they had gotten closer in recent weeks especially since Bella had opened up to him about her brother. But that was as far as she thought he wanted to take it. She told him that she was fine with however he wanted to do this, and she was. But at the same time, she couldn't help but want more.

Being with House has been the best thing to happen to her in a long time. She couldn't imagine doing anything right now to mess this up. She knew House, and she knew that with him you had to tread lightly in situations like this, otherwise he would turn and run in the other direction and she didn't want that. He was doing so well, and the best thing to do would be to not push him.

Unfortunately, once Bella moved in, there _would _have to be changes in their relationship. House wouldn't be able to stay overnight like they were both used to him doing. Bella was impressionable and Cuddy didn't think it would be appropriate to allow their sleepovers to continue. The thought of that made her sad though, and she would miss waking up with him in her bed. She loved him and she wanted to make this work somehow. She hoped he would understand that this was the way things would have to be for a while; at least until Bella was comfortable in her role as Cuddy's daughter. Unless House was ready to commit to them, move in and become Bella's father…these changes had to be made. And Cuddy didn't know if House was ready for that yet. She promised herself right then that she wouldn't suggest it to him. If he mentioned it she definitely wouldn't say no…but it had to be his decision.

The thought of having a conversation with House about these changes was giving her a headache and a knot was beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to lose him over this. Cuddy sighed, massaging her temples and closing her eyes; she needed a break. Cuddy looked at the clock; it was already after 2:00. She had worked straight through lunch. Standing up, she decided she'd leave her thoughts behind for a while and go to the cafeteria.

* * *

5 minutes ago

House walked out of exam room one and placed the patient file in the box beside the door. He rolled his eyes at the idiot that he had just seen in there. It would be nice if he could get an interesting patient in the clinic…just once; was it too much to ask? House was walking toward the nurse's station when he decided he'd had enough idiocy today and turned to walk out of the clinic when he saw Wilson walking away from Cuddy's office and through the clinic doors. He glanced inside, seeing a smile on Cuddy's face. He felt a smile tug at his lips. She had been smiling for the last several weeks, ecstatic about becoming a mother. He had been nervous for himself, but happy for her. She was different when she was happy. Cuddy was less stressed about work, more playful, sarcastic, funny and incredibly flirtatious with him. He liked this side of Cuddy.

After a moment, he noticed her smile begin to fade and a more serious expression overtake her face. He furrowed his brow, wondering what she was thinking about that would make her smile disappear. He figured she was freaking herself out about getting things done before the weekend and over thinking everything. He watched as she lowered her head, massaging her temples. House took a step forward, ready to walk in there and distract her, when she quickly stood up and made her way to the door. As she exited her office, she didn't notice him standing there, her head lowered with a furrow in her brow.

House tilted his head to the side, curious about her sudden mood change. Did Wilson upset her? As Cuddy walked around the corner, he decided to follow her and find out what was going on. House made his way out of the clinic and followed Cuddy to the cafeteria. He looked at his watch; 2:15. She had skipped lunch. He walked in the cafeteria and stood directly behind her in the line.

"Dr. Cuddy." He announced loudly, startling her.

She looked up at him with annoyance. "Dr. House." She said, evenly.

"I see that you've decided to show off the twins a bit more today." He stated with a smirk, his eyes glancing down at her breasts, causing the woman behind the counter to look at him in disgust. He had actually watched her pick that blouse out of her closet this morning as she got ready for work, letting her know he wholeheartedly approved of her choice.

"How…_extremely_ inappropriate of you to notice." She replied with a scowl on her face.

House smirked at her, knowing she was just putting on an act for everyone and actually loving this game between them.

"Well, what can I say, I'm observant…that is what you hired me for."

Cuddy shook her head. "What can I do for you Dr. House?"

"Well, since you asked…" House began.

"Unless you have something work related to tell me, I suggest you get back to work." She interrupted, knowing he was about to say something crass.

"I wouldn't _dream_ of taking up your time with something personal, Dr. Cuddy." He stated with sarcasm, placing his hand over his heart.

"Right." She responded as she placed a bowl of soup, a side salad, and an apple on her tray, moving to the register to pay for her meal.

House quickly grabbed a tray as well, loading a plate up with random food items. "You don't mind if I join you, do you, skipped lunch myself." He said. "It's on her." He told the cashier.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and handed the cashier her cash. The woman took her money, shaking her head and looking at Cuddy sympathetically.

They walked to a booth together, sitting across from each other. There weren't many people around at this time of day so they were relatively alone. House looked at her as she began eating her soup.

"You ok, Cuddy?" He asked with seriousness, his joking tone from a moment before completely gone.

She looked up at him with a furrow on her brow. "I'm fine…why?" When he didn't answer right away, she added. "House, you know I was just acting like th-…"

"That's not what I meant."

She shook her head in confusion.

"Something's wrong, Cuddy, I can tell."

"House, I don't know what you mean, I…"

"Cuddy, I was standing right outside your office when you walked out…you didn't even glance at me. Now, either you've suddenly gone blind, or something's going on that you're not telling me about. I'm going to go with door number 2."

After a moment she looked away from him. "I'm not avoiding you, House, I just didn't see you standing there."

"Did Wilson piss you off?"

Glancing back at him, Cuddy scowled. "What?"

"I saw him leaving your office; after that, your whole mood changed."

"What…were you spying on me or something?" She asked, with a humorless chuckle.

House rolled his eyes. "Oh, calm down, I just came out from seeing a patient in the clinic and happened to look in your office." He narrowed his eyes. "And anyway, I didn't realize that looking in on my girlfriend to make sure she's ok, was considered spying."

Cuddy sighed. "I'm sorry." She said softly, lowering her gaze to the food in front of her. "I don't want to talk about his here, House." She told him, glancing around the cafeteria.

"This is about us?" He guessed, trying to make eye contact with her. When she didn't answer, but looked at him with worry etched on her face, he thought he knew what she was thinking. He sighed, shaking his head and moving to stand up, wanting to leave and wishing he'd never tracked her down to have this conversation.

House stood up, grabbing his cane and the tray of untouched food.

"House." She whispered for him to stop, placing her hand on his forearm. "It's not what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking, Cuddy?" He asked softly.

She shook her head. "I'm not breaking up with you. It's not that, ok?" Cuddy replied in a soft whisper.

House looked down at her, unsure if she was telling him the truth. Deciding to leave it for later, he nodded his head and walked away, with a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't understand where any of this was coming from…they were fine this morning. At least he thought they were.

* * *

10 minutes later

House walked into Wilson's office without knocking and planted himself on the couch.

"Cuddy's going to end it with me." He told Wilson after a moment.

Wilson scowled. "What? No she isn't." He stated confidently.

House looked up at him, narrowing his eyes. "What do you know?" He inquired suspiciously.

"Nothing." Wilson replied a little too quickly.

House stood up, walking over to stand in front of Wilson's desk, beginning to get upset. "I saw you two talking in her office, Wilson, don't lie to me. Tell me what you know."

"I can't, House, I promised her."

House rolled his eyes. "Hey, you're my best friend and not hers."

"I'm still her friend too and I promised her I wouldn't say anything to you."

"Wilson, do I need to remind you of the little saying between bros?"

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Are you really going to call your girlfriend a ho?"

"If it'll make you tell me what I want to know."

"Sorry, you'll have to talk to her."

"I did talk to her and I've concluded that she's going to break up with me. Now, if you know that she is and you're not telling me…I will make you pay." He threatened, pointing his cane at Wilson.

"She's not going to break up with you…but that's all I'm saying."

House stared at him, his eyes narrowed, leaning on his desk, not believe a word he said.

"You have nothing to worry about, House. I would tell you if you did." Wilson reassured him. "But you better be prepared to tell her how you feel about her."

House stood up straight, scowling at Wilson. "Since when did you become her bestest girlfriend and why is she talking about our relationship with you instead of me, seein' as how _I'm_ the one in the relationship?"

"Do you love her?"

"Mind your own business, Wilson." House snapped, turning away from him and walking out the door, slamming it closed.

House made his way into his office, drawing the blinds and throwing himself onto his chair. He wondered what the hell was going on. Cuddy and Wilson had been talking about their relationship in her office. 'What had she told him?' He wondered. Had he done something he was unaware of and she was pissed at him? House leaned his head back and closed his eyes. According to Wilson, he had nothing to worry about, but he didn't believe him. And Cuddy had said she wasn't breaking up with him, but what else would have her in that mood and feel the need to talk to Wilson about their relationship? It pissed him off that Wilson was keeping it from him and that Cuddy wasn't talking to him about whatever _it_ is. He thought back to this morning but couldn't come up with anything that he'd done that he thought would piss her off.

There had to be another reason she wanted to break up with him. Maybe it had to do with the kid. Had she decided she didn't want him around her? That maybe he'd be a bad influence after all? House shook his head. He knew this was going to happen eventually. It was inevitable. He'd been waiting for this since the beginning, if he was honest with himself. He hadn't wanted to believe it though, because he thought that being with Cuddy would be different. House thought that he could actually be happy with her, and he had been. Greg House had actually been happy. That thought made him roll his eyes. After years of loneliness and misery, he had decided to change and go after what he wanted…_who_ he wanted. And what had that gotten him in the end?

House opened his eyes, staring across the room, a sudden realization coming to him. He should have told her. He should have told her that he loved her. 'Women needed to hear these things.' He thought. He had told Stacy that he loved her all the time, and back then, he did. Why couldn't he tell Cuddy? 'Maybe because the stakes were higher with her.' He told himself. He felt more for Cuddy than he ever did with Stacy and if she didn't love him back…that was it, there was no hope of anyone ever loving him. Wilson had been right about that back when House had kissed Cuddy after she lost Joy. That's what kept him from saying how he felt about her, he realized. He needed to tell her. Up until then, he had only had the courage to tell her when she was asleep and couldn't hear him. He needed to tell her when she _could_ hear him, before it was too late.

* * *

7:38 PM

Cuddy was sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea and trying to relax when she heard a knock at her door. Knowing who it was, she got up to answer it. She was surprised he didn't use his key. Why wouldn't he use his key? After her conversation with House in the cafeteria, the rest of her day had been stressful. She had trouble concentrating on her work and barely scratched the surface on that pile of paperwork on her desk. She kept thinking about House and worrying how he was going to feel about what she had to tell him tonight. Cuddy hadn't seen House after that and was slightly worried that he didn't believe her when she said she wasn't going to break up with him.

Opening the door, she saw House standing there. He looked miserable, but she gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him that everything was ok.

"Hi." She said softly.

He didn't reply.

"House…"

"Should I even bother coming in or do you just want to rip the band aid off and get it over with right here?"

Cuddy closed her eyes, her suspicion confirmed. "I told you I wasn't breaking up with you. Would you please come inside?" She asked, stepping aside and giving him room to enter.

House stepped in slowly, walking past her as she closed the door. Cuddy turned around to face him, he had his back to her. She gently grabbed onto his hand, turning him around to face her. She looked into his eyes, seeing uncertainty there, and a lot of fear. He had yet to look at her.

"House." She began, saying his name softly.

"I thought we were ok, Cuddy." He said quietly.

"We are. We _are_ ok, House. You're jumping to conclusions. I already told you this wasn't about ending our relationship."

House shifted his eyes to hers. "Then why the suspense? Why couldn't you tell me what you had to tell me earlier instead of making me believe all day that we were over, Cuddy?" He snapped. "And what the hell is it that you could tell Wilson, but you couldn't tell me?"

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "I didn't tell Wilson about this." Thinking he was talking about the change their relationship was about to endure.

He narrowed his eyes, not believing her. "Right. So the conversation you two had in your office about our relationship and him advising me to tell you how I feel about you, _aren't_ connected?"

"He told you to tell me how you feel about me?" She asked in shock, but interested to know if Wilson had asked House the same question he asked her and if House hand answered him. She'd like to know what he said.

"What did you want to tell me?" He asked, ignoring her question.

Cuddy sighed, deciding to get this over with. They were not at all on the same page right now; she needed to get him to understand what all of this was about. "I just…wanted to talk about how things will be between us once Bella moves in."

"How things will be?" He asked in confusion with a touch of impatience in his tone. "What the hell does that _mean_?"

"House, we're both used to spending most, if not all, of our nights together; either here or at your place. It's been that way since we started seeing each other and it's been…wonderful." She stressed, pausing for a moment to let her words sink in. "But once Bella moves in…I think it would be inappropriate for that to continue."

House looked at her, still clearly confused. "Then you are breaking up with me."

"No!" Cuddy exclaimed in frustration. She let go of his hand and lowered her head, massaging her temples. This was definitely not going well. She took in a deep breath and released it, turning her gaze back to him. He _still_ thought she was breaking up with him. She needed to make him understand how she felt.

"House…I _want_ to be with you, that hasn't changed." She told him sincerely. She took a step closer to him, reaching up and cupping his face in her hands. Cuddy looked into his eyes for a moment before leaning in and placing a lingering kiss on his lips. She felt the tension leave his body and he responded to her kiss, gently laying his hands on her hips. She moved her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She broke their kiss and held him tightly, closing her eyes.

Cuddy felt him move his arms around her, returning her hug. They stood in her foyer holding each other for several minutes in silence. She sighed, feeling comfortable and happy in his arms. After another moment, she let go of him, sliding her hands down his chest. She couldn't believe Wilson had told him to tell her how he felt about her after asking him not to say anything. But she really wanted to know the answer to that. Cuddy glanced up at him.

"House…how…" She began in a whisper, looking away from him, unsure if she should ask; or if he would even answer. She cleared her throat, deciding to just ask him anyway. "How _do_ you feel about me?" She mumbled, as she stared at the middle of his chest, unable to look him in the eyes and feeling uncertain as to how he would respond.

It seemed like an eternity passed as her question went unanswered. Cuddy moved to pull away from him, not surprised that he wouldn't answer her. She closed her eyes in disappointment. House's grip tightened around her, not letting her move any farther and he propped his cane up against the wall. He gently lifted her chin, causing her to open her eyes to meet his. He lifted his fingers to her forehead, brushing her hair away from her eyes, softly caressing her face. He lowered his lips to her forehead, placing a tender kiss to it. She closed her eyes again, this time enjoying his touch, and lowered her hands to his hips. Next she felt him place a kiss to her cheekbones, followed by her eyes, her nose and finally her lips, each kiss as light as a feather.

House moved his left arm around her waist. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear. "I am so in love with you, Cuddy." He told her, with so much emotion that his voice broke as he said it.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they did, she couldn't help the smile that broke out over her face, her eyes welling up with tears. Relief flooded through her body and she released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Cuddy felt him bury his face in her neck, kissing her lightly. She moved her arms around his waist, laying her forehead on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. Their hug lasted another moment before she pulled back, gazing up at him lovingly. With a tear-streaked face and a smile, she whispered, "I love you."

She saw his relieved expression just before a grin appeared on his face, and he wiped her tears away gently with his thumbs.

"What the hell did you and Wilson _talk_ about in your office?" He asked with amusement, his voice soft as he looked into her eyes.

Cuddy chuckled, sniffling as she wiped the rest of her tears away. "We talked about Bella moving in this weekend, and…about us. He asked me if I loved you…and I told him that I do."

House rolled his eyes. "Great, now he'll never leave me alone about this. Damn it."

Cuddy laughed. "He also asked me how you were doing with all of this….with Bella, I mean."

He nodded. "How _am_ I doing?" He asked her curiously.

She smiled at him. "You're doing great, House. Bella loves you and I can tell that you love her…in your own way, of course." She chuckled.

"Well, I do have my ways." He said, smugly, puffing out his chest.

"Yes, you do." She agreed around a laugh.

He became serious after a moment, shaking his head. "I thought you had told Wilson you wanted to break up and told him to promise not to tell me."

"I told you, House…" She began, before he interrupted.

"I know, Cuddy. I just…misunderstood everything." He mumbled. "I thought that you'd changed your mind about wanting me in the kids life and decided to end it. That, on top of every fear I've had since we started this relationship…." He paused.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? What fears have you had?" She asked softly.

House glanced at her. "Cuddy, you know my history. You know how things ended with Stacy…twice." He added, taking a deep breath and releasing it. "I didn't want my heart broken again. I took a chance with you, and it worked out. But today, when I got to thinking that you were going to break it off…I thought maybe I'd made a mistake in going after what I wanted. My fear was, that you would realize you had made a mistake in getting involved with me and it would inevitably end in disaster. But I also had fears about you and the kid. I was jealous. Jealous that you felt you needed more in your life and that once you had it, you wouldn't want me anymore. We've talked about that part and I'm clear on it, but the fears are always there, Cuddy, and they may not ever go away."

Cuddy stood in shock at everything he'd just revealed to her. She never imagined that he felt all of that, and that his fears were that great about their relationship.

She opened her mouth to reply, but before she got the first word out he interrupted.

"Cuddy, we've been standing here forever…mind if a cripple has a seat?" He asked with an amused grin.

She knew he said that partially because the mood had gotten too heavy around them and he was feeling uncomfortable after revealing everything he had. But she realized they had been standing for a while. Cuddy grinned apologetically.

"I'm sorry, House, of course you can sit." She told him, handing him his cane. Before he took it, he removed his leather jacket that he still had on.

They moved to the couch, where they sat side by side. Cuddy sat to his left and turned her body to face him, sitting Indian style. House was rubbing his thigh and she felt bad for making him stand for so long. "Can I get you something for you leg?" She asked, laying her hands on his forearm.

House glanced at her and shook his head, placing his left hand on her knee. "I'll be fine."

She nodded.

Before they had moved to the couch, she had intended to tell him that he didn't need to be afraid and that she felt for him what he felt for her. She wanted to remind him that she would always want him and that what they had _would_ last. House appreciated actions more than words, so instead, she placed her right hand on his scruffy cheek and caressed his face with her thumb, bringing his head down to hers and kissing him with all the passion and love she felt for him. She felt his hand move into her hair, pulling her closer to him. Their kiss was soft, sensual and full of meaning.

When she pulled back, she smiled at him. He had a pleased, yet confused look on his face. "What was that for?"

Her smile grew and she dropped her hand to his shoulder, moving it slowly down his arm. "I'm keeping you, House. I'm not letting you go."

"That sounds creepy, Cuddy." He told her with a hint of a smile on his face.

She laughed, giving him a slight shove. "You know what I mean, jackass."

"Oh sure, tell me you love me then insult me."

"I do love you."

"So you've said." He replied softly, before clearing his throat and changing the subject.

"So I think we got a little sidetracked." He stated. "You were saying something about no more sex with the kid around."

"That…wasn't exactly how I put it, but the idea is the same."

"So what are you saying we need to do here, Cuddy?" He asked softly.

Cuddy took a deep breath. "I…don't know." She said, releasing her breath. "I just think that we need to hold off on anymore sleepovers once Bella moves in. She's young and impressionable…I just want to be a good mother to her, House, and I don't want to start off on the wrong foot by confusing her or freaking her out about what's going on behind my bedroom door when you're here." She told him, as she leaned her forehead on his shoulder, feeling slightly embarrassed about having to explain what she meant.

"You mean when she hears Greg make Lisa moan in that special way that he does?"

Cuddy laughed. "God, House, do you have to say stuff like that when I'm already feeling embarrassed about explaining this to you?"

House chuckled at her embarrassment. "Of course I do, Cuddy."

She shook her head, looking back up at him.

House moved his thumb over her knee, before he lifted his arm and moved it around her waist scooting her closer to him. Cuddy unfolded her legs, placing her feet down on the couch over his legs, being careful not to hurt him. She laid her head on his shoulder and he kissed her forehead.

"Are you ok with this, House? At least until things settle down a little." She mumbled, still unsure if this was the best course of action for them to take, but seeing no other choice unless he moved in. Which she had already decided she wasn't going to mention.

"I don't know, Cuddy. How long are we talking here?" He asked with uncertainty.

"I don't know." She told him honestly.

"Weeks? Months?" He asked, sounding horrified.

"It's really up to how well Bella adjusts to her life here, House. And I'm not saying we can't…be together, we just have to work that out some other way."

House sighed loudly, caressing her arm. "It sucks, Cuddy, but if that's what you feel we need to do then…that's what we need to do."

"I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling awful about doing this to him…to both of them, really. She hated this as much as he did. Cuddy sighed, suddenly needing to change the subject and get away from the gloomy mood she was in. She leaned back, looking up at him. "Have you eaten?"

House shook his head.

"Want to go out?" She asked, grinning at him. Other than their date a few months back, they had not ventured out in public together as a couple. She thought it would be nice to have an impromptu outing, under the circumstances.

He looked at her with surprise and a small grin formed on his face. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Cuddy laughed. "I guess I am."

"You do realize that the person who asks, must pay. It's proper dating etiquette, Cuddles."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Well, I already paid for one of your meals today. I guess what they say is true." She paused, standing up and holding her hand out to him to help him up. He took her hand but didn't move to get up, waiting expectantly for her to finish her sentence. She grinned and held her other hand out to him. "Chivalry _is_ dead."

He narrowed his eyes at her, taking her hand and standing up. "Stop it…you'll hurt my feelings." He replied, with a mocking tone.

She laughed, let go of his hands and made her way to her bedroom to get ready.

* * *

4 days later

8:00 AM

Today was the day. It was the day she had been waiting for, for a long time. One she thought would never come. But it was here, her dream finally realized. After so many attempts, this was it. She had woken up that morning after only getting a few hours of sleep due to her nervous energy at finally getting what she'd been wanting for years. She was nervous about being a good mom and she was nervous wondering if Bella would like living here and being her daughter. Would Bella compare her to her real mom? She often wondered if she was good enough to be a mom to anyone. Bella had had a mom for 6 years of her life until she died and she couldn't help thinking that she may not measure up to what Bella had been used to.

Cuddy sat on the edge of her bed, her hands at her sides as she pressed down on the mattress, looking at the floor. She closed her eyes, trying to settle her nerves. She had experienced butterflies in her stomach before but this was more than that. Her thoughts were making her nervous and her nerves were making her feel ill. Cuddy took in deep, slow breaths, trying to calm herself.

"Cuddy, what's wrong? You ok?" She heard House ask from behind her on the bed. His voice startled her a bit, making her jump. She felt the mattress dip behind her, just as she felt his arms come around her. "What's wrong?" He whispered when she didn't answer.

Cuddy kept breathing deeply, in and out, in and out. "I'm ok…just nervous about today."

"You're over thinking it, Cuddy." His arms tightened around her. "You are going to be a great mom, so stop freaking yourself out."

"What if I'm not, House. What if I don't live up to who she expects me to be?"

House released her and moved back to lean against the headboard, gently pulling her with him so she was sitting between his legs with her back to his chest. He moved his arms around her and she leaned her head back on his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Cuddy, I'm not going to tell you that you won't screw up; you will. You'll do and say some stupid things and you'll be an idiot most of time."

Cuddy scowled. "Is this supposed to make me feel better? Gee, thanks, House." She said with irritation, moving to get up.

He held her to him, not allowing her to move away. "I'm telling you what you don't want to hear, Cuddy, because you _need_ to hear it. You're doing what you always do…you're trying to be perfect, and you set your expectations for yourself too high and when something does go wrong, you're going to make yourself and Bella miserable…and by extension, me."

Cuddy sighed, hearing everything he said and knowing it was true. She closed her eyes.

"I'm no parenting expert, Cuddy, but it is going to be hard and you will want to pull your hair out sometimes. At least that's what my mom used to tell Mrs. Jones down the street about me." He added sarcastically.

Cuddy laughed, leaning her temple onto his chin. "Yeah, I bet you _were_ a handful."

"Still am…I believe you felt evidence of that last night." He quipped.

She laughed again, shaking her head. Cuddy moved her arms over his wrapped around her and sighed. "I need to get ready." She told him. "You're coming, right?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."


	24. Chapter 23

**Meant to have this up Friday but I was running a little behind and needed to put some finishing touches. Thanks for the wonderful reviews and as always thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter…it's been a long time coming, I hope it lives up to your expectations. Assuming you had any. Ha!**

**Chapter 23**

8:45 AM

Cuddy opened her front door, expecting Janine, Bella's social worker that had been handling her case. She stood there with a smile and her briefcase in her hand, containing the last of the paperwork that needed to be signed.

"Hi Janine, come in." Cuddy gestured for her to enter.

"Thank you, Lisa."

They made their way to the living room, having a seat on the couch. Janine pulled out the paperwork and quickly went through it with her. Cuddy initialed and signed several pages after having read them.

"Emily has already signed her paperwork last night, so once this is complete…Bella is yours and you can pick her up anytime." Janine said with a smile.

Cuddy signed the last page, her hand trembling slightly. "Thank you, Janine. I can't tell you how grateful I am for all you've done. I have been waiting so long for this."

Janine nodded. "You're welcome, it was my pleasure. I'm so happy that this has turned the way it has. A lot of my cases don't end up with happy endings."

Cuddy nodded sadly in understanding.

"Well, these are your copies, and I'll take these and place them on file." Janine told her, handing over her copies. She placed everything back in her briefcase and stood up, stretching her hand for Cuddy to shake.

Cuddy stood and shook Janine's hand. "Congratulations, Lisa. I wish you the best."

Cuddy smiled happily. "Thank you."

Cuddy walked Janine to the door, thanking her again. Once Janine was gone and Cuddy had closed the front door, she went in search of House so they could finally go and pick up her daughter.

* * *

9:48 AM

Bella stood by the window in her bedroom looking out for Lisa. It was time; she should be here any minute to pick her up to take her home. Bella smiled. She was going home. After years of having no place to call home, she was finally able to say she had a true home now. She propped her head on her elbow leaning on the windowsill, her eyes looking down the street trying to spot Lisa's car. She spotted a car coming down the street a minute later, seeing the glimmer from the sun shining on the metal roof of the car. She couldn't tell if it was hers because the sun was shining so brightly, so Bella stood up straight, ready to run out there and meet her, but was disappointed when the car came into view and drove past the driveway. She slumped her shoulders, resuming her position.

The last few weeks had been excruciatingly long for Bella. She was bored most of the day, everyday. She spent a lot of her time painting and drawing, but there was only so much of that you could do in a day before your creativity wore out. She spent some time playing with Kara and Samantha in the backyard and that helped a little but what she really wanted to do was move in with Lisa. And now that day had come and she couldn't be more excited. But she also felt a little nervous. She didn't know how to not be alone anymore. After her mom and dad died, and she and Mattie ran away from the foster home, they were on their own. There were no adults to tell them to go to bed on time, no one to make them eat their vegetables, no one to make them go to school; it was just them. She had to learn to become independent and take care of herself. At first it was scary, then it became exciting, and then she hated it and wanted to have her old life back. She hoped that living with Lisa would give her that. Not that she really wanted to go to school, but in a way she did because she had always liked it and she missed it.

A few minutes later, Lisa's car pulled in the driveway, Bella's eyes grew wide and a smile appeared on her face. This was it! Bella turned and grabbed her backpack and a shopping bag with her paintings that she'd made, and took the handle on her suitcase, doing her best to roll it to the door. It was heavy and with great difficulty, she was able to roll it on the carpeted floor to the top of the stairs.

She heard the doorbell and Emily opening the door. Bella left the suitcase and the shopping bag at the top of the stairs and ran down to greet Lisa.

"Lisa!" She called out excitedly, as she ran to the door.

Bella threw her arms around Lisa's waist, hugging her tightly. She spotted Greg standing just behind her. "Greg, you came too?!" She asked, releasing her hold on Lisa and throwing herself toward Greg, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey, kid." He greeted her, placing his left arm around her shoulder in a half hug, as he leaned on his cane.

Bella looked up at Greg. "You're late!" She accused him.

Lisa laughed and looked at Greg. "Well, at least she knows whose fault it is."

Bella looked between them and saw Greg glare at her.

Lisa grinned smugly at him.

As they stood on the front porch, Mr. James brought Bella's suitcase and shopping bag, setting it down next her. Bella glanced up at him.

"Thanks." She told him gratefully.

"You're welcome, Bella. It's been a joy having you with us and I hope you come back to visit sometime." He told her.

Bella nodded with a smile. Emily stepped over to her and knelt down, she noticed that Kara and Samantha were standing at the door as well.

"I'll miss you, Bella. Thank you for coming to stay with us. It's been such a pleasure to have you here." Emily told her softly as a few tears escaped her eyes. She leaned in and gave Bella a hug, placing a kiss on her cheek. "I do hope you come back and visit someday." Emily told her when she pulled back.

Bella nodded once more. "Thanks, Emily. You was always nice to me and I won't forget."

Emily nodded, brushing the tears away from her eyes, and smiled gratefully at Bella. Bella looked behind Emily and waved at Kara and Samantha. They had had a few fun times together, playing in the backyard and making up games. Bella would miss them.

"Bye, Bella…bye Bella." They said, one right after the other.

"Bye." She waved again before looking up at Lisa, and taking her hand. Lisa smiled down at her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Lisa, congratulations to you both…and I wish you the best." Emily said to Lisa.

Lisa smiled at Emily. "Thank you, Emily, I appreciate that. And thank you both for taking such good care of her." Lisa said, glancing between Emily and Scott James. Lisa then turned her attention to Kara and Samantha. "You girls are welcome anytime you want to come by and play." She told them.

They nodded shyly.

Greg grabbed the handle to her suitcase and her shopping bag and rolled it to the car, placing it in the trunk. Bella and Lisa followed behind him, and settling themselves in the car. As Greg pulled the car out of the driveway, Bella looked back at the James' and waved goodbye. She had liked living with them and it had been a million times better than the last foster home she stayed at…but she wasn't too sad to be leaving them, because she was happy to be going home with Lisa.

Bella smiled and returned to the thoughts she was having earlier. She hadn't had a home in over two years; not since her parents died. No one except Mattie had taken care of her in a long time. Mattie had done the best he could and he was a great big brother, but it was different when you had a mom and dad take care of you. She missed having a mom and dad. Now that she has a mom again, she needed to work on getting a dad. Bella couldn't think of anyone better for that, than Greg.

Bella shifted her eyes to Greg as he drove the car. He would be a good dad for her. Lisa was already his girlfriend, why couldn't he just marry her and become Bella's dad? She shrugged to herself, thinking she would have to find a way of getting Greg to want to be her dad.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Lisa turn around and smile at her. "You ok…you're awfully quiet back there?" She commented.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'm just thinking of stuff. But don't worry, I'm real happy that I get to go home with you forever." She said, feeling the need to reassure Lisa so she wouldn't worry about her.

Lisa chuckled. "Well good, I'm glad to hear it."

"Yeah, it'd be embarrassing to have to take you back now." Greg piped in sarcastically.

Bella giggled.

Lisa rolled her eyes, before turning her attention to Bella. "So I finished your room…I think you're going to like it."

"I can't wait to see it. I made six paintings so I can put on the wall, like you told me. They're little, but I can make more later."

"You'll have to show me after you see your room."

"Ok."

About 30 minutes later they pulled into the driveway. Bella was so excited that she unbuckled her seatbelt before the car was even stopped. She waited for Greg to turn the engine off before she opened the door to get out. Bella grabbed her backpack out of the backseat and closed the door, waiting for Lisa and Greg to get out of the car. When Lisa closed her car door, Bella took her hand, looking up at her with a smile.

"Welcome home." Lisa told her softly, with a smile.

Bella's smile grew. She was so excited.

Lisa took the bag with her paintings in it as Greg rolled her suitcase to the steps, picking it up and carrying it up the steps to the front door. Lisa unlocked the door, opening it for Bella to enter. When she did, she gasped and looked back at Lisa with surprise; her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Lisa smiled at her before she turned back to look at the huge 'Welcome Home Bella' sign with balloons and streamers everywhere. She didn't know what to say…so, instead she turned around and threw her arms around Lisa's waist, burying her face into her stomach and squeezing her in a tight hug. She felt Lisa's arms come around her, as she bent down to place a kiss on top of her head.

Bella loosened her hold but kept her arms around her and looked up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She answered softly. "I want you to feel at home here, ok? It's your home just as much as it is mine."

Bella nodded in understanding.

Greg cleared his throat dramatically. "Uh, hate to break up the sickeningly sweet moment, but could you two take a few steps into the house so I can put this damn thing down?"

Bella and Lisa turned their heads to look at Greg, having forgotten that he had been standing there with Bella's suitcase in his hand.

"Sorry." Lisa mumbled, having let go of Bella and moving into the house so Greg could enter.

Greg limped in with the suitcase and set it down. "What the hell's in that thing?" He mumbled.

Bella ignored him and turned back to Lisa excitedly. "Can I see my room now?"

"Sure you can, come on." Lisa led her to her bedroom. The door was closed so she couldn't see inside yet. Bella could hardly stand how excited she was. She stepped up to the bedroom door, wringing her hands with slight nervousness. She had been waiting to see her room forever. Lisa hadn't let her come over to see it after the furniture had arrived because she wanted her to be surprised. Bella stood in front of the door, Lisa's hand on the doorknob, waiting for her to open it.

When she did, the room came slowly into view, her eyes locked onto the room as it opened. When the room was in full view to her, she gasped at how beautiful it was. All of the furniture that she had picked out, filled the room perfectly. The curtains were on the windows, the sheets, blankets and pillows made up on the bed. All of the extra accessories, like the lamps on the nightstands and a couple of stuffed animals on the bed as well as a few shelves that hung on the walls, all in it's proper place. She looked over and saw a piece of furniture that she didn't pick out and wondered where it had come from. There was even a small couch and a white wooden rocking chair that she didn't know would be in here. She looked in the corner and saw a small bed with Splat's name stitched onto it, along with a scratch pole and a few cat toys. Bella smiled, loving that Lisa had done that for him.

She was in awe at how beautiful everything was. Once she'd had a quick glance at the room, she wanted to see everything in detail. She stepped in slowly, walking over to the dresser. All of her furniture was white and it matched well with the cornflower blue walls and white trim and baseboards in the room. Bella ran her fingers gently over the top edge of the dresser, feeling the smooth wooden surface. She opened one of the top drawers, finding it empty, of course. Next she moved to the bed on the opposite side of the room. It was bigger than she thought it would be, remembering Lisa tell her that she would want a full bed for when she got older, not really knowing what that meant at the time, but understanding now. She loved the bed. It was white as well, with all four posts at the head and foot of the bed having a square shape with thin planks connecting each end. She glanced under the bed and saw that there was trundle for when she had sleepovers with her friends. There were nightstands on each side of the bed, each with lamps on them and multicolored butterflies decorating the lampshades. Butterflies were the theme in her room. They decorated the window treatments, bed sheets and a few decorative butterflies hung on the walls. Bella then walked over to the armoire, opening it and finding it empty. It had that new furniture smell to it and she loved it. Bella couldn't wait to unpack and fill it with her clothes. She then moved over to the piece of furniture that she didn't pick out, thinking it matched well with everything else in the room. It was a beautiful vanity. It looked kind of old and used but she loved it. She thought it had character. It was white like the rest of her furniture but it had scratches and gashes in the wood. The mirror in the center was held up by two posts with an intricately carved design on the top, except one was missing. Bella ran her fingers delicately over the scratches in the wood and opened the drawers, peeking inside.

"Where did this come from?" She turned to ask Lisa with a smile.

Lisa stepped into the room, walking over to her; Greg stayed at the door. "Well, this was mine when I was a little girl. I always loved it, and I used to spend hours in front of it, playing dress up and fixing my hair. And when I got older, I dreamed of passing it on to my daughter if I was ever lucky enough to have one." She paused, placing her hand around Bella's shoulder as they both stood at the vanity. "It's yours now." She told Bella.

Bella looked up at her, still smiling. "It's so pretty, I love it."

Lisa smiled at her, her eyes welling up with tears and nodding happily. "We cleaned it up quite a bit, and gave it a new coat of paint, but it still has some flaws in it."

"I think it looks interesting." Bella told her. After a moment, she looked at Lisa. "Thanks for my room, it's so beautiful and I love it so much."

Lisa smiled once more. "You're welcome, sweetheart. I'm so glad you love it. We'll get you some more things a little later, ok? You'd probably like to have some books or somewhere to draw…there's room for a desk in that corner."

Bella nodded. "Ok." She turned around to Greg, smiling at him. "Do you love my room?"

"You bet I do, I worked my ass off getting it to look this good."

Lisa chuckled. "Yeah, honey, he broke a sweat putting your drapes up for you." She said sarcastically.

"Hey Shorty, don't forget I was the only one around here tall enough to put them up." He pointed at Lisa.

Lisa glared at him playfully before looking back at Bella. "Do you want to unpack or do you want to relax for a while?"

"Will you help me unpack?" Bella asked, wanting to get everything put away as fast as she could. She thought it would help her feel like she really lived here if she put all of her stuff where she wanted it.

"Sure. House will you bring her suitcase in here?" Lisa asked.

"What am I, you're personal slave?"

"Yes." Lisa retorted. "And bring the other bag as well, Jeeves." She added. Bella didn't really know what that meant, but Greg glared at Lisa, mumbling 'cute' sarcastically, before he walked down the hall to retrieve her suitcase.

A moment later, Greg rolled Bella's suitcase into the room, carrying her other bag with the canvases in it as well. As soon as he set them down they heard the doorbell ring.

"Oh and would you like me to get that for you too, Madam?" Greg asked sarcastically.

Lisa chuckled at him as he grumpily left the room.

* * *

11:00 AM

House made his way to the door, opening it to see Wilson standing there with a teddy bear in his hands. House scowled at him. "What the hell is this, Wilson? As if you weren't gay enough as it is."

"Shut up, House. Where's Bella?" He saw the welcome sign hanging and added, "Nice banner."

"The kid is in her room." He answered with a smirk, gesturing with his thumb in the direction of Bella's room. "Couldn't leave home without your bedtime pal?" He added as Wilson stepped in the door.

Wilson glared at him, but didn't respond, making his way towards the bedroom. House followed with a smirk on his lips. When they walked into the room, Wilson whistled, seemingly impressed with what he saw.

"Wow. This looks amazing." He stated.

Bella and Cuddy looked up at Wilson standing in the doorway. "Hey Wilson." Cuddy greeted. "I'm so glad you made it, thank you for coming."

"Are you kidding? You finally get a kid…you think I'm gonna miss that?" He asked with a smile walking over and placing a kiss on Cuddy's cheek, which House did not appreciate, before looking at Bella as she was putting some of her clothes into a drawer. "Hi, Bella."

"Hi. I didn't know you was coming." She greeted Wilson with a smile, going over to offer him a hug.

Wilson handed her the bear he had in his hand, giving her a hug. "Here you go, every little girl needs a blue teddy bear. I heard through the grapevine that it was your favorite color."

"It is, thanks. I love it." Bella stated, hugging the bear to her chest.

"You're welcome." He replied with a chuckle.

House walked in the room, taking a seat on Bella's bed next to Cuddy, glaring at Wilson. When Wilson finally looked over at him, he scowled with confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Did you…kiss my girlfriend in front of me?" House asked his best friend with disbelief in his voice. He wasn't seriously mad, he just wanted to mess with Cuddy. And also make sure that he wouldn't have to help do anything. He needed to get kicked out so he could go find something more interesting to do; he did not want to get roped into helping unpack the kids' stuff.

"Oh my god, House." Cuddy replied, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Shhh, shhh, Cuddles, this is between the adults." House patted her thigh. He noticed Bella had stopped what she was doing and was looking at House with confusion but didn't seem alarmed.

"You jealous?" Wilson asked, with amusement.

"As if you're any threat to my hotness."

"Are you guys gonna fight?" Bella asked, with a bit of amusement in her voice as well. "Because I don't want no blood in my room." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Yes. No." House affirmed as Cuddy denied, saying it at the same time.

House kept a possessive hand on Cuddy's thigh, as he looked at Wilson. Wilson had a smirk on his face, having realized what House was up to.

"I think House is afraid of me stealing his girl."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Would you two shut up and get out so Bella and I can finish putting her things away." Cuddy said, standing up and grabbing House's arm, pulling him off the bed and turning Wilson around towards the door. She ushered them both out and closed the door.

Once they were out of the room, House looked over at Wilson with a devious smirk. "Beer?"

"You bet. Took me a second to figure out what you were doing…very well done, by the way."

House led the way to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers. He handed one to Wilson, leaning on the counter. "It's a talent, what can I say?" He responded.

Wilson nodded. "So how's everything going so far?" He asked.

"Fine. The kid loves her room." He answered. He was secretly happy that Bella loved her room. Cuddy had been nervous about how she would react when she saw it. He knew the kid would like it, but if Cuddy wasn't worrying about something, she wasn't breathing.

Wilson nodded. "I take it you two talked, since you were avoiding me all week so I couldn't ask."

House nodded. "And it was working perfectly until you showed up here."

"How'd that go?"

House rolled his eyes, knowing this conversation was unavoidable. "Fine."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Nope."

"Well then you leave me no choice but to talk to Cuddy." He threatened, moving to leave the room.

"You are wanting your ass kicked, aren't you?"

"Come on, what happened? Did you guys…you know…exchange certain words?" Wilson asked, grinning stupidly at him.

House narrowed his eyes at Wilson. "You really are a woman, Wilson. I need to get the name of the surgeon who did the sex change so I congratulate him on a job well done. Not only did he give you a vagina, he transplanted you're personality as well."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "You told her you love her, I know you did, because otherwise you wouldn't be giving me a hard time about it, you'd just tell me if you didn't."

It was House's turn to roll his eyes, shaking his head in denial. He didn't need Wilson to know about this. He would be merciless in his teasing of the situation.

"No I didn't." House lied, trying to sound as serious and convincing as possible.

"Yes you did, stop lying, House. You know I'll just ask her." Wilson told him.

House sighed, knowing he would definitely talk to Cuddy about this. "Fine, I told her, ok? Now if you don't leave it alone, I'll make you pay, Wilson."

Wilson laughed, sweeping his hands out in front of him. "Don't worry, I won't mention it again." He told him.

House looked at him suspiciously, not believing him in the slightest. "Yeah, right. Just remember…you are to keep your mouth shut about this at the hospital. If Cuddy finds out you told someone there…I'm the least of you're worries."

"What, do you think I'm suicidal? Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Wilson assured him. "So what else did you guys talk about?"

House shook his head, sighing loudly. "No more overnight nookie." He then stated, evenly.

Wilson looked at him in surprise. "She kicked you out?"

"It's not like I'm living here, Wilson."

"I know…but you might as well be."

House shook his head. "I'm not ready for that, Wilson. I'm fine with the way things are."

"You're not ready to be a father, you mean?"

House shook his head. "I'm not father material, trust me."

"House, give yourself some credit. That kid loves you and you're great with her; Cuddy thinks so too."

"She talked to you about this?" House asked, with surprise.

"She told me she thinks you'd be a great father if you just allowed yourself to be. Don't panic, she doesn't expect you to be Bella's father, but she thinks you'd be great at it."

House shook his head again. "I can't, Wilson."

"Why not?"

"I told you…I'm not fa-…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…you're not father material. How do you even know? Have you tried it?"

"It's not that simple. Leave it alone, Wilson, I'm not ready for that."

"If this is about your father, don't be an idiot, House…you're not him."

House glared at him in warning to leave it.

"Fine, but I'm telling you…you're better at this than you think you are."

House averted his gaze, not wanting to show Wilson how vulnerable he was about the subject. He didn't grow up with a good father. Hell, his 'father' wasn't even his father. The man that raised him wasn't his biological father, but he'd known that for years. He was a bastard and a shitty father figure. House didn't know how to be a father, much less a good father. He couldn't deny that it might be nice to have chance to be in the kid's life that way, but it scared the crap out of him. What if he turned into his father and started treating Bella like his father treated him? He couldn't risk that.

* * *

An hour later Cuddy and Bella came out of her bedroom having put away all of her clothes. They went in search of House and Wilson, finding them out on the back deck, laughing about something or other. Cuddy smiled, loving that House seemed to be having a good time; she hardly got to see him laugh like that, even with her. Although they could be telling dirty jokes and if that were the case, she didn't want to know why House was laughing that much.

Cuddy opened the door, seeing them turn around to watch her and Bella walk onto the deck.

"Hey." She greeted them, walking over to House and sitting next to him in one of the lounge chairs. Bella came up and sat on her lap. "What are you guys up to?"

"Nothing." They both said at the same time.

Cuddy looked at them suspiciously. "Right." Not believing them. "Anyway, I was thinking that we could grill out since the weather is so nice." Cuddy offered.

"That'll take forever, I'm starving. Why don't we just order take out for lunch and grill out tonight?" House replied.

"That works for me." Cuddy nodded and looked at Bella. "Is that ok with you?" She asked, wanting to include her in the decision.

Bella nodded. "Yep. Can I have a burger and fries?"

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Sure. Let me go get some menus." She said, standing up and heading into the house. Bella sat down in the chair, taking her place. Cuddy left the door open since she was just inside the kitchen and would be returning in a moment. She heard Wilson engage Bella in conversation, asking her questions about what she wanted to do this summer.

"I don't know. I didn't think about it." She shrugged her shoulders.

Hearing that question, Cuddy realized that she hadn't really thought about it either. She had thought about taking Bella to work with her when she returns next week until Cuddy could arrange some fun things for her to do during the day, since she isn't in school. That is, until she can get her into summer school or tutoring sessions so she can get caught up with her education. Cuddy knew Bella wouldn't like that part, but it was necessary. After that, maybe they could take a vacation together at the end of summer.

"She's going to go hang at the hospital and do my clinic hours for me." House interjected with a mischievous smirk.

"Yeah, I could learn to be a doctor." Bella replied, smiling proudly.

"Uh oh. Cuddy, your kid wants to be a doctor…come talk her out of it." House called out to her.

Cuddy chuckled, shaking her head. "She can be whatever she wants."

"Right, so if she wanted to be a stripper, you'd be ok with that?" House responded and Cuddy rolled her eyes.

"In that case, I would talk her out of it, smartass." Cuddy retorted.

Cuddy walked back outside heading for another chair to sit in, but House grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him so she could sit on his lap. She acquiesced, sitting on his good leg and slipping her right arm around his shoulder, holding on to the menus in her left hand. House laid his left hand on her hip, slipping his forefinger and thumb just under the hem of her t-shirt at her waist. She was flipping through the menus trying to find a restaurant that had burgers and fries for Bella, not paying attention to anyone else. When she found the right menu, she handed it to Bella. "Here, sweetie, pick out what you want."

"Ok." She said, taking the menu from her.

Cuddy looked up at Wilson to hand him the other menus, finding a goofy smile on his face. She scowled. "What?"

He laughed. "You two." He responded, pointing between her and House. "You guys are so cute…I've never actually witnessed you two as a couple outside of the hospital. It's…cute." He stated.

Cuddy let a small smile come to her face and she looked over at House, who was glaring at Wilson.

"What was the name of that surgeon again, Wilson?" House asked.

Cuddy looked at House questioningly. He looked at her, shrugging his shoulders. "Inside joke, don't worry about it."

"I don't want to know." She replied.

"I want this." Bella said, pointing to the menu to show Cuddy.

"Ok. What about you two? Hurry up and decide so I can call it in."

"I'll do it." Wilson told her. "I'm buying." He added, at her questioning look.

"Wilson you don't have t-…"

Wilson put his hand up to stop her. "I want to…it's a special occasion." He said, looking at her and then Bella with a smile.

Cuddy glanced at Bella, a smile coming to her face as well. She nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Wilson." She told him as she looked back at him.

They quickly decided what they wanted and Wilson made the call. About 30-45 minutes later they were sitting around the table outside on the deck, eating their lunch and talking about nothing in particular. Bella was laughing as House stuck a couple of fries under his upper lip, making a walrus joke. Cuddy rolled her eyes at him, but laughed nonetheless. Throughout the rest of lunch, House and Wilson recounted some of their many stories from their past together, and managing to keep them G-rated, even though Cuddy knew they weren't. Cuddy had never heard them talk about their times together before and how they had become friends and she never knew they could be this entertaining, but she found herself laughing at them and enjoying herself.

After cleaning up lunch, Cuddy told everyone to stay outside while she brought out dessert. The dessert she brought out was a 'Welcome Home Bella' cake, along with ice cream. Bella had been pleasantly surprised and had become more excited, not being able to keep from chatting a mile a minute. Cuddy was sure the sugar rush didn't help either.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the backyard as Bella and Wilson kicked around a soccer ball. House enjoyed endlessly making fun of Wilson's un-coordination skills. Cuddy noticed that Bella was actually really good at sports and enjoyed playing soccer.

At around 3:30, they all came inside, resting a little before Cuddy and Wilson left to go to the grocery store to get a few items for dinner. Bella wanted to see the motorcycle again, and House took her outside with him for a few minutes. When 5:00 rolled around, and Cuddy and Wilson had made their way back from the store, they went into the kitchen to start dinner. By then, House and Bella had been planted in front of the television.

House had wanted steaks for dinner so Cuddy had put Wilson in charge of marinating, but House had insisted on doing the grilling himself, 'because neither one of them knew how to properly grill a steak.' He'd stated. Cuddy worked on the salad and the vegetable kabobs for herself. She had also gotten Bella some chicken in case she didn't want or couldn't eat a whole steak. Instead of salad, House wanted a backed potato with his steak so Wilson worked on those for everyone when he was finished with the steaks.

By 6:30, they were all sitting at the dining room table enjoying dinner. Cuddy thought today had gone really well, and she was happy to see that Bella was enjoying herself. She had been worried that Bella would feel uncomfortable here, but she seemed to be loving it. Their dinner conversation wasn't as lively as lunch but they were still having a great time. Bella made Wilson promise to let her draw him sometime. Cuddy didn't think he realized that it would take a while for her to do that. It would be fun to watch him squirm so she didn't say anything. She and House seemed to have the same thoughts because he kept glancing at her with a smirk on his face as Bella talked him into it. Bella was quite the manipulator, Cuddy realized, because she was able to steer conversations to get to what she wanted. She would have to remember that, knowing that someday she would be the one Bella would try to manipulate. She also thought that maybe she had learned to do that living on the streets. Trying to find food, shelter and clothing in a big city like New York City when you didn't have a penny to your name would take a lot of skill. The thought of what Bella had to go through made her sad and she didn't want to ruin the happiness she felt today, so she put the thoughts in the back of her mind and rejoined the conversation at the table.

"…And then I finally got a strike." Bella was telling Wilson about her first strike at bowling when they had gone out a few months ago.

"Wow, that's great, Bella. I bet if you kept playing, you could beat House." Wilson said, glancing over at House and raised his eyebrows challengingly.

"We've already been down this road, Wilson, it's not going to happen. I am just too good." House replied. "We've been playing each other for years and you still haven't managed to beat me, so I don't think an 8 year old will."

"It could happen." Wilson replied.

"Keep dreaming."

"Before we get into another argument about who can beat who at bowling, why don't we finish up here and watch a movie?" Cuddy suggested.

"Yeah, I want to watch that movie we watched the other time." Bella said. "The one with the dog."

"I refuse to go to the video store again…send Wilson this time." House exclaimed.

"No need, I bought that movie along with a few others that I think Bella would like…we can watch that one or you could choose another one, sweetie." Cuddy said, turning to Bella.

Bella nodded. "Ok, I want to see what else you got."

* * *

9:18 PM

Cuddy, House and Bella, with Splat in her arms, were seated on the couch and Wilson was seated in the chair with his feet propped up on the ottoman. They had just finished watching Wall-e, when Wilson stood up, stretched his arms and legs and started cleaning up the popcorn bowl and the soda cans on the coffee table, ready to take them into the kitchen.

"Wilson, leave that, I'll get it." Cuddy told him, moving to stand up, but not able to because House kept her pinned to him, keeping her in place.

"Wilson, don't listen to her, clean up this mess." He ordered with a dramatic sweep of his right hand.

"House, shut up or I'll make you do it." Cuddy threatened him.

"Both of you don't move, I'm cleaning this up and then I'm leaving." He told them.

"I'll help too." Bella piped in, quickly standing and helping Wilson with the trash.

They walked out of the room, leaving House and Cuddy alone in the living room. Cuddy was on his left, reclining onto his chest, her head on his shoulder with House's arm around her, resting across her chest. Her legs were stretched out on the couch and his were on the coffee table. House placed a kiss on her head and grabbed a throw pillow, placing it across his lap so she could lay her head down.

"Here, lay down." He told her, moving her into position on the pillow.

"Am I hurting you?" She asked softly, looking up at him as she lay her head down.

"No, I just thought you'd be more comfortable this way." He replied, his voice equally as soft.

She smiled up at him, as he brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Thank you." She sighed, remembering that he wasn't staying tonight.

"I'll miss you tonight." She whispered to him.

He grinned, nodding his head, his fingers gently caressing her face.

She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch. "That feels good." She mumbled.

"How do you feel so far? You've been a mom for an entire day now, do you feel any different?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

She opened her eyes, smiling up at him. "Not really." She chuckled. "At least not any different than before when I've been with her."

"I told you, you were freaking yourself out." He said, his finger making it's way to her lips.

She kissed his finger softly before sucking it into her mouth, her tongue swirling around it.

"You better stop it or I'll throw you down and have sex with you right here, right now…I don't care who's in the house." He warned her.

Cuddy laughed and released his finger. "Promises, promises."

House raised his eyebrows, ready to make good on his threat when Bella and Wilson walked back into the room. "Oooo, saved by the bell." He whispered to her.

"Well guys, thank you for a lovely time but I am exhausted."

She and House turned their attention to him. "Thank you for coming, Wilson, and thank you for lunch and your help with dinner." Cuddy said, moving to get up. This time House didn't stop her and she stood, walking over to Wilson and giving him a warm hug.

"Congratulations, you're a great mom already." He whispered in her ear.

Cuddy smiled, feeling the slight sting of tears in her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered back.

He released her from his hug and turned his attention to Bella. "Bella, congratulations, you have great mom here."

Bella smiled widely. "Yeah." She told him in agreement and nodding her head. "Thank you, James." Giving him a hug.

Cuddy furrowed her brow at her calling him James, but she didn't say anything. 'But leave it to House to mention it.' She thought, just before House spoke up.

"Did you just call him James?" House asked her around a chuckle.

"Yeah, that's his name." She replied defensively.

"I know that's his name. Nobody ever calls him that." House told her.

"I do. Just like I call you Greg and her Lisa. Not like when you call each other by your last names…that's just stupid." She told House, her eyebrows raised at him.

Wilson laughed at her answer and the look on House's face. Cuddy chuckled as well. House rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, kid. But just remember that you could have a lot more fun calling him by his middle name." He replied with a devious smirk.

Wilson narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare." He pointed his finger at House threateningly.

House laughed. "Come on, it's not _that_ bad."

"Ok then, Gregory." Wilson said with a mischievous grin, trying to provoke House by using the name only his mother calls him. House stopped laughing and his smile disappeared, glaring at Wilson.

"James, maybe you need to leave now, before I come over there and kick your ass for calling me that and also for kissing my girlfriend, then hugging her and whispering in her ear." House told him, pointing his cane at him as he stood up.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "I can out run you any day, old man." He said, laughing at House as he stepped forward to come after him. Wilson backed up towards to the door.

"Boys, no rough housing. My god, you two are like children." Cuddy spoke firmly, shoving Wilson to the front door. "Thanks again, Wilson."

"See you guys." He responded, still laughing as he walked out the door.

* * *

A Few Minutes Ago

Bella and Wilson made their way to the kitchen carrying trash and the bowls of popcorn. Wilson threw the remaining popcorn in the trash as Bella discarded the soda cans in the recycling bin.

Bella looked over at him with disgust on her face. "I bet they're in there kissing, now that we left." She grimaced. "They do that a lot."

Wilson laughed at her, not expecting to hear that from her. "Probably. Maybe we should give them some time before we go back in there, huh?"

Bella nodded in agreement.

Wilson leaned against the counter, looking at Bella. "So, are you happy to be getting adopted?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he wanted to know how she was doing with all of this.

"Yeah, I love it here and Lisa is the best…and Greg too." She added with a smile.

Wilson nodded, smiling at her, glad to know that she was happy. "Cuddy's been waiting a long time to have a child, did you know that?"

Bella shrugged. "I guess. She said that she never got to have kids and I thought it was sad because she's a good mom and a good mom should have kids."

Wilson raised his eyebrows in surprise at her statement. He never thought of it that way, but he supposed it was true. But how do you determine when someone is a good parent unless they have kids? He was impressed with Bella's intelligence and observation. Finally, Wilson nodded at her statement, agreeing with her.

"Wilson?"

"Yeah."

"What's your first name?"

"James." He answered with amusement, wondering why she wanted to know.

"Can I call you that instead?" She asked shyly.

"Sure. Can I ask why?"

Bella nodded. "I think it's weird that you and Greg and Lisa call each other by your last names and I don't want to."

"Well that makes sense." Wilson replied.

After a moment, Wilson asked her with amusement in his voice, "Do you think they're done kissing yet?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Who knows?"

Wilson laughed and gestured for her to go first as they left the kitchen and walked back into the living room.

* * *

When Wilson left, Cuddy went back into the living room, finding Bella seated on the couch. She furrowed her brow. "Where's House?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. He went that way." She pointed down the hall.

Cuddy nodded, thinking he might have gone to the bathroom. She sat down on the couch next to Bella, placing her arm around her shoulders. Bella leaned into her and laid her head on Cuddy's lap. Bella yawned and Cuddy looked down at her and smiled.

"Are you sleepy? You can go to bed if you want." Cuddy offered, knowing that she'd had a long day and was probably exhausted.

Bella shook her head as Cuddy ran her fingers through her hair, noticing her eyes close. "I want to stay up with you and Greg."

Cuddy smiled, knowing she was fighting sleep and needed to go to bed, but nodded her head anyway. "You can for a little while."

A few moments later, House came back into the room. "Cuddy, I'm going to take off." He told her, standing in the doorway.

Cuddy looked at him with disappointment, not wanting him to go, but she nodded nonetheless. 'Better not to put it off.' She thought. Bella lifted her head off Cuddy's lap and stood, allowing Cuddy to stand as well. Bella walked over to House, lifting her arms for him to pick her up. House smirked, lifting her into his arms. Bella tiredly hugged his neck, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Are you coming over tomorrow?" She mumbled into his neck.

House glanced at Cuddy questioningly and she smiled, nodding her head.

"Sure am, kid." He replied, setting Bella on her feet.

"Sweetie, why don't you go get ready for your bath and I'll be there to show you where everything is in just a few minutes, ok?"

Bella nodded. "Bye, Greg."

"See ya, kiddo."

They watched Bella walk down the hall and enter her room, hearing her rummage in her dresser for her pajamas. Cuddy took House's hand, walking him to the door.

"I figured you'd stay for a little while longer." She commented softly, releasing his hand and watching him put his jacket on.

House glanced at her, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought you might want to spend some time alone with your kid."

Cuddy smiled at his thoughtfulness. "That's going to take some getting used to." She replied. "Hearing people refer to her as my kid, my daughter, my child…it's just, strange right now, you know?"

House nodded, grinning at her. He stepped over to the door, opening it. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, come over whenever you want."

He nodded solemnly.

"I'll walk you out." She told him, taking his left hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. They both stepped outside as Cuddy closed the door behind her.

House chuckled at her. "You just want to make out with me on the front porch."

"Are you going to complain…because I can go back in and…"

"Shut up and kiss me, Cuddles. Or if you prefer we could have a quickie right here, then I'll be on my merry way."

Cuddy smiled and raised her eyebrows at him. "I don't think my neighbors would appre-…."

House stepped up to her, releasing her hand, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her, not giving her a chance to say anything more. She gasped, but melted into the kiss after a moment. Cuddy placed her hands on his hips, pulling him closer to her. House removed his hands from her face and placed his arms around her as he deepened the kiss between them. He took a step forward, moving her back against the wall of the house. She felt the cool wall behind her as he pushed her into it, his kiss becoming more demanding, causing her to moan into his mouth. Her hands flexed against his hips, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt before releasing it and moving her hands over his back, pressing him even closer to her. She wanted to stay like this forever, just kissing him, but before she knew it he was pulling back and whispering in her ear.

"Goodnight, Cuddy." He said, leaving her dazed. She watched him walk down the steps and make his way to his bike. He threw his leg over the bike and put the key in the ignition, before grabbing his helmet. House waited, staring at her staring at him.

"Get inside, Cuddy. I'll see you tomorrow."

She snapped out of her dazed state after their kiss and realized that he was waiting for her to enter the house before he left. A smile came to her face and she turned around and walked inside, closing and locking the door behind her. A moment later she heard House's motorcycle start up and make his way down the road, the roar of the engine getting quieter the further away he got. She was really going to miss him tonight, but she was glad that Bella was finally here with her.

Cuddy walked down the hall to check on Bella and see if she needed any help finding anything in the bathroom. She was surprised to hear the shower already running. Cuddy went to the bathroom door, knocking on it.

"Bella?" Cuddy called out.

"Yeah?" She hollered back.

"You found everything you needed, Sweetie?"

"Yes." She answered. "It wasn't hard to find."

Cuddy grinned. "Ok, good." She responded with relief, but felt kind of bad for leaving her to figure it out. "Call me if you need anything."

"Ok."

Cuddy closed the bathroom door and made her way down the hallway to her own bedroom to get ready for bed.

* * *

Bella walked out of the bathroom with her pajamas on and made her way to her bedroom. She felt better after her shower and decided she would see if she could draw for a little while before going to bed. She grabbed her sketchbook and pencils and went in search of Lisa. She found her in her bedroom, having just walked out her bathroom with her pajamas on.

"Hey, feel better?" Lisa asked, when she saw Bella standing in the doorway.

"Yep." She answered, with a head nod. "Can I draw before I have to go to bed?"

Lisa looked at the clock. "I guess so, but after tonight I want you to be in bed by 8:30, ok? Does that sound fair?"

Bella smirked and nodded her head. "Yeah." She had just been thinking earlier how she had missed this…to be told when to go to bed and to hear everything a mom is supposed to tell you to do. She's pretty sure it will get old after a while, but for now, she wanted it.

Lisa nodded her head, accepting her answer. "Come in, Sweetie, you don't have to stand in the doorway. Are you working on anything?" She asked, pointing at the sketchbook.

Bella nodded, walking in the room and placing the sketchbook on the bed, still holding onto it.

"Your mom?" Lisa asked, softly.

She shook her head. "No. I gave up on that one." She said, lowering her gaze to the book in her hands.

Lisa looked at her with sadness. "I wish I could help you, sweetheart."

Bella glanced up at her and shrugged. "It's ok…Dr. Sloane says I'll remember someday."

"You will."

Bella nodded sadly.

Lisa walked around where Bella stood beside the bed and sat down. "Where do you want to draw; the kitchen table, living room, your room?" She asked.

"Are you going to bed right now?" Bella asked.

"In a little while."

"Can I draw in here with you?"

"Sure." Lisa stood up and made her way around the bed, pulling the comforter back, as Bella climbed on top of the bed.

When they were settled, Lisa turned to Bella, looking at her with uncertainty on her face. "Bella…may I see the drawing of your mother?"

Bella glanced over at Lisa, not really wanting anyone to see it, but she decided to show it to her anyway. Bella nodded, flipping the pages until she found the drawing. All she had were the outlines of her face. There were no details or features because she couldn't remember them. Bella handed the book over to Lisa and let her look at it. Lisa's eyes scanned the unfinished drawing with sadness.

"I bet your mom was beautiful, wasn't she?" Lisa asked her softly.

Bella nodded.

"Do you mind talking about her, sweetie? You don't have to if you don't want to."

Bella thought about it. It's been so long since she's talked to anyone about her and thought it might be nice. "I guess I don't mind." Bella answered, shrugging her shoulders.

Lisa nodded. "Ok, just let me know when you don't want to talk anymore."

Bella nodded.

Lisa took in a deep breath. "What did your mom do as a job?"

"She was a teacher…at the deaf school."

Lisa smiled at that. "Did she enjoy that?"

Bella shrugged. "I think so. She used to talk about her students sometimes, but I don't remember what she said."

"It's ok. Do you know if she always wanted to be a teacher?"

Bella shook her head. "No, but I know she was real good at helping me understand my homework."

Lisa grinned.

"Did you want to be a doctor since you was a kid?" Bella asked Lisa, realizing she didn't know the answer to that.

"Yeah, since I was twelve."

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

Lisa chuckled. "Yeah."

"You must be real smart to be a doctor, huh?" Bella asked with seriousness.

Lisa smiled again. "It takes a lot of hard work." She told her. "Do you know what you want to do when you grow up?"

Bella shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "No. I didn't ever think about it." She responded.

"It's ok…you still have a lot of time to figure it out."

Bella nodded. "Am I going to go to school?"

"Yes, Sweetie, you need to go to school." Lisa told her.

Bella nodded. "Good…I kind of miss it. I haven't been in a long time."

"I know." She replied softly. "I was thinking that…this summer, we would have you do some tests to see what grade you should be in, since you haven't been to school in awhile. What do you think?"

"I hate tests." Bella responded, scrunching her face in disgust.

Lisa laughed. "Yeah, me too. I could help you, or we could get you a tutor before you go to school…that should help with your testing. Do you think you could do that?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

Lisa handed her the sketchbook back. Bella set it on her lap, but didn't flip the page yet, still staring at the incomplete image.

"My mom was a good mom and I miss her a lot." Bella said, as she stared at the drawing. "If she had to pick anybody to be my new mom…I know she would pick you." Bella paused a moment, furrowing her brow and looking up at Lisa questioningly. "Do you think my mom can hear in Heaven?"

Lisa wiped a tear from her eye, thinking about her question. "Uhm, I think so…don't you? If Heaven is as perfect a place as they say, then I think that she would be able to hear."

Bella thought about that a moment and smiled. "Yeah, I think she can hear too."

Lisa smiled, nodding her head. They sat in silence for a moment before Lisa spoke again. "It's getting late, Sweetie, why you draw for about 20 minutes before going to bed, ok?"

Bella nodded, flipping the page to her newest drawing. She began working on it. It was a drawing of Splat playing with a ball of yarn. This one was more of a cartoon drawing than a realistic one. As she was drawing she was thinking about what she'd said to Lisa about her mom choosing her to be her new mom. She was telling the truth when she said that. Bella thought Lisa was a good mom for her and she knew if her mom were alive and she had to choose anyone, it would be Lisa. Bella sometimes got the feeling that she was scared to be her mom, though. She didn't really know why…it's not like Bella was a scary person. Maybe she was just nervous and didn't know if Bella really wanted her to be her mom. Maybe she should tell her.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, honey." Lisa looked over at her.

"You don't got to be afraid of being my mom…I _want_ you to be my mom, ok?" Bella told her as reassuringly as she knew how.

Lisa looked at her in shock, but nodded silently after a moment, her eyes filling with unshed tears. She wiped her eyes. "You think I'm afraid of being your mom?" She asked softly.

Bella shrugged. "Sometimes, but only because you never had kids before, not because you're afraid of me."

Lisa smiled and chuckled nervously. "I guess I am afraid sometimes, because I want you to like me as your mom, not just as your friend, like before. And maybe I'm nervous because I may not be as good a mom to you as yours was."

Bella furrowed her brow, that thought never popping into her mind. Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't ever think about that before. Maybe you might be different than my mom was but I still want you to be my mom. It don't mean you're bad at it, does it?" She asked as a matter of fact. "Just different."

"Yeah, I guess." Lisa answered around a chuckle. "Thank you, Bella…for wanting me to be your mom, it means a lot to me."

Bella nodded. "Me too." Bella looked back at her drawing, feeling tired and not wanting to draw anymore. She closed her sketchbook, her pencil marking her page. "I'm tired now." She told Lisa, setting her book aside and moving to give her a hug.

"'Night, Lisa."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart. I love you. I'm so glad you're here with me."

"I love you too." Bella replied.

"Do you want me to tuck you in?"

Bella nodded happily.

Bella took Lisa's hand as they walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She tucked Bella in and gave her a kiss on the forehead, something her mom used to do as well, but she didn't tell her that. Bella really thought Lisa will be a great mom to her and she was excited to finally have someone take care of her again after all this time. Once Lisa turned the light out in the room and closed the door, leaving it cracked a bit, she closed her eyes and a smile appeared on her face. Today had been the best day she'd had since before her parents died and it was the first time she truly felt happy since then as well. And from now on it was only going to get better.

**I know you're probably thinking…"Hmm, that was just such a lovely chapter." Or maybe you're thinking…."Hey, that chapter sucked a little." Well…that is what the review button is for. HEHE.**


	25. Chapter 24

**Sorry everyone, I tried to have this up yesterday but I was having problems posting...seems to be working now. Yay! Thanks for the many wonderful reviews, guys! They make my day. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I went back and forth on a couple of plot points in the story, you all lucked out that I didn't like what I'd written and changed it. Ha! But it might show up again later, so fair warning! Oh, and please excuse any mistakes.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 24**

Nine Days Later

8:00 AM

Cuddy and Bella walked into the hospital hand in hand for their first day at the hospital as mother and daughter. The last week had been spent getting to know one another and just relaxing. They had gone shopping for a few more things for Bella's room as well as clothes for her. Cuddy wanted to redecorate the bathroom that is now Bella's bathroom to look more like a little girl's bathroom than a single woman's bathroom. Bella had seemed excited about it since she had never had her own bathroom before. She said she wanted it to be pink and brown, so they had spent a few hours at Bed, Bath and Beyond trying to find the décor she liked.

House had come by every night for dinner and stayed for several hours afterward, until he was called in on a case Thursday evening. They had been close to solving the case last night when he had called to get permission for a procedure, but that was the last she'd heard of it. They had fought about the necessity of the procedure for about a half an hour until she finally told him to get informed consent before she'd allow it. She was in for a busy day today.

Bella was excited to be coming in to work with her but Cuddy was afraid she'd get bored pretty quickly. Cuddy had bought her some other things to do during the day in case she got bored of drawing, although so far, Cuddy hadn't seen that happen. She's seen her get frustrated when she couldn't get something to look the way she wanted and Bella would set it aside for later, but she's never gotten bored of it. Cuddy had asked if she wanted to go play or help out in the daycare so she could be around other kids, albeit younger, but other kids nonetheless; but she had declined.

As they walked in, Cuddy introduced Bella to the staff at reception. Only a handful of people knew she had filed to foster and adopt Bella, but most were surprised. Cuddy was a private person and she didn't want her personal business to be discussed as gossip so she hadn't mentioned it to a lot of people. Although now that it was official and Bella would be here with her most days, it was unavoidable. She didn't mind people knowing about Bella, in fact she was proud of Bella and proud to be her mother, but it was the gossip she couldn't stand.

They walked through the clinic, with Cuddy introducing Bella and letting them know that she would be here with her most of the time. She had received congratulations from everyone and Cuddy was grateful that they didn't make a huge spectacle of the issue, but she knew that word would get out around the hospital about it before lunchtime.

They walked into Cuddy's office together. "You can set up camp on the couch there or on the table over there, your choice." Cuddy told her with a smile, as she made her way over to her desk.

"I like the couch, it's more comfortable."

"Ok." Cuddy chuckled. "Are you sure you don't want to go up to daycare for a little while? I know none of the kids are your age but it might be more fun than staying down here with me."

"If I get too bored, maybe, but I don't want to right now."

Cuddy nodded. "Ok, I don't have any meetings scheduled for today so I'll be in here for most of the day doing paperwork. I guarantee you'll get bored at some point…even I get bored of it, trust me." She told her.

"Maybe I can go see Greg later?" She asked with hope in her voice.

"Sure. But he may be busy with his patient today, ok?"

Bella nodded, settling herself down on the couch and pulling her sketchbook out of her backpack.

Cuddy got down to business, checking her emails and responding to the most important ones. She read over the report her replacement last week had made in regards to everything that happened while she was away. No major disasters, thankfully.

Two hours passed before she knew it and she looked up to see Bella still working in her sketchbook. She was using pastels instead of pencils and she had her tongue sticking out in concentration. Cuddy smiled at her, thinking how adorable she looked sitting there drawing with such passion, like nothing else existed in the world. It made Cuddy happy to see her do something she loves so much.

Cuddy continued watching her while Bella was distracted. She loved observing her every once in a while, because it helped remind her that this was actually happening and that she finally had what she'd always wanted. Bella looked cute today…well, she was always cute, but today she was just adorable. She was wearing her new jeans that she'd picked out this week when they went shopping. They had a cute embroidered design on the pockets and she wore a soft pink t-shirt and a tan knitted hoodie sweater, buttoned up only halfway. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, her curls only about an inch long, not reaching her neck. Cuddy had bought her a necklace with a cat charm on it that had reminded her of Splat. She had worn it everyday since and it made Cuddy happy that she'd loved it because she wasn't sure if she would when she was debating it at the store.

Cuddy smiled to herself and went back to her work. A few minutes later she heard Bella sigh and place her sketchbook on the couch beside her. Cuddy looked up, seeing her stand and hold her hands out in front of her to show Cuddy.

"I need to wash my hands." Bella said.

Her hands had pastel dust of several different colors on them. Cuddy smiled and pointed to the bathroom. "You can wash up in there."

Bella nodded and made her way to the bathroom, turning on the faucet and washing her hands. When she came out, Bella went to stand beside Cuddy's desk, propping her chin in her hands.

"I finished my drawing…do you think I could go see Greg now?"

Cuddy looked at the clock and nodded, thinking he should be in by now. She kind of wanted to go see him too. "Sure, let's go."

Cuddy stood up and held her hand out for Bella to take. They walked out of her office and made their way to the elevators. Once they got up to the 4th floor, they went to House's office just a few feet down the hallway. As they walked up to the glass door, Cuddy could see that he wasn't in there and neither was his team. They must still be working on the case.

"Sorry, Sweetie, he must be working."

Bella sighed with disappointment.

"Wanna go see if Wilson is in his office?" Cuddy suggested.

Bella nodded.

They walked down the hall to Wilson's office. Cuddy tapped lightly on the door and heard him call out for her to enter. She opened the door and stuck her head in with a smile.

"Hey, Wilson, you busy?"

"No, come on in." He said. "Hey, Bella."

"Hi James." Bella greeted him with a smile.

"How's your first day back?" He asked Cuddy.

"Busy, but it's been really good." She told him, sitting down in the chair opposite him with Bella beside her.

"The news about you and Bella has spread fast, I heard it from one of the nurses in my department."

Cuddy laughed. "Yeah, it doesn't surprise me. News around here does tend to travel fast."

Wilson nodded with amusement. "So what have you been up to, Bella? Helping your mom get caught up with her work?"

Bella chuckled and looked at Lisa as she smiled at her with amusement. "Nope. I been drawing."

Wilson nodded. "I think I'm going to have to see some of these drawings I keep hearing about."

Bella nodded happily.

"Well, if it's alright with Wilson, you can stay up here if you want." Cuddy told Bella, before she looked at Wilson. "If you're too busy, Wilson, don't worry about it, she can visit another time." She told Wilson, wanting him to know it was ok either way.

"No, it's fine, I can take a break. These charts are giving me a headache anyway."

"Are you sure?" Cuddy asked.

"Of course."

"Do you want to stay?" Cuddy turned to Bella.

"Yes." Bella answered.

"Ok well, call me when you want to go back downstairs and I'll come up and get you."

"Cuddy, I can take her down there when she's ready. I know you're busy, go do what you gotta do." He told her reassuringly.

Cuddy smiled and nodded, placing a kiss on Bella's head. "Have fun…I'll see you later."

"Ok."

Cuddy left them and made her way back to her office, ready to tackle another pile of paperwork on her desk.

* * *

A Few Minutes Later

"And this is the one I did today." Bella was saying to James as she showed him her sketchbook, sitting side by side on the couch in his office.

"Wow…Bella, these are amazing. You are extremely talented. You should be in some sort of art program somewhere." He told her sincerely.

Bella smiled at him. "That's what Greg said too."

"Well he's right."

"Thanks." Bella replied, closing her sketchbook.

James looked at her, tilting his head to the side with a small smile on his face. "You like House a lot, don't you?"

Bella smiled and nodded her head emphatically. "Yeah, I love Greg, he's the best."

James chuckled at that. "Well, that's true, but you might be one of the few that thinks so."

"People don't like him?" Bella asked, not believing that someone wouldn't like Greg.

"A lot of people don't understand him, so they think he's a jerk when really he isn't…well that's not true…he is a jerk, but usually he has a reason to be." James explained. "But he isn't always…he really is a good person." He said, and suddenly furrowed his brow. "But don't tell him I said that."

Bella nodded with a smirk.

"Can I go see him?" Bella asked. She really wanted to go hang out with Greg and hoped he would be back in his office by now.

"Uh, maybe you should stay in here for a little while…I don't want to get in trouble with your mom for not keeping you where she left you."

"She won't care, we went to visit him but he wasn't in his office. Maybe now he is?" She asked as convincingly as possible. "Please?" She begged, pouting at him. "Please?"

James slowly nodded his head, giving in to her begging. Bella beamed and jumped up, grabbing her backpack and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, James."

"You're welcome…come back here if he isn't in his office." He called out after her as she bolted out of his office.

Bella walked into Greg's empty office a moment later. The lights were on and she saw his bag lying on the floor beside his desk, so she knew he was here in the hospital. She looked into the conference room and saw tons of papers and books lying out on the glass table. Bella wasn't sure if this was his office too but she made her way in there anyway, noticing the big whiteboard with a bunch of words written on it, some of them she didn't know how to say. She was disappointed that Greg still wasn't in his office and she thought about going back to James's office like he said, but she wanted to wait for Greg.

Bella took her backpack off and sat down at the table, careful not to knock anything off and make a mess. She was eyeing the whiteboard, dying to erase it and draw on it, but she knew better than to go messing with things she didn't know about, especially if it was Greg's stuff. He might get mad at her.

Several minutes later, she heard the door open and turned her head to see four doctors walk into the room. They saw her and looked at her with confusion.

"Uh…are you lost?" One of them asked with a curious tone. She looked at his badge and saw that his name was Dr. Kutner.

Bella shook her head. "No."

"Are you looking for someone?" The woman asked. Her name was Dr. Hadley, Bella noticed.

Bella nodded. "Greg."

"Greg House?" The black man asked, with surprise. She wasn't sure if he was a doctor or not because he didn't have a white coat on or an ID badge, so she didn't know his name. He was wearing a black suit with a light purple shirt and a dark purple tie.

Bella nodded again. "That's his office over there, but is this his office too?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He replied, as he stood by the whiteboard.

"Why are you looking for House?" Dr. Kutner asked her, with curiosity.

"Probably his illegitimate child." Dr. Taub, mumbled.

Dr. Hadley and Dr. Kutner both opened their mouths in shock at his statement. The Suit guy just scowled at him. "Taub." Dr. Hadley said, in disbelief.

He looked up at them in surprise, seemingly unaware that he'd said that out loud. "Sorry." He said after a moment. The guy in the suit rolled his eyes.

Bella didn't know what that meant so she didn't know how to react, but by the way the other doctors reacted it wasn't nice. She furrowed her brow at him in uncertainty and glanced at the other doctors in the room, watching them as they seemed to be uncomfortable.

"So…are you here alone? Where are your parents?" Dr. Hadley asked, finally breaking the silence.

"My real parents are dead, but I got adopted and my mom is downstairs." She told them.

"You're Dr. Cuddy's daughter." Suit man said, with realization in his voice.

"Dr. Cuddy has a daughter now?" Dr. Kutner asked with surprise and a smile.

"She didn't tell you to stay away from House? That's surprising." Suit man replied.

"No." Bella answered, not understanding why Lisa would tell her to stay away from Greg. But then remembering what James had said; that a lot of people didn't understand him and thought he was a jerk.

Dr. Kutner came up to her and held his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Kutner."

"I know…I seen it on your badge." She responded, shaking his hand.

He nodded, with a lop-sided smile on his lips. He sat down in the chair next to her, seemingly interested in talking to her. "So how come you're looking for House?"

"Cuz I was bored downstairs in Lisa's office and then James said I could come see him." She answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"What's your name?" Dr. Hadley asked, sitting down across from Kutner.

Before she could answer, she heard the door open and turned her head to see Greg walk in, a huge smile appearing on her face.

"Hello, children." He said, loudly into the room before he spotted Bella.

He furrowed his brow. "Aren't you supposed to be in Mommy's office?" He asked sarcastically.

"I got bored." She told him.

"Smart kid." He replied, with a quick head nod.

The four doctors sitting at the table looked at Greg in shock.

"How's the patient responding to the treatment?" Greg asked, ignoring their shocked expressions.

No one said anything, still staring at him.

"You know this kid?" Dr. Taub asked him.

"Duh, she's the Queen bee's kid. Where have you been? Not in on the latest hospital news?" Greg snarked.

"How does she know _you_?" Suit man asked suspiciously.

"Everyone knows me. I am just that popular." He responded.

"Yeah, but why does she _like_ you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

Bella looked over at Suit man realizing that he must be one of the people that didn't like Greg. "You're mean." She told him, with a scowl, drawing laughs from Kutner.

"Ha!" Greg exclaimed. "It appears that she likes me better than you, Foreman. Told you she was a smart kid."

He rolled his eyes at Greg.

"So that's why Cuddy was gone last week?" Kutner asked.

"Yep. Got herself a shiny knew kid to play house with."

Bella listened to them talk about her, not minding it and finding it interesting how different Greg acts around these other doctors. Not bad different, just different.

"What's her name?" Kutner asked Greg as if she weren't there.

Greg looked confused. "I don't know, I just call her kid." He shrugged. "Why don't you ask her, she's right there, Kutner?" Greg rolled his eyes.

Kutner looked at her with his lopsided grin. "Sorry…so what's your name?" He asked her.

"Bella."

He nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"You too, Kutner." She smiled; he was nice.

"I was adopted too." He told her.

Bella raised her eyebrows in delighted surprise. "You was?"

"Yep." He smiled at her.

"Oh how cute, the two orphans have bonded." Greg commented sarcastically.

They both looked up at him.

"So what have you kids been talking about while Daddy was away?" Greg asked, moving over to erase the whiteboard.

"We was talking about who I was." Bella spoke up. Then she remembered what Dr. Taub had muttered and wanted to know what it meant. "What does ille…illegit…"

"Illegitimate." Kutner mumbled, lowering his head and glancing at Taub, sympathetically.

"Yeah, illegitimate; what's that mean?" Bella asked Greg curiously.

Dr. Taub whipped his head up with a panicked look on his, glancing over at Greg.

Greg narrowed his eyes. "Where did you hear that word?" He asked suspiciously, looking at the doctors as they seemed to cower in their chairs. All of them except for Suit man, who she knew now as Foreman. He just looked at Taub and shook his head.

Bella looked back at Greg, unsure if she'd just said a really bad word or not. "He said it." She pointed at Taub.

Greg looked at Dr. Taub. "Oh he did…did he? What exactly did he say?" Greg asked, his voice even, but on the edge of sounding upset.

"That I was your illegitimate child." Bella mumbled, uncertain of what was going on. "He said he was sorry, though." Bella added, quickly, not wanting Greg to get mad.

"Oh, well that fixes it. I'm sure Cuddy would _love_ to know what's being discussed in front of her kid."

"House…" Dr. Taub started to explain.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell her. I'm pretty sure she'd kill you and hide your body where no one would ever find it and unfortunately I need you alive." He turned to Bella and spoke softly to her.

"Get your stuff, kid."

Bella gathered her sketchbook and pencils, throwing them into her bag. She stood up and walked over to Greg, taking his left hand in hers. He held onto it protectively.

"For your information, she's not mine; the kid's parents died and Cuddy adopted her. That's all you need to know. And if I hear rumors going around about what you said, someone's getting fired." Greg spoke firmly to them before turning and heading out the door, with her following beside him.

Bella looked up at him as they reached the elevators. "Am I gonna get in trouble?" She asked in a small voice.

Greg looked down at her with confusion. "No…you didn't do anything wrong, kid, don't worry about it."

"How come you're mad? What does illegitimate mean?"

"Forget it, kid, he wasn't trying to insult you, he was trying to insult me. But he shouldn't have said that in front of you." He looked down at her as they got onto the elevator. "You can't tell Cuddy what he said, understand? She'll just get mad and overreact."

Bella nodded.

"You hungry?" He asked, after a moment of silence.

Bella shrugged. "Not really."

"Well I am, let's go get some food."

* * *

11:45 AM

House and Bella sat in a booth in the cafeteria. House had his Rueben sandwich and Bella had a burger and French fries. He had taken the kid down there because he didn't want to take her back to Cuddy's office when he was as pissed as he was…she'd notice right away that something had happened. He couldn't believe Taub had said that in front of the kid. Thankfully, she didn't know what it meant. For one thing it isn't true and for another it wouldn't be anyone's business if it was. He didn't care that he'd been insulted. To be honest, it wasn't really an insult these days…it wasn't the 1950's, for crying out loud. But all it would take was one person to overhear that conversation for it to become a rumor and it would inevitably get twisted into Bella being his and Cuddy's long lost illegitimate child. He sighed, trying to rid his mind of Taub's idiocy.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, when something occurred to House. "Cuddy let you go up to my office alone?" House asked her.

Bella shook her head. "No, she brought me up to see you but you wasn't there so we went to see James and then I talked him into letting me go to your office."

House smirked. "How'd you do that? Ask him till he got sick of hearing your voice?"

Bella smiled and nodded. "Sort of…I begged him to let me. He's really easy, it didn't take long."

House laughed. "Tell me about it…his easiness why we get along at all." He stated sarcastically, grabbing one of Bella's fries.

Bella chuckled.

House pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and hit Cuddy's number on speed dial.

"Hey." Cuddy answered sweetly.

"Hey. So I'm having lunch with this really cute curly-headed brunette." House told her with amusement.

Bella smiled at him.

"Really? Should I be jealous?" Cuddy asked. He could tell she was smiling.

"Maybe, she keeps hitting on me and I don't know how long I can resist her charms…you better get down here."

Bella giggled with her mouth full, as she munched on her burger.

Cuddy chuckled. "Well I can't have some young thing turning your head, so I guess I better get there fast."

House looked at Bella, lowering the phone. "Your mother just called you 'some young thing,' you should be insulted."

"House, let me talk to my daughter." He heard Cuddy say over the phone.

"Sorry, if you want to talk to her you have to come to the cafeteria." He told her, hanging up before she could protest.

"She'll be here in no time." House told Bella, putting away his cell phone.

"She'll be mad cuz you hung up on her." Bella told him.

"Nah, she's used to it."

They continued to eat as they waited for Cuddy to show up. House hadn't seen her in a few days due to the case he was working on and he missed her. He also missed sleeping in her bed, not to mention the sex. They hadn't had sex in over a week and he was having withdrawals. He suddenly got an idea.

He leaned in to whisper to Bella. "Hey, kid. You mind if I take your mom on a date tomorrow night if Wilson will stay with you?"

"Yeah…you can take her out…is it a secret?" Bella asked in a whisper.

"Yep, so don't mention it until I talk to her, got it?"

Bella nodded happily.

About a minute later, Cuddy came up to them with a tray in her hand, sitting down beside Bella. "Hey, Sweetie, did you have fun with Wilson?" She asked, placing a kiss on Bella's head.

"Yeah, but then I went to Greg's office."

"He let you go by yourself?"

"It's just around the corner, Cuddy, calm down. I'm pretty sure she used every precaution before battling the dangers of the PPTH hallway." House said dramatically, rolling his eyes.

Cuddy glared at him. "Shut up."

House grinned and chuckled at her over protectiveness. "Tell her you made it to the office safely, kid."

"I made it to the office safely." Bella repeated with a sweet smile, looking at her mother.

Cuddy shook her head and smiled, and began eating her food. "How's your patient?" She asked him, changing the subject.

"So far the treatments working."

Cuddy nodded. "So can you make it to dinner tonight?" She asked softly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

House's lip quirked in a smile before he nodded at her. She smiled, quickly looking away from him. He suddenly became aware of several people staring at them and whispering to each other, no doubt gossiping about the Dean of Medicine and her new daughter and why House was having lunch with them.

"I should go." House told her suddenly, gathering his tray.

Cuddy looked up at him with surprise and disappointment, as did Bella, but she put up a fight.

"But…I didn't hardly get to see you. Can I go with you?"

"Sorry, kid, your mom has an evil side…it's the one that makes me do clinic duty."

"But can't I do it with you…I'll be real quiet, I promise."

House scoffed. "Not when you hear some of those morons that come through the clinic, you won't, trust me."

"House." Cuddy admonished.

"Please?" Bella begged.

"Bella, you can't be in the clinic when House is seeing patients." Cuddy told her. "And you better actually see patients." She ordered him.

House rolled his eyes. "Yes, mommy." He said sarcastically, before looking back at Bella.

Bella's face fell in disappointment, sitting back in the booth.

"You'll see him tonight, ok?" Cuddy spoke gently to her.

Bella nodded.

House saw her disappointment and had no idea why she cared so much. But it felt good that she wanted to be around him, he had to admit. "Don't worry, kid, tonight when you see, you'll be wanting to get rid of me."

Bella scowled. "No I won't."

"Yes you will." He argued childishly, trying to get Bella started to get her mind off of him leaving and hopefully cheer her up a little.

"Will not."

"Will too."

"Will not."

"Will too.

"Will not.

"Will too."

"Good god, you two!" Cuddy hissed at them. "I swear, it's like I have _two_ children." She mumbled to herself, but loud enough for both of them to hear her.

House laughed at her, as he looked at Bella. Bella started giggling.

"My work here is done. Made one laugh and pissed off the other." He stated, leaving quickly before either one of them could stop him.

* * *

2:15 PM

Cuddy sat behind her desk working on paperwork as Bella lay on the couch taking a nap, due to sheer boredom. They had returned from lunch not long after House left them and Bella had started reading a book, while Cuddy got back to work. She was happy to see House today, even for a little while, since they hadn't seen each other in a few days. He looked really good and she couldn't wait to see him again tonight. She was hoping they would be able to have some time alone soon because she _really_ missed him. She missed holding him and she missed his kisses and she definitely missed the sex. Cuddy sighed loudly, shaking her head, and trying to get those thoughts out of her mind so she could concentrate on her work.

Her pager went off and she checked it, seeing that she was needed in the clinic, silently hoping House hadn't pissed someone off again. She stood up and wrote a quick note to Bella letting her know she'd be right back and not to go anywhere, just in case she woke up while she was gone. Cuddy made her way quietly out the door and headed to the clinic. She walked past the busy clinic and went up to exam room 4 and knocked lightly before opening the door. When she looked in it was dark and empty. Cuddy furrowed her brow and started closing the door when she heard him.

"I'm over here, Cuddy, come in and close the door." House told her quietly.

"House? What are you doing in a dark exam room, you're supposed to be seeing patients." Cuddy asked him, her left hand moving to switch the light on.

"Don't turn the light on, Cuddy. Close the door." He told her again.

She heard him move from the dark corner he was standing in, and her eyes darted over there, finally seeing his tall frame coming toward her, the light from the hallway slightly illuminating the room. He took her hand and gently pulled her inside the room, closing and locking the door behind her, leaving them in darkness. Before she could utter another word, he captured her lips with his; his lips soft against hers. She responded right away, having missed the feel of his lips on hers. His smell and the way he touched her was intoxicating. His right hand cupped her jaw as his other arm came around her waist, pulling her to him. Her arms went around him, caressing his back. House tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he gently pushed her back against the door. Her right hand moved up to his neck and into his hair. He released her lips and dipped his head down to place soft, wet kisses on her neck. She softly moaned into his ear, biting her bottom lip, as to not make too much noise.

"I missed you, Cuddy." He whispered into her neck as he continued tasting her, moving his lips down to her collarbone. She felt his fingers begin to unbutton her blouse and that's when her eyes snapped open and she gently pushed him away.

"House, we can't have sex in here, are you crazy?" She whispered, as she moved around him to get some distance between them, breathing heavily. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark and she saw him smirk at her as he turned around.

"Can't blame a man for trying." He stated. "Fine, if you won't put out in here, then I'm pretty sure you'll put out tomorrow night after our date."

"What date?" She asked with confusion, she didn't remember making a date with him for tomorrow night.

"The one I'm taking you on, because Wilson is going to watch your kid for you." He told her taking a few steps toward her until he was towering over her.

Cuddy smiled. "You're taking me out?"

"I'm taking you out…assuming you say yes, cuz if you don't then…"

"Yes." She responded quickly, cutting him off.

"Wow, don't sound so desperate, Cuddy. I might change my mind…I don't dig desperate women."

"You're the one that lured me in here to have sex with you. I think you're the desperate one."

"Of course I'm desperate, I haven't had sex in over a week."

"Oh so you're just taking me out so I'll _put out_?"

House shrugged. "Duh, why else would I take you out?" He snarked.

Cuddy smacked him. "Shut up. You're taking me out because you missed me, you said so yourself."

"That was before, when I thought I was about to have sex with you in here."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "You're such an ass." She chuckled.

He grinned at her. "So you want to make out some more?" He responded with complete seriousness.

She laughed, taking a step closer to him. Cuddy wrapped her arms around him and placed a kiss on his chest, feeling his arms come around her. He kissed her temple and she tilted her head up to kiss his neck and whisper to him. "I missed you too."

"So is that a yes?"

She chuckled into his neck. "Stop it, we're not making out again. We have to get back to work and I left Bella alone in my office."

"Fine. But I'm penciling it into my schedule for tonight after the kid goes to bed." He let go of her and turned a lamp on, illuminating the room with the harsh light. They both squinted until their eyes adjusted and he pulled his phone out of his pocket, typing something into it. When he was finished, she grabbed his phone and read what he'd noted on his calendar. '8:30 PM: snog Cuddy.'

Cuddy laughed, handing him his phone back. He took it from her, placing it back in his pocket. "I'll see tonight, House." She told him, walking past him toward the door. Before she could get too far, he grabbed her wrist, spinning her around to face him. He leaned into her and whispered in her ear. "You look beautiful today, Cuddy."

She smiled. "You're just saying that so I'll change my mind about having sex with you in here." She accused him playfully.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes, all humor gone out of his expression. "No I'm not. I mean it, Cuddy. You look amazing today." He whispered with complete seriousness, his fingers caressing her face.

Her smile faded, seeing his expression. "Thank you." She whispered back. She couldn't believe he'd just said that so honestly, without any insults or innuendos. Moments like these with House were rare and when they did happen, she wanted to bottle them up and cherish them forever.

"I'll see you tonight." He told her.

She nodded, still slightly stunned. "See you." She said, weakly, as she made her way out of the exam room.

* * *

6:48 PM

Bella heard the knock on the door and knew it was Greg. She was sitting on her bed drawing, when she heard it and immediately jumped up and ran out of her room.

"I'll get it." She yelled out, running down the hall.

She threw the door open to see Greg standing there with a smirk on his face.

"How did you know it was me? I coulda been a kidnapper." He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I knew it was you cuz you was supposed to be here at 6:30 and you're late!" She told him smartly.

She heard Lisa laugh behind her as she stood in the dining room, having come from the kitchen when she heard the door.

Greg glared at her as he stepped inside the house. "Smartass. You might want to check before you go opening the door like that." He told her.

He walked past Bella as she closed the door, turning around to see Greg kiss Lisa on the mouth. She was starting to get used to them doing that and actually didn't really mind anymore because if she wanted Greg to be her dad, and wanted him to live here with them then they would be doing that all the time anyway. Because that's just what moms and dads do…at least hers always did.

"Dinner's almost ready." She heard Lisa say, as Bella walked up to them. "Bella, can you go wash your hands and set the table, please?"

Bella nodded and ran to the bathroom to wash her hands. So far, she loved living here, not that she thought she wouldn't. Last week had been fun. They had gone shopping and Bella got to pick out stuff for her very own bathroom. Lisa said it was a responsibility to have your own bathroom because she would have to take care of it. She told Bella that it would have to stay clean and that it was her responsibility to keep it that way. Lisa had gone over some rules with her last week that she would need to keep.

The first was bedtime, which they had already discussed before then. The second was cleaning up after herself. If she got something out she had to put it back where it belonged. So far, that one was going ok. The third rule was; it was Bella's turn every other night to clear the table at dinner and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Thankfully it was her turn last night. She didn't love that rule. The fourth rule was communication. If something was bothering either one of them, they had to talk about it. Lisa explained that just because she was Bella's mom now, didn't mean that they couldn't still be friends and talk about important or even non-important things. She told Bella that if it was important to her, it was important to Lisa too. The last rule was that Bella could have her privacy in her room as long as she wasn't breaking any of the other rules. Lisa said she had 100% trust in Bella, but if she did something she wasn't supposed to or repeatedly broke the rules, some of her privileges would be taken away.

For the most part Bella didn't have a problem with those rules. Lisa never gave her rules against watching too much TV or asked her to do the laundry and take out the trash. Bella didn't think she accidentally left those out, she just thought maybe Lisa didn't want to make her feel like she had to do all this stuff to live here. She was always fair with her.

Bella ran back into the kitchen, where Greg was standing at the counter talking with Lisa as she finished up with the salad. She grabbed the stool and placed it where she could reach the plates in the top cupboard. Grabbing the utensils out of the drawer, she put them on top of the plates and carried them into the dining room.

Greg came in there carrying the lasagna and set it on the table.

"What's up, kid?"

"Nothin'." She stated as she continued setting the table.

She could feel him watching her. "What?" She asked, looking up him.

"You looked up the word, didn't you?"

Bella's mouth opened in surprise. She knew he was referring to what had happened today in his office. 'How did he know she'd looked it up?' She asked herself. Finally she nodded, glancing in the kitchen to make sure Lisa wasn't listening. "But I didn't say nothin' to her."

Greg nodded. "You ok? You understand why I was mad?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know…because he was mean to you?"

Greg shook his head. "I don't care about that, that doesn't bother me. I was mad because it isn't true and he shouldn't have said that in front of you. If it were true, that's not something that you would need to hear. I also didn't want that to be some rumor that could get around the hospital. A rumor like that would only cause trouble."

Bella nodded. "Ok." Accepting what he'd told her. She went back into the kitchen to grab the glasses. She still didn't fully understand what had happened but she didn't want to dwell on it. She needed to think of more important things…like how she would talk Greg into being her dad.

* * *

7:45 PM

After dinner, they were sitting in the living room together watching another one of the movies that Cuddy had bought for Bella. This time she wanted to watch Toy Story. Bella was lying on her stomach on the floor, her elbows propping her head up and her feet sticking up in the air. She was completely focused on the movie, laughing occasionally at the funny parts. House and Cuddy were lying together on the couch, watching the movie as well. Cuddy realized the moment House got bored with the film when he started trying to sneak his hand inside her shirt. Throughout the movie, he would snake his fingers under the hem of her shirt at her waist, caressing her stomach and slipping one or two fingers under jeans. She heard him chuckle in her hear when she gasped as his fingers reached the front of her thong. Cuddy grabbed his wrist and removed his hand from her pants.

"Stop it, House." She told him in low whisper. After another couple of attempts on his part, he kept his caresses above her waist. He had reached the edge of her bra a few times before she stopped him, not wanting it to get any further with Bella in the room. She wanted to stop him, but in truth, she was enjoying it. She'd missed his touch and she found it hard to make him stop completely. She closed her eyes when he started nibbling at her ear and his lips moved down to her neck. She took in a deep breath and released it when he moved his lips up to her jaw. Cuddy had been reveling in his kisses that she hadn't realized his hand was cupping her right breast until his finger began circling her nipple through her bra. Her eyes shot open and she glanced down at Bella to make sure she was still watching the movie.

As Bella's attention remained on the movie, Cuddy turned her head, looking at House and removing his hand.

"House, you have to stop." She hissed at him.

House chuckled, innocently placing his hand on her hip. "Fine, but once the kid is bed, you're mine." He whispered.

Cuddy couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She turned her gaze back to the TV, still smiling.

* * *

8:30 PM

"Night, Greg." Bella said, running into the living room to give him a hug before going to bed. "I'm glad you came over."

"Goodnight, kid." He said, lifting her into his arms and hugging her. He put her back down and she ran back into her room. Bella crawled in bed, as Lisa made her way into her room to tuck her in. Splat jumped up on the bed next to Bella, settling himself on top of the other pillow. Lisa drew the comforter over Bella's body and sat down next to her.

"You brushed your teeth?" Lisa asked.

Bella nodded. "Mhm."

Lisa leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, sweetie, sweet dreams."

"Night, I love you."

"I love you too." She told Bella, moving to stand up.

"Lisa?"

Lisa looked down at her with a questioning glance. "Yeah."

"Uhmm…" Bella didn't know how to bring this up, except to ask. She looked at her hands as she played with the comforter in her hands. "Does Greg live far away from here?"

Lisa furrowed her brow, obviously not expecting that question. "Not too far, why?"

Bella shrugged. "I was just wondering." She told her.

Lisa placed her hands on top of Bella's hands, stilling her movements. "Sweetheart, you don't have to be afraid to ask me anything, you know that, right?"

Bella nodded.

"What's on your mind?" She asked Bella softly.

"I was just thinking that since Greg is here all of the time, can't he just live here?"

Lisa raised her eyebrows in surprise at Bella's question. She didn't say anything for a few moments, until she shifted her weight on the bed and ran her fingers gently through Bella's hair. "Bella, I don't know how to answer that. I think that's something that House has to figure out if he wants to do." She paused a moment before continuing. "Living here…would be a big step for him…for all of us. You and I are going through a big change right now, and while I don't have a problem with House living here eventually, I think we need to give it some time…don't you?"

Bella shrugged. "I just like when he comes over and I thought it would be fun for him to stay."

Lisa raised her eyebrows again and smiled at that. "You wouldn't have a problem with House staying over sometimes?"

Bella shook her head and smiled. "I like when he's here."

Lisa gave her a big smile and nodded her head. "Ok…we'll talk about it, but I'm not promising that he'll move in, understand?"

Bella smiled and nodded happily.

"Alright…get some sleep, I have to be at work early tomorrow for some meetings. We'll talk about what you can do while I'm in the meetings tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok."

Bella watched Lisa walk out of her room, still smiling, and quietly closed the door. Bella smiled as well, hoping that her plan was working and that someday, Greg would want to move in with them and be her dad.

* * *

Cuddy walked into the living room where House was waiting for her and watching TV. She was smiling from ear to ear after hearing that Bella wouldn't mind if House spent the night. House looked up at her and furrowed his brow, no doubt wondering why she was smiling at him like that.

"What?" He asked, switching the TV off.

Cuddy sat down beside him and took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. "I just had a nice little conversation with Bella."

House narrowed his eyes. "About?"

"You." She responded, squeezing his hand.

"It wasn't my fault."

Cuddy chuckled. "It's always your fault, House. But I'm not talking about anything you did, right now, although I would like to come back to why you were so ready to defend yourself."

"I'm always ready to defend myself…even when I didn't do anything because I usually get blamed for it anyway." He said sarcastically.

"Right." She rolled her eyes, before shifting her position so she was facing him on the couch. She let go of his hand and whispered to him. "So, how would you feel about staying tonight?"

He looked at her with surprise, narrowing his eyes at her. "Don't screw with me, Cuddy, that's just mean."

"I'm not screwing with you. Bella wanted to know why you didn't just live here if you're here all of the time. I told her that would be a big step and that since we're going through a big change right now with her moving in…that maybe it wasn't the right time. And then she said she liked it when you were here and if you couldn't just stay." Cuddy finished telling him, her smile never wavering. "I couldn't agree more."

House nodded. "It would be a big step." He told her.

"Yeah." She nodded, solemnly. "But you wouldn't be opposed to staying a few nights a week though." She stated, after a moment. It wasn't a question because she already knew the answer.

He shook his head, a small smile coming to his face. "If it means I get sex, I definitely wouldn't be opposed."

"And of course that's the only reason you'd want to stay." She responded with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Of course, since we're both in it for the sex, it works out perfectly."

She smiled at him, knowing he was just trying to keep the mood from getting too serious. She brought her fingers up to caress each side of his stubbly cheeks and leaned in, placing a soft kiss to his lips. "Stay?" She asked in a whisper, looking into his eyes.

He nodded, kissing her again.

**Don't forget to review…they make me happy, and everyone loves a happy writer. Thanks!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Here's Chapter 25! As always, I say thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying the story.**

**Chapter 25**

6:00 AM

The Next Morning

Cuddy's alarm clock sounded, causing her to startle awake and quickly press the snooze button. She was lying on her stomach facing away from House as he was practically lying on top of her, his arms holding her closely to him. His rough, stubbly cheek scraped against her shoulder blade as he flinched from the sound of the alarm clock, grunting sleepily and taking in a deep breath.

"It is too damn early for that thing to be going off." He mumbled, rolling onto his back.

"It's six o'clock." She mumbled into her pillow. "I have to get up, I have an early meeting." She told him, lying there for another moment before slowly moving to get out of bed. She turned to him, as she stood up. She took a moment to watch him; his head was turned away from her, the blanket and sheet only covering him from the waist down except for a small portion of his left hip that was exposed to her. She smiled, remembering how amazing last night had been. They had taken their time, enjoying the closeness that they hadn't felt in each others arms for what seemed like forever, but had only been a little over a week. She let her eyes caress his features, starting at his handsome face and moving down to his strong shoulders and arms. She watched as his chest rose and fell with each slow breath he took. She admired his long elegant fingers as they were splayed across his stomach. She thought he had the sexiest hands; a musician's hands.

She blinked, snapping herself out her daze. She went over to pick up his t-shirt and pulled it over her head, slipping on her robe over it. She needed to go get Bella up. Cuddy was learning quickly that Bella wasn't an early riser unless she was extremely excited about something. It took Bella several minutes to wake herself up and Cuddy would have to make sure that she was actually awake before leaving her room. As Cuddy opened her bedroom door, she noticed that Bella was almost completely hidden under the comforter. If Bella's leg hadn't been sticking out from under them, she would never know that she was under there at all. Cuddy smiled and made her way over to the bed, gently pulling the covers down to her waist. Bella was lying on her stomach with her head resting on the pillow on the other side of her bed as she lay diagonally over the mattress. Cuddy sat down on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed circles over Bella's back until she began to stir.

"Bella, it's time to get up, Sweetie." She spoke softly.

She lay there with her eyes closed, still not having awakened yet. "Bella." Cuddy called her name again. "Get up, baby, we need to be ready to leave in about an hour."

Bella slowly opened her eyes and took in a deep breath. She shifted, turning her head to look at Cuddy. Cuddy could tell she was still on the edge of slumber, if she left the room right now, Bella would lay her head back down and go to sleep again. She learned that particular bit of information last week when they were going to go shopping one morning and Cuddy had gone to wake Bella up, having left her before she was fully awake. Cuddy had returned after getting herself ready to find Bella still in bed. When she asked her about it, Bella said she didn't remember her coming to wake her up even though Bella had looked at her and nodded her head.

Cuddy smiled at her now, as Bella was looking at her, sleepily. "Are you awake?" She asked.

Bella nodded, moving over and laying her head down on Cuddy's lap, cuddling up to her and closing her eyes. Cuddy chuckled. "I don't think you are." She said.

Bella nodded.

"Say something to me, before I start tickling." She teased her.

"I'm awake." She chuckled. "Don't tickle." She said with a sleepy voice.

Cuddy laughed. "Ok, then you have to get up. Go brush your teeth and get ready while I take a shower, ok?"

"Can I have a Pop Tart first?" She mumbled with her eyes still closed.

"Of course you can, sweetie. I just need you to get up, because I have a meeting in a couple of hours, so we need to get to the hospital soon."

"Ok." She answered, opening her eyes and lifting her head.

Cuddy stood up, placed a kiss on Bella's forehead and made her way out of the room. When she stepped into her bedroom, House was still in bed, having fallen back to sleep. Cuddy closed her bedroom door, in case Bella came looking for her. She didn't want to surprise Bella with a naked House in her bed.

"House." She called out, trying to wake him up. She went over and placed a kiss on his cheek and forehead, causing him to open his eyes.

"Are you trying to have sex with me?" He mumbled, grabbing hold of Cuddy's wrist as she backed away from him toward the bathroom. He pulled her back to the bed and she sat down beside him.

"No, I'm trying to wake you so you'll put some clothes on…Bella's up and I don't want her to come in here and find you naked." She told him.

"So lock the door." He told her, bringing his arm around her waist, trying to pull her back in bed with him.

"I'm not locking my daughter out of my bedroom…put some clothes on. I have to get in the shower." She told him, moving away from him and throwing his boxers and jeans onto the bed, before slipping her robe off and removing his shirt. She smiled at him as he ran his eyes over her body. She placed his t-shirt on the bed and turned around to walk into the bathroom.

"Need some help in there?" He called out to her as she closed the door.

"Nope." She responded with a smile that he couldn't see as she turned the shower on.

* * *

10 Minutes Later

Bella rummaged through her drawers and closet to try to find something she wanted to wear today. She had already eaten her Pop Tart, fed Splat, and was now getting ready for her day. She decided on a pair of khaki pants and a purple t-shirt with a cat design across the front and side of it. When she stepped out of her bedroom to go brush her teeth once she was dressed, she heard Lisa's bedroom door open and heard footsteps coming out of the bedroom. But these weren't Lisa's footsteps, they sounded more like….

"Greg!" She exclaimed, running over to him and giving him a hug. "You spent the night?" She asked, happily.

"Yep…is that ok with you?" He asked, with a little bit of uncertainty.

"Yeah!!" She replied excitedly, jumping up and down. "Are you coming with us to the hospital?"

"Nope. I'm going home first…I won't be in until later." He said, making his way to the kitchen.

Bella followed him, holding onto his hand as they entered the kitchen.

"Can I go with you?"

"Nope. No one at the hospital is supposed to know that your Mom and I are together, remember? If I take you in with me, it would make people ask questions that don't need to be asked." He told her.

"Oh yeah." She had forgotten.

"And if you ever hear me say something about your Mom that sounds mean, it's just an act, got it?"

"Duh, I'm not stupid, you know?" She rolled her eyes.

"No you aren't…sometimes you're way too smart for you own good, kid." He told her as he started making some coffee.

Bella smirked at his statement. "That's true." She agreed, giggling at his expression.

"And not at all conceited." He said with sarcasm, making her giggle more.

Bella jumped up on the counter beside him as he tried to make coffee, watching him with interest. "I used to watch my Daddy make coffee too." She told him. "And he didn't _ever_ do it like that." She scowled, pointing to what he was doing.

"Like what?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Do you know what you're doing?" She asked him, suspecting that he had no idea.

Greg rolled his eyes. "Of course I know what I'm doing, it's not brain surgery. Although I could do that too." He said, smugly. He picked up the coffee to read how much he needed to measure out.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I'll do it." She told him, pushing him aside as she scooted over on the counter so she could reach the coffee and measure it out to pour it into the filter.

"Geez, Bossypants, you'll be mini-Cuddy in no time…she's training you well."

Bella giggled at him as she concentrated on making his coffee for him. She pushed the start button when she had finished measuring the coffee and smiled up at him. "See, it's easy."

"Show off." He snarked. "Your dad taught you that?" He asked, after a moment.

Bella nodded. "Yeah. He always let me make it for him and he said I was the best coffee maker in the whole world."

"Hmmm, well, I'm the best coffee judge in the whole world and that remains to be seen." He pointed at her.

"It's true." She told him, shaking her head. "I always measure it just right."

"I guess we'll find out in a few minutes." Greg replied, rummaging through the cabinets for something to eat. He pulled a Pop Tart out and opened the wrapper. He ate it in silence as they waited for the coffee. When it was finished brewing a few minutes later, Bella got a coffee mug out for Greg, reaching for the coffee to pour him some, but Greg stopped her.

"I'll pour it, kid, wouldn't want you to burn yourself." He told her.

"I won't."

"You can pour the coffee on your Mom's time, I'm not getting blamed if you burn yourself, got it?"

Bella rolled her eyes, but moved over to let him pour the coffee into his mug. When he was finished and had put cream and sugar into it, he looked up at her before tasting it.

"Alright, kid, this better be the best cup of coffee I've ever tasted or you lose."

Bella nodded smugly, and crossed her arms in front of her. He put it up to his lips and took a tentative sip. She watched him carefully to see if she could read what he was thinking. He swallowed and just stood there, unfazed by what he'd tasted. She raised her eyebrows in question when he looked at her.

"It's the best, isn't it?" She asked with a smirk.

"Hmmm. Well, I have to admit that it is pretty damn good…but not the best."

"It is too." She replied with mild indignation.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Oh my god…you two just wait for me, don't you? Just to piss me off." Lisa remarked as she came into the kitchen, heading for the coffee.

Bella hide a smile as she looked at Greg. He winked at her.

Lisa fixed a cup for herself and took a sip of it. "Mm, this is really good. Did you make this, House?"

Greg looked at Lisa and narrowed his eyes at her, causing Bella to laugh at him. Lisa looked between them and furrowed her brow. Greg rolled his eyes.

"The kid made it…little miss 'I'm the best coffee maker in the world'." He replied with sarcasm.

Bella busted out laughing at Greg again. She knew he had been lying about the coffee and Lisa just busted him. Lisa chuckled at him and looked at Bella.

"Did you really make this?" She asked.

Bella nodded, through her laughs. "Yes."

"I'm leaving." Greg grumbled, setting the coffee down on the counter. "Don't think you're getting away with being the best coffee maker in the whole world and not making my coffee when I get into work, kid." He pointed his finger at her.

Bella had stopped laughing long enough to look at Greg with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "I told you I was the best." She said.

Greg walked out of the kitchen, grunting. "Whatever."

Bella chuckled and looked at Lisa. "He's grouchy in the morning."

"Sweetie, he's grouchy all the time." She said with a smile as they both heard the door slam on his way out.

* * *

11:00 AM

House was seated at his desk, his feet propped up, listening to his iPod and playing his PSP. He had just reached level 8 on his game, when Taub came into his office. He glanced up at him but shifted his eyes back to his game. He could hear him mumbling about something but had no idea what he was saying, nor did he care. He had managed to ignore his team all morning, but unfortunately it looked like that was over. He paused his game and removed his headphones with a heavy sigh.

"I'm so sorry, were you saying something?" He asked sarcastically.

Taub glared at him. "I was trying to apologize about what I said yesterday. I know you don't care but I thought I'd at least make the effort."

"Gee, thanks. Anyway, I don't care what you said about me, but you might want to be careful what you say the next time the Boss's kid is in the room."

"I didn't know who she was and anyway it slipped out before I knew what I was saying…so, sorry, House."

"Yeah, whatever, get out before you screw up my winning streak." He told him, turning back to his game and resuming play.

Taub turned and left the room as a smirk appeared on House's lips.

Ten minutes later, he looked up to see Cuddy and Bella entering the room. He pressed pause again, removed his headphones and stared at them as they stood in front of him. Bella had a smile on her face and Cuddy looked tired.

"Are there any members of the Board still left breathing?" He asked her.

"Unfortunately." She sighed. "I see you're working hard, as usual." She said, walking over and sitting in a chair opposite him as Bella stood beside her.

"Yes I am…do you have any idea how hard it is to get past the killer monkeys on this level…little vine-swinging bastards." He replied disdainfully, holding his PSP up before setting it on the desk beside him.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Maybe instead of playing your little game, you could be doing your _actual_ job."

"If I were doing my actual job, I wouldn't be able to watch the kid for you." He stated with a smirk.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Since you don't have a file in your hand, I assume that's why you're up here?"

Cuddy smirked. "Yes. So do you mind?"

"All of the doctors in the other room are staring at us." Bella told them, turning her head back to look at House after having her eyes on the doctors in the conference room.

House grabbed his big tennis ball and threw it at the glass door. "Get back to work!" He yelled at them. They immediately turned their heads and resumed their work. The ball bounced off in the corner of the office. "Get that ball, woulda kid?"

Bella left her mother's side and retrieved the ball for him, setting it on the desk where it was before.

House glanced up at Cuddy with a smart aleck grin.

Cuddy shook her head at him. "You're unbelievable."

"I know." He interjected, with a shrug.

Cuddy chuckled, tiredly shaking her head. "I have to go into another meeting in a few minutes because the last meeting didn't go so well, could you watch Bella for me?"

"I suppose I could put up with her. Besides, I believe I demanded another rematch of that last poker game we played."

Bella's jaw dropped and she rolled her eyes. "I beat you twice, you ain't gonna win, you know?" She stressed, crossing her arms.

Cuddy looked up her. "Twice?" She questioned with surprise.

"Oh good job, big mouth, you've done it now."

Cuddy looked between House and Bella. "No. Poker. Understand?" She pointed at them.

Bella nodded, lowering her head.

House rolled his eyes. "Fine, killjoy."

Cuddy sighed and stood up. "Thanks for doing this, House. Bella, I'll hopefully be out of my meeting by 1:00, but you can either stay with House or come back to my office, ok?"

Bella nodded and gave her a hug. "Sorry your meeting sucked."

Cuddy smiled and returned Bella's hug. "Thank you, Sweetie. I'll call you later, ok? Don't let House get into too much trouble." She told her, glacing at House.

House rolled his eyes. "Me? It's her you should be worried about."

"Right." She responded with a smirk and placed a kiss on Bella's head. Cuddy pulled some money out her pocket and handed it to House. "Don't forget to feed my child."

House took the cash and pocketed it. "Aye, aye, Cap'n." He saluted.

Cuddy smirked and made her way out of the office.

Bella turned to him. "What are we gonna do?" She asked curiously.

"Don't know, got any suggestions?"

Bella shrugged. "We can't play poker…maybe we could play hide and seek?"

House looked intrigued, dropping his feet to the floor. "In the hospital?" He asked.

Bella nodded with a smile.

He narrowed his eyes, realizing something. "You know that if your Mother found out about this she'd ground your ass, right?"

"Well, I don't hear no suggestions from you?" She replied smartly, crossing her arms.

"Not saying I don't like the idea, I'm just saying if she finds out…your ass is grass."

"So's yours." She pointed out. Bella sighed, coming to stand next to him at the desk. "I don't want her to get mad at me."

"Fine, we'll stay on this floor, I'll give you my cell in case we need to cut it short." He told her, handing her his cell phone. "If you need help for any reason and you can't make it back here to my office or Wilson's, call him, because I won't have a phone on me. If it's not urgent, make your way back here and page me. We'll play for an hour and then meet back here, no matter what, understand?"

Bella nodded.

"Oh and another thing, unless it's me calling you on that phone, do not answer it." He pointed at her with seriousness. "Even if it's Cuddy."

Bella nodded. "Put it on vibrate, so you can't call me and find me." She told him, handing it back with a smirk on her lips.

"Damn it! Too smart for your own good." He mumbled, taking it from her and putting it on vibrate.

Bella chuckled, and took it back from him when he handed it to her.

"Ok, you hide first." He told her. "And no hiding in the women's bathroom."

"No hiding in the men's bathroom then." She responded, pausing at the office door and pointing at him on her way out.

"Deal."

House watched her leave and take a left down the hallway. He chuckled to himself and gave her one-minute to find a hiding spot before he got up and followed after her.

* * *

Bella ran down the hallway, knowing she wouldn't have much time to hide. Several people turned to see her running down the hall, so she decided she better slow down in case Greg started asking if anyone had seen which direction she went. Bella didn't expect Greg to play fair. It didn't matter though, because she was a master at hide and seek; having done quite a bit of it in NYC for reasons she didn't want to think about right now. There were about a million great places to hide in a hospital, but she was limited to this floor. There were a lot of offices on this floor, making it challenging because she didn't know if anyone would be in the offices or if they would be locked.

As Bella was walking quickly down the hallway, ready to turn the corner, she looked behind her to see if Greg was back there and as she rounded the corner, she ran smack into something hard. She fell backwards, landing on her butt; her hands having come down to unsuccessfully break her fall. When she looked up, she saw a tall pair of legs that belonged to a huge, intimidating man in a uniform. She looked at his face and thought she recognized him.

The man held his hand out to her, to help her up. "I'm sorry, miss, are you alright?"

Bella nodded, taking his hand and standing up. "Sorry, sir."

"I've seen you around here before, haven't I?"

Bella shrugged. "Maybe." She looked closely at him and raised her eyebrows in surprise, remembering him. "I seen you too. You're Big George." She replied, giving him a smile.

"Oh my god. You're the little girl…Bella, right?"

Bella nodded. "Yep."

"You're talkin' now…and you're lookin' much better than the last time I saw you too." He said, smiling down at her.

"Thanks. I'm Lisa's daughter now, did you know that?"

"You're Dr. Cuddy's daughter?" He asked with delighted surprise. "Well, congratulations young lady, I'm happy to hear that."

Bella smiled from ear to ear. "Thanks, Big George. And thanks for finding me that time in the basement."

"You're welcome, darlin', I'm so glad I did."

Bella caught a glimpse of Greg down the corridor and gasped. "I gotta go, I'm playing hide and seek with Greg and he can't find me. See ya, Big George." She said, running down the hallway.

"See ya." He laughed, shaking his head at her.

Bella hauled ass down the hall, looking for a room to hide in. When she came upon Greg's office again, she smiled. He wouldn't look for her in here. She made her way inside, seeing the four doctors in the conference room. She walked in and looked at them.

"I'm hiding from Greg, I was never here, ok?" Bella told them, moving to the corner of the room to hide under the sink. "I hope none of you are bad liars." She said to them, as she closed the doors.

* * *

12:15 PM

It had been an hour since they had been playing hide & seek and House hadn't found the kid. She was good, he thought. And she was small and could fit into tiny spaces, which made it difficult for him to find her. He hadn't completely thought this through when he agreed to play with her. He had looked pretty much everywhere he could think of and had even asked some people if they'd seen her. He hated losing and that's the third time he had lost to this kid. He walked into his office and sat down in his comfy chair and closed his eyes, waiting for the kid to show up. A few minutes later she popped her head into his office from the conference room.

"I beat you again." She said, with a big smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a genius." He rolled his eyes.

"You're a sore loser." She told him. "I'll try not to be so hard to beat next time." She said, sitting down in the chair opposite his desk.

"Arrogance doesn't become you, kid…leave that to the professionals…that would be me, in case you didn't catch that."

Bella smirked smugly at him. "You can't beat me at hide & seek, I'm a master." She told him, pointing her thumb at herself.

"Oh really? Well, it's been about 40 yrs. since I've played so I'm a little out of practice." He said sarcastically. "So how _did_ you get to be this big hide & seek master, huh?" He asked, trying to taunt her a little.

Bella's face grew serious, but she tried to hide it. "I just did." She shrugged and looked away from him, moving over to one of the chairs at his desk and sitting down.

House watched her and narrowed his eyes, catching on to her sudden mood change and knowing that it had something to do with her past. He usually tried not to push her, but his curiosity won over. "Can I ask you something, kid?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Depends if I have to answer."

House smirked. "It's up to you."

Bella nodded. "Ok."

He already knew the answer to this but he wanted to hear it from her. "Where did you run off to after your parents died?"

She averted her eyes from him and lowered her head. She seemed to be thinking about it and House wasn't sure if she had decided to ignore his question or was just gearing herself up for the difficult answer. Finally she sighed and looked up at him.

"New York City." She mumbled.

House nodded, glad that she had answered and that she'd told him the truth. "Why?" He pressed on, his voice soft.

"Mattie said so." She shrugged.

"You did everything Mattie said?" He asked her with a serious tone. She seemed to have a close relationship with her brother, which was understandable given what they'd both gone through, and he wondered just how well a 14 year old kid could take care of his much younger sister.

"He was my brother." She told him softly, as if it were the obvious answer.

House nodded in understanding. "Do you think you'll ever talk about what happened to him?"

Bella looked at him with panic in her eyes, but didn't say anything. She didn't need to; House read it loud and clear. "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to tell me."

Bella lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm not ready." She mumbled, wiping a small tear away that had escaped her eye.

"Ok." He told her softly. "I get it…I don't like talking about my past either, kid, I'm not gonna push you to talk about yours." Letting her know he didn't have the best stories to tell either.

Bella glanced up at him and nodded, understanding what he'd told her.

They sat in silence for what seemed like forever, neither of them looking at each other, lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly he heard Bella clear her throat. "My daddy taught me how to draw." She told him out of the blue.

House looked at her curiously and nodded his head, not really knowing if he should respond to that.

"He used to draw buildings and they would get built. I forget what you call that."

"He was an architect." He explained to her.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, that's it." She said, recognizing the word. "But he used to draw other stuff too, not just buildings."

House nodded once more, acknowledging her, but keeping silent, wondering why she was telling him this.

"He was real good at it…and he used to let me make buildings on his computer. But they wasn't as good as his, though."

"You've got talent, kid…and talent isn't taught, it's inherited. You're dad must've been really good at what he did to pass on that kind of talent to you."

Bella smiled at him, appreciatively. "Thanks." She mumbled, shyly. "Did your dad give you any talents?" She asked him.

House scoffed. "Not any good ones."

Bella scowled. "Why not?"

"Because he wasn't the best dad ever." He told her, mildly explaining what he meant.

"Oh." She mumbled, before looking up at him. "Is that why you don't got kids?"

He looked at her tilting his head with a bit of confusion and admiration in his expression. This kid was smart. She had caught on to the fear he had that he would turn out like his father if he ever had kids. He didn't want to reveal too much; it had always been a sore subject for him. "Maybe that's why, I don't know, kid." He lied, averting his eyes, hoping she would just drop the subject. He could tell she was watching him out of the corner of his eye. He ventured a look at her and he noticed her lips had curved into a small smile.

"You don't gotta be afraid…you'd be a good daddy, Greg."

He scoffed again, shaking his head. "You don't know that, kid. You think you have me figured out but what you don't know is that I'm a mean bastard just like him, and no kid deserves to grow up with that."

"You're not mean to me…and you're not mean to Lisa." She told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"You haven't known me long enough…and _she's_ known me for _too_ long, she's used to it."

Bella looked away from him. "Well you can't be too much of a mean bastard if she's known you for a long time and she still loves you." She pointed out. "I mean, your dad couldn't have passed on any bad talents to you if he was a bad man and you still hate him after all this time, because if _you_ was bad, you wouldn't hate him so much. I think you just pretend to be mean, but really you're good inside."

House furrowed his brow at her. 'Did he just get a lecture from an 8 year old?' He thought. "So you're logic is…I'm a good man, because I hate my father?"

She shrugged. "You're good because you know the reasons that makes him a mean bastard are wrong, and you hate him for it."

After a moment he looked away from her. "It doesn't matter anymore, he's dead."

"Then he can't be mean to you anymore…so why do you care?" She mumbled.

House rolled his eyes. "How old are you again, kid? You're not gonna charge me $600 for that little therapy session, are you?"

Bella shook her head with a smirk. "Nah, that was for free."

House laughed at her. "You getting hungry yet?"

Bella nodded with a smile. "Yeah."

House stood up and made his way to the door, opening it for her. She took his hand in hers, holding onto it tightly. He couldn't believe he'd just had a conversation about his father with a kid. He had to admit, she made some good points. But it still didn't change the fact that he should never be anyone's father. This kid had too much faith in him and one day he was going to disappoint her and hurt her. It was inevitable. As smart as she is, she's still just a naïve little kid. She's had hard life so far, with a lot of disappointments. He cared too much about her to become another one.

* * *

3:00 PM

Bella sat atop the counter of one of the nurse's stations on the 6th floor, with Greg standing beside her, discreetly pointing a remote control at the TV in one of the patient's rooms. After lunch, they had gone back to his office and hung around for a while before he took her up to the roof to show her the skyline. They spent about an hour up there until they both got bored and headed back downstairs. They played foosball in the doctor's lounge, drawing a crowd when it suddenly became competitive, as it usually did with them. She had gotten some help from Dr. Chase, whom she thought was cute and loved his accent. However, they ended up losing to Greg anyway. After that, Greg had bet that he could change the channel on any television in the hospital without being inside the room and without anyone knowing. She didn't believe him…so here they were as he demonstrated it to her.

"Isn't that sort of mean?" Bella asked.

"Maybe. But pissing people off is what I do best; usually to their faces…this is just another level. And nothing pisses people off more than having their TV programming messed with." He told her as he flipped the channel again and watched the guy inside yell at the TV. He smirked, looking over at her. "Wanna try it?" He asked, handing her the remote. She started to take it from him when he pulled it away. "By the way, in case I didn't mention, this little baby is need to know only, got it?"

Bella nodded, taking it from him when he handed it to her again.

"But how come you picked him to piss off? Did he do somethin' mean to you?"

"He's an idiot…keeps giving the nurses around here a hard time, not that I care about that. I'm bored so…he gets pissed off for my amusement."

Bella shrugged. "So he's a jerk?"

"Yep."

"We can make him watch whatever we want him to?" Bella asked, thinking she could get into this. Maybe the guy wouldn't be so mean if he was given a hard time too.

"Yep."

Bella smirk mischievously and switched the channel to The Cartoon Network. The man scowled and looked at the remote in his hand. She heard a muffled 'what the hell' through the glass doors of his room as he yelled at the television again. Bella chuckled with amusement at the man before looking at Greg with slight concern.

"He ain't gonna have a heart attack or nothing is he?" She asked him.

"Don't worry, I checked, he was in for surgery to repair a compound fracture to his tibia after an accident on his ATV."

Bella scowled. "I don't know what you just said."

Greg looked at her and laughed. "He's safe from a heart attack." He assured her.

Bella nodded with satisfaction as she changed the channel on him again.

After satisfactorily pissing the guy off they got bored of him too and decided to got back to the doctor's lounge and watch TV themselves. As they made their way down the hall to the elevators, Greg's cell phone rang. He answered it with his crabby voice.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Bella couldn't hear what was being said so she just walked beside him in silence listening to his side of the conversation.

"Wonderful. Get a history and do the usual song and dance and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Greg hung up and looked down at Bella.

"Sorry, kid, gotta go to work."

"You got a patient?" She asked, having learned exactly what Greg does when he says he has to work. They stepped onto the elevators and Greg pushed the button for the lobby.

"Yep…you gotta go back down to your Mom's office now."

Bella looked at him and nodded, disappointed that she wouldn't get to hang out with him anymore today. "Are you coming over tonight?" She asked.

"Nope, not unless I break my own record and figure this thing out in the next 3 hours, which is not likely."

"But what about your date with Lisa?"

"Another time. Don't worry, you'll get to have Wilson all to yourself one of these days, kid."

Bella chuckled and rolled her eyes.

* * *

3:48 PM

Cuddy sat behind her desk, her mind on her work after having a stressful morning and being unable to get caught up on the ever-present piles of paperwork that she had to go through on a daily basis. After her meetings she had allowed Bella to stay with House, hearing over the phone that she had been having fun being with him. She was happy Bella was having a good time because of how bored she'd been the previous day at the hospital. Cuddy had decided to look into something for her to do during the days before she would have to start attending school.

A few minutes ago she had approved a patient for House and needed to get in touch with him to take Bella from him so he could work. She had just picked up the phone receiver to call him when she looked up to see him step into her office with Bella clinging to his neck as he gave her a piggyback ride. She smiled at them, seeing how cute they looked together. She was surprised that House would even allow a piggyback ride; she was afraid it would hurt his thigh. But it didn't seem to be bothering him.

"Cuddy, I seem to have misplaced your kid. I swear, she was right behind me." He told her with mock panic in his voice.

Bella giggled at him and looked over at Cuddy. Cuddy smiled widely at them.

Bella continued to giggle. "My arms are slipping." She said as she laughed uncontrollably.

"Ahhhh!" House exclaimed. "I seem to have a talking monkey on my back." He yelled in panic before his expression changed to one of recognition. "Oh, there you are. Cuddy, I found your kid." House helped her slide down his body until she landed on her feet before losing her balance and falling on her butt, still laughing.

"You ok?" He asked, his lips quirked into a small smile.

Bella nodded, standing up. "Yes. Thanks for the ride, you're a good little piggy." She said, petting his arm gently.

Cuddy laughed at her statement as well the expression on House's face. She stood up and walked over to them, standing in front of House and looking up at him with a smile. "Everything go ok?"

"Well, other than your kid being a menace and a _really_ bad influence on me, everything was fine."

Shaking her head at his comment, she changed the subject. "You have a patient. Your team has the file." She told him, slipping her arm over Bella's shoulder.

House nodded. "Rain check on the date?" He asked.

Cuddy nodded in understanding. "I'll hold you to it."

House smirked and gave her a quick nod. He glanced at Bella. "See ya, kiddo." He said, before leaving the office.

Cuddy turned to Bella after House left, inquiring about her day. Bella proceeded to tell her everything they'd done, including the game of hide & seek that they'd played.

"And then after lunch, we played foosball in the doctor's lounge and Dr. Chase helped me and I thought he was real cute and I liked his accent." She finished, as she quickly and excitedly blurted out every detail of her day.

Cuddy listened to her carefully, but after hearing that she and House had played hide and seek in the hospital, everything else she said had almost gone unheard. "Hide and seek, Bella? You two played hide and seek in the hospital? Did House let you run around the hospital alone?" She asked, trying not to get upset.

Bella nodded, her smile falling from her face. "But we didn't go off the 4th floor and Greg gave me his cell phone in case I needed it and he said we could only play for an hour." She looked at Cuddy. "Are you mad at me?"

Cuddy sighed. She wasn't mad at Bella, but she couldn't believe House would let Bella run around alone. "No, I'm not mad, but I don't want you to do that again, ok? The hospital can be dangerous and there are a lot of people around and I wouldn't want you to get hurt. If something happened to you…I don't know what I'd do."

Bella nodded. "Ok…sorry." She apologized, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap.

"It's ok." She said, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I love you." She whispered in Bella's ear, letting her know that she wasn't upset at her.

"Me too." Bella answered, laying her head on Cuddy's lap.

Bella sighed as Cuddy brushed her hair away from her eyes. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Cuddy had seen Bella close her eyes and thought she had fallen asleep but was surprised when she turned her head to look up at her.

"Lisa?" She said, softly.

"Yeah."

"Do you think Greg doesn't want to be a daddy because his daddy was mean to him?"

Cuddy looked down at her with surprise on her face. She had no idea where Bella had gotten that. How did she know anything about House's father? _She_ didn't even know anything about House's father. All she knew was that House hated him and that he had passed away last year.

"I…I don't know, Sweetie. Who told you about House's dad?"

"He did. He said he wasn't the best father ever and that he was a mean bast-…man," she corrected quickly, "and I thought maybe he didn't want to be a dad because of that."

"Sweetheart, I don't know much about House's father, he's never told me anything about him. But I can imagine that, if his dad _was_ a mean dad to him, it would be hard to see yourself as a good father to your children. And I also think that if House does think that about himself, then he's just being an idiot…because he would _never_ be mean to a child."

Bella nodded. "I told him that he wasn't a mean man, that he just pretends to be but he's really good inside."

Cuddy smiled. "I think you're right…and thank you for telling him that, I'm sure he was happy to hear that from you."

"I don't think he believed me." Bella said sadly, turning her head away from Cuddy.

"Bella, I know you love House and he _is_ a good man. I've known him for a very long time and he has had moments in his life where he wasn't a very nice man, but that's only because he's been hurt; inside and outside. And I believe with all of my heart that even through those hard times, he has never stopped being a good man."

Bella nodded her understanding. "Do you think he would ever want to be _my_ daddy?" She mumbled.

Cuddy looked at her with sadness, turning Bella's face gently toward her so she could look into her eyes. "I don't know, baby. I don't know. But maybe if you just keep showing him how much you love him, he'll see that the love you have for him will outweigh all the bad stuff that makes him afraid of being a daddy." She told her softly.

"Really?" She asked, with a tinge of hope.

"It's worth a shot, don't you think?"

Bella smiled. "Yeah. Greg is worth a shot."

Cuddy smiled sweetly at her daughter and nodded, feeling the slight sting of tears in her eyes. Cuddy hadn't realized that Bella wanted House to be her dad. She could understand it and had thought about it herself, but didn't know Bella had been thinking about it. House would be an amazing father, but maybe it was as Bella had pointed out…maybe he was scared he would turn out like his own father.

Cuddy wanted to know all about House's life and in having this conversation with Bella; she realized that she didn't know much about him at all. In all of the years that she'd known him, he had never talked about his childhood. Back in college, she knew of him and his reputation and she admired and respected him a great deal, which is what made her pursue him. But she didn't really _know_ him and she wanted to change that. She wanted to know the man that she was in love with completely. Cuddy knew it would take time because he didn't like to talk about his life, preferring to keep his past in the past. But she wanted to know, and she was willing to be patient and wait for him to share everything with her…no matter how long it would take.

**Don't forget…I need reviews!! Like? No like? Let me know. Thanks!! :-D**


	27. Chapter 26

**Well, guys, you will be proud to know that I am nearly ahead on this story. That's right, I have most of the next chapter finished. Told you I would some day get ahead on this story! Anyway, as always, thank you for reading and for all of your wonderful reviews!! Hope you enjoy this chapter…I tried to make it enjoyable amongst the hardships. Hope I was successful. And by the way, if there were any errors in the story as far as the shows canon, you are always welcome to correct me. I can't remember everything people…that's why I need **_**you**_**! **

**Chapter 26**

2:24 AM

Cuddy awoke from a light sleep after hearing the roar of a motorcycle engine outside her home. Knowing it was House, she looked at the clock and wondered if he was able to cure his patient. She hadn't expected him to come over tonight but was happy that he had. She heard the key in the lock as he made his way inside before locking the front door back. She heard each step he made on his way to her bedroom and she notice his steps were labored. He had to be exhausted and his leg was probably bothering him.

As he entered her bedroom she looked up at him with a sleepy smile. "Hey." She whispered to him.

"Did I wake you?" He asked, making his way to the other side of the bed.

"It's ok." She told him, as she watched him t-shirt and jeans. "How's your patient?"

House sighed and slipped into bed beside her. He was cold, having driven his motorcycle there in the early morning spring air. She pulled the covers over him and snuggled up to him, trying to warm him up.

"Nothing we could do. He's resting for now, but he doesn't have much time left." He answered tiredly.

"I'm sorry, House…are you ok?" She asked softly. She didn't ask about the diagnosis, knowing she would read the file tomorrow anyway.

House nodded as he wound his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest.

"I'm glad you came over…I wasn't sure if you would be able to."

She didn't expect a reply from him, so she closed her eyes, finding it easier to relax when he was next to her. She was surprised when he quietly spoke. "I didn't want to go to my place." His voice was almost raspy; she could hear the exhaustion she knew he felt.

Cuddy nodded before lifting her head to look into his eyes, feeling concern for him. "Are you sure you're ok?" She asked, gently caressing his face.

"Yeah." He responded, looking up at her.

Cuddy nodded, laying her head back down on his chest and moving her arms more tightly around him. They lay together quietly for several minutes just holding each other. Cuddy closed her eyes, the rhythmic beating of his heart beginning to lull her to sleep. And just as she was slipping into unconsciousness, she heard Bella's voice as she screamed in her room. Cuddy startled awake and jumped out of bed, running to Bella's room as quickly as possible.

* * *

A Few Minutes Ago

"_Mattie, it's a bad idea…I don't want you to do it." Bella said, as she followed her brother down the street, grabbing onto his hand to try and stop him._

"_B, we need the money and this guy said he would let me work for him even though I'm not eighteen yet." He told her, snatching his hand away from her. "You want to eat don't you? Well, this way I can take care of you like I'm supposed to."_

"_Mattie, please, that man scared me…I don't like him, ok? Find a different job."_

_Mattie looked at her and bent down to her level, lightly grabbing onto her shoulders and looking into her eyes. "Look, B, we need this. I promise it'll be ok; nothing's going to happen to me, alright? I'm going to take care of you."_

"_But I don't feel good about it inside…you know how Dad always said if it don't feel right, don't do it." She stressed. "It don't feel right, Mattie." She told him, her voice begging him to listen to her._

"_We don't got a lot of choices, B, in case you haven't noticed." He said, letting go of her arms and standing up to his full height. He sighed. "Alright, look, I'll do this one job for him, get us enough money for a week or two and then I'll quit, ok?" He raised his eyebrows in question. "Is that better?"_

_Bella furrowed her brow in worry for her brother. She had met the man, and she could tell that he was not a nice man…he gave her the creeps. She didn't like the way the man and his friends looked at her and Mattie. The first time they met, he tried to get Mattie to buy a little bag of sugar…at least that's what it looked like. Bella shook her head. "No…I'm scared, Mattie, I don't want you to work for that man. Let's just leave, Mattie, please!!" She begged him, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the direction that they'd come from._

_Mattie snatched his arm away, almost causing her to fall forward as she pulled him. "No, Bella, I'm supposed to take care of you. Mom and Dad would be pissed if I didn't take care of you. Well, this is the only way in know how to, so you're going to listen to me, understand?"_

_Bella looked at her brother, not knowing what else to do to change his mind. Dad always said he was stubborn and impulsive. She knew all he was doing was trying to take care of her, but she didn't want him to do it this way. Tears began streaming down her face as she felt anger rise to the surface. "You asshole!" She screamed at her brother, pushing him away from her. "What if something bad happens to you and then I'm all by self? Did you ever think of that? Who would take care of me then?"_

_Bella turned around and ran away from her brother. _

"_B! Come back." She heard him yell after her. "Bella!"_

_As she ran from him, she heard his footsteps behind her. She was so mad at him that she didn't care if he caught up to her. He would be pissed that she ran, but it was his fault she did, so she didn't care. She ran as fast as her legs would take her but they weren't fast enough to outrun her brother. She felt his hand wrap around her arm as he caught up to her. He pulled her to a stop and whirled her around to face him. She began screaming at him. "Let go, Mattie! You ain't gonna work for that man, you understand me? You ain't! You take care of me some other way! I won't let you work for that man. You listen to me, Mattie, I won't let you!!"_

"_Alright! You little brat, I won't work for the guy. Are you happy now! We won't eat tonight because of you!!" He yelled back._

"_I don't care. You promised you would take care of me, Mattie, you promised! You promised me! You promised me that, Mattie!" She screamed at him over and over again. "You promised!"_

"You promised me, Mattie!" Bella screamed out into the still darkness of her bedroom. She sat up, screaming at Mattie, until she realized that it was just a nightmare from a memory she carried deep inside of her. She remembered it like it was yesterday. How she had kept her brother from doing something stupid that day. She knew that what he was about to get himself into was dangerous and she had to do whatever she could to make sure that he didn't.

Bella was breathing heavily as she opened her eyes and wiped her tears away. She heard her bedroom door open and saw Lisa hurriedly make her way to her.

"Bella, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice filled with worry as she came over to her and sat down on the bed.

Bella continued to breath heavily but took in deep breaths, managing to slow them down until she was breathing regularly again. Bella held her arms out to Lisa and let a sob escape her throat as she took Bella into her arms.

"Shhhhhh. It's ok. You're ok, Sweetie." Lisa told her, gently. "I'm right here…It's ok."

Bella crawled onto Lisa's lap and laid her head on her shoulder, crying into her neck. Lisa rocked her in her arms, comforting her and soothing her quietly. She felt a kiss on her temple as Lisa hugged her tighter to her chest.

* * *

5 minutes later

House had stayed in Cuddy's room, knowing that Bella had just had a nightmare and that Cuddy would be in there with her for a while. He could hear Bella crying and Cuddy speaking to her, quietly soothing her. He had never witnessed Bella having a nightmare before and it sort of frightened him, knowing that what she had witnessed had to have been the most horrific thing in the world to see. He sighed. He couldn't imagine the pain of seeing someone you love being killed in front of you. The _only_ person you had left in the world being shot right in front of you was too horrific to imagine. House closed his eyes, trying not to think about it. How did that little girl survive something like that? He wondered. If it had happened to him, he'd want to crawl under a big rock and die. If he ever lost Cuddy like that, he would kill the person responsible and then kill himself because he wouldn't be able to live with the pain of never seeing the woman he loved again. "How the hell did she do it?" He whispered aloud into the bedroom. That girl was a survivor and he admired the hell out of her for that.

House got out of bed, slipped into his jeans and made his way to the kitchen. He filled a glass with cold water and walked back down to Bella's bedroom. The door was open and he could see Bella curled around the front of Cuddy's body, her head on her shoulder. She had stopped crying and was just sitting with Cuddy, sniffling occasionally. House quietly limped inside the room, catching Cuddy's attention. She noticed the glass of water in his hand and smiled up at him. He sat down next to Cuddy on the bed.

"Sweetie, look what House brought you? Do you want some water?" Cuddy asked, gently stroking Bella's back.

Bella lifted her head off of Cuddy's shoulder and looked over at House. She nodded and reached out to take the water from him. Taking a few sips of water, she handed it back to him. He took it and set it down on the nightstand in case she wanted more later. Bella lay her head back down onto Cuddy's shoulder and gave House a weak smile, her cheeks still wet with tears and her eyes slightly puffy.

"Hi." She whispered to him.

"Hey, kiddo." He replied. "You ok?" He whispered to her.

Bella nodded. "Yeah." She responded back.

He nodded. "Knew you would be." He replied softly.

He caught her smile and saw her move her small hand from around Cuddy's neck onto his forearm, sliding it down to hold onto his hand. House closed his hand over hers, tightening his grip, hoping it would help her feel safe. Cuddy continued her soothing strokes on Bella's back. They sat there together until House felt Bella's grip on his hand loosen and saw her head loll a little to the side, knowing she had fallen asleep.

House quietly stood up, looking down at Cuddy. "Need me to take her from you?" He asked, not knowing if Cuddy could stand up with her to place her back in bed. She smiled up at him appreciatively and nodded her head. House lifted Bella off of Cuddy's lap and gently cradled her in his arms. As Cuddy stood up she moved the comforter back to allow House to place Bella on the mattress. He gently laid her down on the bed and covered her small body with the comforter. He straightened up and looked over at Cuddy. She smiled at him and took his hand, leading him out of the room.

"Thank you." Cuddy whispered to him.

He nodded at her and turned around to close the door behind him once they had stepped into the hallway. Before the door closed completely he glanced inside at Bella once more, feeling relieved that she was alright and that she was able to fall asleep again.

* * *

As they made their way back into Cuddy's bedroom, she let go of his hand, crawling back in bed. House removed his jeans and slipped under the covers beside her. They lay together in silence for a moment before House spoke.

"Has she been having nightmares recently?"

"No…this is the first time she's had one since she moved in." Cuddy replied, moving over and curling herself up to House's body.

House didn't reply as he stared up at the ceiling. "Are her nightmares about her brother?"

"I think so…but she doesn't really talk about them."

"I think it's my fault." He said, almost in a whisper.

Cuddy looked up at him with a scowl on her face. "What? How can her nightmares be your fault?"

He sighed, glancing at Cuddy. "I asked her about her brother yesterday. I think maybe I triggered something."

Cuddy propped her head up, looking at him with interest. "What did you ask her?"

"I started off asking her where they'd run off to after their parents died…I wanted to see if she'd tell me." He glanced at Cuddy. "She did…New York City."

Cuddy closed her eyes in disbelief, still shocked that two kids their ages had run away to a city that size alone. She sighed looking back at House. "Did she tell you why?"

"She just said that she went because her brother said so."

Cuddy nodded, remembering that Bella had told her that once as well.

"I asked if she would ever be able to talk about happened to him, but she clammed up and said she wasn't ready." He told her, looking back up at the ceiling.

"Knowing what happened, I can't say I really blame her." Cuddy whispered sadly.

House nodded in agreement. After a moment, House sighed and closed his eyes. Cuddy lifted her left hand up to his face, caressing his features gently, before placing kisses over his cheek and jaw. He opened is eyes, his lips curving into a small smile as he looked at her.

"What was that for?" He asked in a whisper.

"It was a thank you for helping with Bella earlier and because…I love you." She told him, her response just as soft. She still had to get used to saying that to him. She had only told him once before and it still seemed strange to be able to tell him how she felt about him.

His smile grew. "Are you trying to get me to have sex with you?"

Cuddy chuckled. "Just because I tell you I love you, doesn't mean I want to have sex with you." She replied smartly, smiling at him.

"Oh please, don't try to play it off like that's not what you meant." He said, smiling mischievously and moving his hand under her short satin nightgown, running his fingers lightly over her back and down to her ass and back up again.

"I was telling you because I mean it and because I appreciate what you did for Bella. It helped her, knowing that you were there. I've never been able to get her back to sleep so fast after a nightmare." She told him with seriousness.

He nodded in understanding, his smile fading a little. "You're welcome." He mumbled, lifting his head and placing a tender kiss on her lips.

She smiled at him as she pulled back from his kiss. Cuddy laid her head down on his chest, running her left hand over his shoulder and up to his neck. She wondered about House's childhood and about his father, remembering the conversation she'd had with Bella earlier that day. She wanted to ask him but she wasn't sure how open he would be to talking to her about it. 'Never know till you try.' She thought. She lifted her head, resuming her previous position as she looked down at him.

"House." She began softly, looking into his eyes. "Did you ever have nightmares as a kid?"

He scowled at her, clearly not expecting that question. "Could you _be_ more random, Cuddy? Why are you asking me that?"

She shrugged her shoulder. "I was just wondering."

He chuckled. "You don't ever 'just wonder', Cuddy…what's going on?"

She didn't reply right away, trying to think of the best way to say what she wanted from him. Cuddy sighed, rolling onto her back, chickening out on trying to get him to open up about himself to her. "Nevermind, it was just a question." She whispered.

His hand that had been caressing her back moved onto her abdomen when she rolled over. She felt the weight and warmth of his hand on her as she placed her hand over his. Cuddy stared up at the ceiling and out of the corner of her eye, seeing House roll onto his left side as he took the same position she had been in, propping his head up with his hand.

"Seriously, Cuddy, why do you want to know?"

Her eyes shifted from the ceiling to look at him. "Is it so strange for me to ask questions about my boyfriend's life? I just want to know things about you, House. I've known you for over twenty years but I feel like I don't really know _anything_ about you."

House furrowed his brow. "Ok…but why now all of a sudden? We've been together for months now and you've never wondered before."

She shrugged her shoulders, and turned her gaze up to the ceiling again. "You told Bella that your father wasn't a good man…I guess I already knew that since you told me once that you hated him. But I don't know why." She said, looking at him again. "I don't know why you hated him and I don't know why you didn't want to go to his funeral last year."

House didn't respond; he looked away from her to his hand that lay on her abdomen, moving it across her waist and down to her hip. He sighed, before opening his mouth to answer her. "Cuddy, I don't talk about him because he was a bastard who doesn't deserve to be remembered. He wasn't even my real father and my childhood isn't something that I like to dwell on." He told her in a whisper soft voice, as if he were telling her a big secret. And perhaps that's what it was to him.

"I didn't know he wasn't your real father, House. I guess that's my point in asking you to begin with. I just…I want to know you." She whispered in return, bringing her hand up to his face and mimicking her movement from earlier as she ran her fingers over his handsome features. "I want you to feel like you can trust me, and I want you to know that you can tell me anything and I'll always be there to listen or be there in whatever way you need me, House. I'd just like to know everything about the man that I love with all of my heart." She continued, her voice slightly breaking with emotion.

House sighed, looking away from her. "Cuddy, you know enough about me to know that I don't like talking about my past, so if that's what you want from me, you're going to have to give me some time." He told her, breaking the soft-spoken words between them. "That's not who I am and I'm not good at 'sharing'." He finished, shifting his eyes to look at her once more.

"I know." She smiled at him, moving closer to him, winding her arms around him and stroking her hand over his back. "I know that, and that's why I'm giving you as long as you need. I'm not pressuring you to tell me everything right now; I realize that you need time. I need time too…trust me, I have my own issues." She chuckled.

"Well, I could've told you that without your help." He snarked.

Cuddy smacked his shoulder. "Shut up." She said, a smile reaching her lips.

House grinned at her, lifting his hand to brush her hair away from her forehead. He took in a deep breath, his smile fading. "To answer your question…yes, I did occasionally have nightmares as a kid. But they were never as bad as Bella's and I haven't had them in years." He told her softly.

Cuddy nodded. "Were they because of your father?" She asked uncertainly, not knowing if she should be asking but curious about the answer.

He gave her a short nod and looked away from her. She knew that meant he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't pressure him. "Thank you for telling me." She whispered gratefully. He seemed surprised that she hadn't asked him anything further, so she smiled with reassurance, letting him know she understood.

He nodded. "Thank you for not pushing." He responded.

Cuddy smiled. "You're welcome."

House's lips curved into a smile. "So I get to ask you questions too, right?"

"Please…feel free." She encouraged him.

"When did you lose your virginity and to whom?"

Cuddy's jaw dropped at his question, not expecting that to be what he'd ask, although she really shouldn't be surprised. Her mouth opened and closed, no words coming out, as she debated whether to tell him or not.

"Hey this was your idea…you shouldn't be surprised that that'd be the first question I'd ask, love muffin."

She glared at him, huffing in frustration. She was trying to be serious and he had to take it to this place. "This was a bad idea." She mumbled, covering her eyes with her left hand.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." He said, grinning at her. "I hope. Come on, tell me." He laughed, moving her hand away from her eyes.

She glared at him. "Fine." Cuddy sighed. "I was a senior in high school, ok, and his name was Daniel."

"High school? Geez, Cuddy, you slut." He snarked, wagging his eyebrows. "Was he the dreamy quarterback who nailed all the hot chicks in school?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "No, he wasn't." She sighed, looking up at him. "You're turn."

"Huh uh…I wanna know more about this Daniel character…was he good?"

"House!" She exclaimed with frustration. "god…" She sighed, thinking she needed to get off of this subject.

"That good, huh? Well, I'm pretty sure I have him beat by several inches." He replied, smugly.

She looked at him and shook her head. "I can't believe you…can we please change the subject?"

"Nope. How many times did you do it with him?" He asked with a smile, before it faded quickly as he dropped his jaw with mock surprise and a gasp. "Or was it more of a 'wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am' sort of situation?" He laughed.

Cuddy glared at him, regretting ever telling him any of this. "Twice, before he cheated on me and I never saw him again." She raised her eyebrows in question. "Anything else you want to know?" She asked, sarcastically.

"He broke your heart?" He asked, amusement still evident in his eyes, but his voice taking on a serious tone.

Cuddy nodded.

"What's his last name?"

Cuddy scowled. "Why, are you gonna find him and kick his ass?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe, but I thought I'd humiliate him first…he's probably some loser who still lives with his mom in the basement of his childhood home." He snarked. "Believe me that's plenty of material to work with."

Cuddy laughed. "And what if he's a millionaire living the high life that you wish you had?"

"I'm sorry did you say he was a high millionaire? Maybe _he_ should be my bestie instead of Wilson." He said with sarcasm.

Cuddy laughed at him again. "Do you really want to be best friends with someone that's seen me naked?" She asked, smirking at him.

"Hmm, yeah you're right…I should kick his ass."

Laughing, she pointed her finger at his chest. "Ok, your turn…who was the lucky lady that was fortunate enough to be Greg House's first? Or was she unfortunate? How was your performance on a scale of 1 to 10?"

"Well, now you're just being nasty." He said, pinching her ass. "I have never heard any complaints from you."

"Well, of course not, I _assume _you've had years of practice." She grinned with mischief at him.

"You bet your sweet ass I have…and I should add, that my performance was off the charts."

"Really? So how old were you?" She asked. "Be honest…I was honest with you." She added.

"16."

Cuddy's jaw dropped. "16? And I'm the slut?" She laughed.

"Guys aren't sluts…they are what's known as 'da man'." He replied smugly.

"Then she was the slut." Cuddy corrected, still laughing at him.

"Oh absolutely." He responded without hesitation.

Cuddy shook her head, her laughter fading. "I don't even want to know."

"Her name was…"

"No…" She interrupted, lifting her hand to stop him. "I don't want to know."

"Sarah." He finished his sentence, with a smirk.

"Sarah? You lost your virginity to a slut named Sarah?" She asked. "That couldn't have been her real name…Sarah is too innocent a name to be a slut."

"So is Lisa." He quipped, earning a smack on his shoulder.

He smirked at her, as his hand wandered up to her breast.

"And I can't believe you even remembered her name…she wasn't a slut was she? She meant something to you." She said, with a smile.

"Nope…I remember every slut I screw."

Cuddy smacked him again and rolled her eyes. "You're such a liar."

He chuckled at her, leaning down and placing a kiss on her neck.

"16?" She asked him after a moment, her eyebrows rose in question. "That's too young, House."

He lifted his head. "Oh please, what were you…17? 18?" He asked, as his hand began roaming over her body.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I had just turned 18…and I was graduating."

"You gave it up at the graduation party, didn't you?" He laughed, seeing the surprised look on her face when he'd guessed that was where she'd lost her virginity.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." She huffed.

"Why not…are you embarrassed?" House asked, still laughing.

She glanced at him. "No."

"So when was the second time? Same night? Did you lose it to a stud, Cuddy?" He exclaimed as he continued teasing her.

Cuddy smacked his hand away from her. "Shut up. I'm not talking about this anymore."

House laughed at her as he grabbed her wrist and placed her arm around his neck, leaning over her. He let go of her arm and balanced himself on his elbows, staring down at her with a smile. "So are you pissed at me? Sorry you ever wanted to do this 'talking' thing?"

She shifted her eyes to his. "A little." She replied, not really mad, just wanting him to feel guilty even though she knew he wouldn't.

He narrowed his eyes, looking deeply into hers. "No you're not." He stated with certainty. "I may not know little details about your life, but I know you _very_ well, Dr. Cuddy." He smirked.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows. "Likewise, Dr. House."

"So we're agreed then, no more talking." He said, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

She hugged his neck, cupping her hand over his head, holding him in place as she returned his kiss. "At least not tonight." She replied, as she pulled back to look into his eyes.

House grinned at her.

Cuddy lifted her head again to meet his lips in a soft and tender kiss. She pressed her body closer to his, kissing him again; one sensual kiss after the next, until they became more and more passionate. They took their time kissing and exploring each other with their hands and mouths, by this time, very familiar with one another. The few clothes that separated them coming off as they each responded with sighs and moans of pleasure, whispering to each other what felt good and how much they wanted each other. As their lovemaking progressed, the temperature in the room rose; their hearts accelerating as they became more excited. Cuddy could feel how he felt about her with each kiss and caress that he gave her. In his arms, she felt cherished. The way he always touched her, making her feel adored. The lines and contours of his muscles under her fingertips making her feel safe in his arms. She reciprocated, letting him know that she would never want anyone else the way that she wants him. As their breathing became more labored, hearts racing, pleasure increasing, they finally reached their climaxes; one followed closely by the other.

They held each other close, as their breathing slowed, and House leaned down to whisper in her ear. "How was that on a scale of 1-10?" He asked, with a smirk.

Cuddy laughed. "Definitely off the charts." She responded, placing a kiss on his neck and stroking her hands over his back.

* * *

5:12 AM

Bella's mind slowly came into consciousness as she awoke from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes and took in a deep breath, turning her head to look around her bedroom, when her eyes landed on the clock on her nightstand. It was early, and as her eyes were still feeling the pull of sleep, she closed them. She lay there, suddenly remembering her nightmare last night about Mattie. Not wanting to think about it, she opened her eyes again and got out of bed. She saw Splat lying on his bed, vaguely remembering him scrambling away from her when she screamed, having frightened him. Bella opened her bedroom door and made her way to the bathroom. After using the bathroom and washing her hands, she tiptoed her way to Lisa's bedroom. She quietly opened the door and peaked inside, seeing her and Greg still asleep under the covers. Bella closed the door and made her way to the living room. She switched on the television and turned it to The Cartoon Network. There wasn't anything on that she wanted to see so she started flipping channels until she got to Animal Planet; seeing that there was a show on about whales, she set the remote down.

Bella grabbed the throw on the back of the couch and covered up with it, laying her head down on the arm of the couch. She curled her legs up, lying in a fetal position, trying to get warm. She watched the whale program for a few minutes until her mind wandered back to her nightmare. That night, she and Mattie had to steal their dinner, and Mattie didn't let her forget that it was her fault they couldn't pay for their food. She didn't care though; at least he didn't go work for that man. It wasn't that job that had gotten him killed, since she managed to stop him from working, although that could've been a possibility because that man _was_ dangerous.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think about this anymore. She wondered why she had had a nightmare now, since she hadn't had one in weeks. She thought maybe it was because her mind had been filled with the excitement of moving in with Lisa and becoming her daughter that she didn't have time to have nightmares. Yesterday when Greg asked about her brother, it was the first time in a while that she had thought about Mattie and what had happened to him. She wished she could tell someone, but she was afraid of remembering. She preferred to forget it and never ever think of it again. Sometimes, she wished she could just forget she ever had a brother, even though she loved him and misses him _so_ much. Really soon, it would be a year since he had died. She couldn't believe it. She wanted to forget about it but her nightmares made her relive it and it was like it hadn't been a year but just yesterday that it had happened. She needed to forget about her old life though and start thinking about her new one.

Her thoughts took her to the conversation she had with Greg about his dad. She wondered what he meant when he said that he was a mean bastard. Did it mean he yelled at him a lot…or something else? She wanted to ask, but she didn't think that he would tell her. Anyway, she had to think about loving Greg instead of making him think about his dad…like Lisa had told her to do. If she could just show Greg how much she loved him, maybe he would want to be her dad.

As those thoughts whirled through her mind, she felt her eyes begin to get tired again. Bella closed her eyes, hearing the whale program on in the background until she slipped back into a deep sleep.

* * *

7:00 AM

Cuddy had awakened about thirty minutes ago, curled around House. She had turned the alarm off so it wouldn't wake him, wanting him to get some more sleep. She quietly slipped out of bed and headed for the shower. Afterwards, she threw her robe on and made her way to Bella's room to wake her. She hoped Bella was able to sleep well after her nightmare. Cuddy noticed Bella's door was open as she made her way down the hall. She peaked in wondering if she had gotten up to use the bathroom during the night and forgot to close her bedroom door back. But seeing that Bella wasn't in her room, she panicked, her heart beginning to race, until she heard the faint sounds of the television in the living room.

Cuddy walked quickly into the living room, spotting Bella curled up on the couch asleep. Cuddy furrowed her brow, wondering if she'd had another nightmare and Cuddy hadn't heard her cry out. She made her way over to the couch and knelt down in front of Bella, laying her hand gently on her shoulder.

"Bella." She whispered, gently stroking her arm. "Bella, sweetie, wake up." She said, a little louder, shaking her shoulder. No response. "Bella."

Bella slowly opened her eyes and Cuddy watched as her eyes focused on her face, smiling down at her. "Hey, what are you doing in here?" She asked softly. "Are you ok? Did you have another nightmare?"

Bella shook her head. "No." She whispered.

"No, you're not ok? Or no, you didn't have another nightmare?"

"I didn't have another nightmare." She clarified.

Cuddy nodded, feeling relieved about that. "So how come you're in here?"

Bella shrugged. "I didn't want to be in my bed no more."

Cuddy frowned with worry. "Why not? Did something scare you?"

Bella shook her head again. "I didn't want to think about it no more."

Cuddy nodded, understanding that she was talking about her nightmare. "About Mattie?" She inquired softly.

Bella nodded with sadness in her eyes. Cuddy combed her fingers through Bella's hair and then softly ran her index finger over Bella's cheek, hoping to offer her some comfort. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I want you to know that if it gets to be too much for you and you need to talk…I'm always here to listen, ok?"

Bella nodded.

"Even if you just feel like you need to cry…you don't have to say anything if you don't want to; sometimes crying helps you to feel better too. You can always come to me, it doesn't matter what time it is…I will _always_ make time for you, no matter what." Cuddy promised her. "You don't have to deal with this alone anymore…I'm here, ok?"

The corner of Bella's lip curved into a small smile and nodded her head. "Ok." She whispered.

Cuddy placed a kiss on her cheek. "Do you want to eat some breakfast with me?"

Bella nodded. "Can I have cereal?"

"Of course you can…come on." She said, standing to her feet and holding her hand out to help Bella up.

Bella rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and threw the blanket off of her, taking Cuddy's hand as she stood up. They walked hand in hand toward the kitchen. Once there, Cuddy pulled the cereal out of the cupboard for Bella, grabbing a bowl and spoon as Bella took the milk out of the refrigerator. Sitting down in the breakfast nook, Bella poured her cereal as Cuddy popped some bread in the toaster and grabbed a grapefruit out of the fruit bowl on the counter.

"What about Greg?" Bella asked her, pouring milk over her cereal.

"He's still asleep…he's not a morning person either." She said, smiling at her and teasing her a bit about not being a morning person.

Bella chuckled and began eating her cereal. Cuddy sat down with Bella, concentrating on fixing her own breakfast when she heard Bella's voice.

"I'll tell you someday, ok?"

Cuddy froze and looked up at her with a bit of surprise and nodded, realizing she was talking about Mattie. She smiled with reassurance at Bella, placing her hand on her arm. "Whenever you're ready, Bella. I'm not rushing you."

Bella nodded in understanding and lowered her gaze to her bowl of cereal. "I know." She mumbled. "I want to but…I can't." She whispered, her lip trembling a bit.

Cuddy looked at her with sadness, leaning forward to speak quietly to her. "Bella, look at me, sweetie." She said softly, rubbing her thumb over Bella's arm. Bella glanced up at her, but kept her head lowered.

"You're the strongest little girl I've ever met and I love you and I'm proud of you. You're _so_ young and you've gone through _so_ much in your life already. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll get through this. It won't be easy and it might be scary, but you will. And when it comes time for you to tell me, you don't have to be afraid, because I'm going to be there and I'm going to hold you and we're going to go through the pain together, ok?" Cuddy told her, trying her best not to break down in tears at knowing the pain that her daughter must be holding onto inside of her. It was unimaginable what Bella had gone through and the fear and pain that was bottled up would erupt sooner or later and Cuddy wanted Bella to know that she wasn't going to have to face it alone.

Bella nodded her understanding and lowered her gaze back down to her breakfast, seemingly processing what Cuddy had just told her. "You're really proud of me?" She asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

Cuddy leaned forward and placed her finger under Bella's chin, lifting her head and meeting her eyes. "I am _so_ proud of you." She stressed to her, her eyes welling up with tears.

Bella gave her a small smile as Cuddy caressed Bella's cheek with her thumb before lowering her hand. Cuddy returned her smile. They returned to their breakfast, silently eating for several minutes before Cuddy changed the subject.

"So I was thinking maybe we could look into some schools that might be willing to let you sit in on a few classes and maybe find a tutor for you this summer." Cuddy told Bella, wanting to see her reaction.

Bella looked up at her, not responding at first, but shrugged her shoulders after a moment. "Ok." She said, taking another bite of her cereal.

Cuddy nodded, her lips quirking into a small smile as Bella ate her cereal. That had gone better than she'd thought it would. Bella didn't complain often, but she thought she might get a few protests out of her from that suggestion. "I know we talked about you going to school before but I thought you might fight me on that one a little bit." She said, around a chuckle.

"Why?" She asked with confusion.

Cuddy shrugged. "I don't know, because it's school…most kids don't like to go to school.

"I always liked school, and I kind of miss it." She responded, taking another bite.

Cuddy nodded. "Good…I'll call around."

**Thanks for reading…now review! **


	28. Chapter 27

**Here's chapter 27! Hope you enjoy…thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, you guys are AWESOME for pushing that little bitty review button!! Don't forget to leave me a review for this chapter, folks! Thanks.**

**Chapter 27**

10:14 AM

"Thank you, I appreciate your help." Cuddy replied into the phone receiver, listening as the other person spoke over the phone. "Yes, 10 AM Friday morning will be fine…we look forward to it." Cuddy hung up the phone with a smile. She had been calling schools all morning, trying to decide on the best place to send Bella in the fall. Cuddy had talked to a few private schools as well as the public school in the district they lived in. She had just gotten off the phone with the Assistant Principal at Riverside Elementary School. She and Bella were to meet with the Principal to get a tour of the school and go over everything she would need to know to take a placement test this summer. They had also given her the name of a highly recommended tutor so Bella would have a chance to brush up on a lot of things as well as go over some things she'd missed out on for the last few years. Bella was very intelligent so Cuddy had no doubt that she would do well this summer so she could be placed in the grade she belonged in.

Cuddy didn't really know what to expect, this was all very knew to her and she was a little nervous about the whole thing. What if Bella hated the school? What if she had chosen the wrong one to send her to? She was scared to screw this up for her…after all, this was Bella's future. Cuddy sighed, deciding that thinking like that would get her nowhere, especially since she hadn't even seen the school yet.

She couldn't wait to tell Bella. Right now, Bella was up in daycare, playing with the babies and toddlers as she tried to keep from being bored out of her mind here at the hospital. Cuddy had taken Bella up there this morning to let her see if it was something she would be interested in doing today. Once they got up there, Bella looked wary of being around so many kids, especially the babies, but after being introduced to the staff and meeting some of the kids, she decided to stay up there. It had already been a couple of hours and Cuddy wondered how she was doing. Ms. Freeman, the daycare director, told Cuddy that she would call her if Bella wanted to leave at anytime. So far, there had been no such call…she must be having fun.

Cuddy's mind shifted back to that morning when she was having breakfast with Bella. Bella had told Cuddy that she would tell her about Mattie someday and she had been happily surprised that she'd said that. Cuddy felt a deep sadness for what had happened to Mattie and Bella. The way that he had been killed and the fact that Bella had witnessed it was beyond what she could imagine happening to anyone and it amazed her that she had survived on her own all this time without her parents and her big brother to look after her. Cuddy had a lot of faith in Bella and she knew that she would one day be able to put all of this behind her and live a full and wonderful life. Cuddy hoped that she would confide in her soon, she hated to think what this was doing to her.

She had been noticing a change in Bella since she moved in and they had become mother and daughter though. She noticed how Bella seemed to be relying on Cuddy now, instead of herself; just like a daughter _should_ rely on her mother. Cuddy imagined that it must be a weight lifted off of Bella's shoulders to be taken care of by someone instead of having to take care of herself. She looked for approval from Cuddy, as well as House. Bella was beginning to think of herself as part of a family again and that thought made Cuddy so happy. It made her realize just how badly Bella needed Cuddy in her life. The minute that Bella became hers, she wanted her to feel this way. Cuddy wanted Bella to feel loved and she wanted to offer her the structure and discipline every child needs. Bella was an amazing little girl; she was smart and wise beyond her years, and yet she was still a child who needed someone to take care of her and love her. Cuddy felt lucky that they had found each other and she felt like the luckiest woman in the world to have Bella as her daughter. She just hoped she'd be able to live up to being the Mom that Bella needs.

* * *

11:45 AM

Bella was currently sitting with a little boy named Evan, playing blocks in the toddler room of the daycare center. She had been in there all morning and was having a pretty good time, even though she thought she wouldn't this morning when she first arrived. When she and Lisa walked up there, she didn't really want to come but Lisa had asked her if she wanted to and instead of saying no, she decided she would give it a chance. She didn't want Lisa to be disappointed in her for not giving it a try. As she walked in, grasping tightly to Lisa's hand, she hadn't expected there to be so many babies. Bella was nervous around babies; she liked them, but she didn't really know what to do with them. They were all wriggly and made weird noises.

She had been quickly introduced to the daycare workers and the kids. Ms. Freeman was nice and she decided to make Bella an honorary daycare assistant for the day. Her task would be to help entertain the kids as best she could. Ms. Freeman suggested that she stay in the toddler rooms and she had happily agreed. Lisa had been glad to hear that she had been given a 'job' to do and Bella had to admit that it was kind of exciting for her too.

Bella got the chance to show some of the little kids how to paint. They didn't really get it though; mostly they just smeared a bunch of colors together and got themselves dirty. Bella laughed when she saw a little girl wiping her paint-covered hands all over her head, getting the paint in her hair as well as all over her face. One of the daycare workers, Emma, said she looked like a Smurf…'whatever that is.' Bella thought. She had volunteered to help Emma clean the little girl up and that had been a near disaster. The girl cried the entire time, and threw a fit, splashing blue water everywhere as they hosed her down.

Now, most of the kids were down for their naps, except for Evan and another little girl, Cammie. They both refused to sleep, so Bella kept them entertained until finally Cammie laid her head down on the carpet and went to sleep. Seeing her, Bella began searching the room for Emma, Ms. Freeman or any of the other daycare workers. She spotted Emma on the other side of the room.

"Emma?" Bella called out, trying to be quiet so she wouldn't wake Cammie and the other kids.

Emma turned around with a smile and made her way over to her, kneeling down just as she spotted Cammie asleep on the floor. "I guess she finally gave up, huh?" She chuckled, looking at Bella.

Bella nodded. "Yep."

Emma picked Cammie up and took her to one of the little cots in the room, carefully laying her down before returning to where Bella was playing with Evan. "What about you, Mr. Evan? Are you ready for your nap?" She asked with amusement.

Evan looked up at her, shaking his head, and sweeping his hand out and knocking down the tower of blocks that he and Bella had created. He lifted his arms triumphantly and yelled, "Boooom."

"Shhhhh…we need to be quiet, Evan, the other kids are sleeping." Emma told him, holding her index finger up to her mouth.

Evan lifted his arms again and this time whispered, "Boooom."

Bella and Emma looked at each other and started laughing. "Good job, buddy." Emma praised him as she laughed.

Just then Ms. Freeman came up to them with a smile. "Bella, it's almost lunchtime, would you like to have lunch with us?"

Bella looked up at her and stood up. "Ummm…is it ok if I go eat with my Mom?"

"Of course it's ok, honey. Emma can take you downstairs to her office when you're ready, ok?"

Bella nodded. "Thanks, Ms. Freeman, I had lots of fun."

"You're welcome, dear. Come back anytime you want, you were a wonderful help to us." Ms. Freeman told her, sweetly.

"Ok." She replied. Bella looked at Emma. "Can you take me now, please?" She asked, politely.

"Sure, Sweetie, let's go." Emma said, taking her hand and leading her out of the daycare center.

* * *

11:58 AM

Cuddy was on the phone with one of the Board members when she noticed Bella and one of the young ladies from the daycare coming toward her office. She smiled as they approached and she waved them in.

"Yes, thank you, Dr. Barrett. We can reschedule for next Tuesday at 3:00 pm." She told him, trying to end the conversation quickly. "I'll talk to you then, thank you." Cuddy hung up the phone and stood with a smile on her face, moving to come around the desk.

"Hey, how did it go?" She asked, as Bella ran over to her and gave her a hug.

"It went good, I had lots of fun." Bella responded happily.

"That's great. I was hoping you would." Cuddy responded, hugging her tightly. She looked up at the young woman, who had a smile on her face as she silently watched them.

"Thank you. I appreciate you letting her help out and thank you for bringing her down…you didn't need to do that." She said.

"Oh, it's not a problem, Dr. Cuddy, we were going on lunch break anyway and Bella said she wanted to come have lunch with her Mom." She told her, glancing at Bella before shifting her gaze back to Cuddy.

"Well, thanks again." Cuddy said.

"You're welcome. Bella, thank you for all of your hard work; you're a wonderful assistant."

"Thanks, Emma." Bella replied, as she placed her hands over Cuddy's arms that were crossed in front of Bella's chest as she stood in front of her.

"You're welcome, honey, I hope you'll come back up to see us again soon, ok?"

Bella nodded in agreement.

"Goodbye, Dr. Cuddy, she's welcome anytime." Emma said, glancing up at Cuddy as she turned to make her way out of the office.

"Thank you." She said one last time, as Emma left.

Bella turned around in Cuddy's arms and hugged her waist. Cuddy looked down at her. "So you had fun?"

Bella nodded. "Yep. The best part was when this little girl, I think her name was Stephanie. Anyway, she's 2, and I was painting with the little kids and she got blue paint all over her head and her face." Bella recounted the event for Cuddy as she laughed. "And then I helped Emma clean her up…that's why I got blue paint on my pants." She finished, showing Cuddy the blue stain on her khakis.

Cuddy laughed, imagining this child with blue paint all over her. "It's ok, the paint should come out." She told Bella with a smile. "C'mere, I want to give you something."

Bella followed Cuddy over to her desk. Cuddy picked up her purse and pulled out her wallet. She took $15 out and handed it to Bella. "Here, this is for your hard work this morning." She told her with a smile.

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise, her mouth agape. "For me?" She asked.

"For you. It's yours to save or spend…your choice. " She explained, watching her closely with a smile.

"Thanks, Lisa!" She said, throwing her arms around her neck.

"You're welcome." She chuckled at her response. "Just don't let House know or he'll con you into buying his lunch." She laughed.

Bella chuckled, releasing Cuddy's neck before she folded the money and put it in her pocket. "Nah, he'll just try to get me to play poker with him." She responded absently, looking up at Cuddy.

Cuddy looked at her sternly before Bella added. "But I won't." She said quickly with a shake of her head, trying to reassure her that she knew not to play poker anymore.

"Ok." Cuddy said, trying to hide the amused smirk that wanted to appear on her face because of the way Bella had responded to her expression. Suddenly, Cuddy remembered her phone call to the school this morning. "So guess what?" She said, with a bit of excitement.

Bella looked at her expectantly. "What?"

"I got us an appointment at Riverside Elementary on Friday. We'll meet with the Principal and take a tour of the school." She told her with a smile.

Bella gasped excitedly. "Really?"

"Yep." Cuddy answered with a chuckle.

"Do I stay at the school that day?" She asked with curiosity.

"No, it's just a meeting. But we'll talk about when you start and what we can expect."

"Ok." She said with excitement.

Cuddy smiled, glad that Bella seemed excited about going back to school. Cuddy stood up, noticing the time and changed the subject. "Well, what do you say we go get some lunch?" Cuddy suggested.

"Ok, can I have pizza today?" Bella asked, as she took Cuddy's hand and followed her out the office to make their way to the cafeteria.

"Sure. But I want you to eat some vegetables too."

Bella scrunched her face up at her. "With pizza?" She asked sounding appalled.

"Yep…it can be a salad, I don't care, as long as you eat some." Cuddy told her.

Bella nodded in agreement. "Ok, I'll eat a salad, but do I have to put dressing on it?"

Cuddy shook her head. "No, Sweetie, not if you don't like it…it's better for you without it anyway."

They walked into the cafeteria together. It was busy this time of day so they stood in line for a while. Bella stood in front of Cuddy with her head leaning back onto her stomach as Cuddy placed her hands on Bella's shoulders. They stood patiently waiting until she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hey, there's my little foosball partner." Chase said as he came up to them, standing in line behind them.

Cuddy and Bella turned around. "Hi, Dr. Chase!" Bella exclaimed.

"Hey, there. When's our next match?" He asked with a smile. "Dr. Cuddy." He greeted with a nod and smile.

"Hi Chase." She responded and looked down at Bella with a smile.

"I don't know, Greg has a patient so he can't play, but maybe Lisa will play with us." She stated, before looking up at Cuddy. "Will you play? Please?"

Cuddy chuckled. "Sweetie, I don't think I'd be any kind of challenge to you, you'd beat me without even trying."

"All the better." Chase responded.

Cuddy looked at him and gave him a playful glare. "Funny."

Bella giggled. "Come on, it'll be fun…please, Lisa?"

"Bella, I can't…I'm busy today." She told her.

Bella smile fell in disappointment. "Oh." She nodded in understanding and looked up at Chase, shrugging, as if saying 'oh well'.

As they moved up in line, Bella pressed her face to the glass display so she could look at her food options. Cuddy glanced at Chase and he gave her a tight smile and looked away, not wanting to intrude on anything. Just then Cameron came up behind Chase.

"Hey, guys." She greeted.

"Hey." Chase responded, placing his arm around Cameron's waist.

"Cuddy, I never had a chance to congratulate you on becoming a mom." Cameron said with a smile. "How does it feel?"

Cuddy gave her a grateful half-smile in return. She was still thinking about disappointing Bella just now to feel too grateful for her congratulations. "Thank you, Cameron. It's wonderful, Bella is amazing." 'Unlike her mother at this very moment.' Cuddy thought to herself.

Cameron smiled and glanced at Bella before shifting her eyes back to Cuddy. She nodded, sensing that something was off. She glanced at Chase, looking slightly uncomfortable and began speaking with him about his day. Glad that their attention was off of them, Cuddy placed her hand on Bella's shoulder.

"Do you know what you want?" She asked softly.

Bella nodded. "I want a salad and a slice of cheese pizza, please." She mumbled.

Cuddy sighed, hating that she had just disappointed her daughter. And for something so stupid…she could take time away from her work to play one game with her daughter. After all, hadn't she told her this morning that she would always make time for her? She was such an idiot.

Cuddy leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear. "I'm sorry I said I was too busy to play with you…I'm not too busy, I'm never too busy for you, ok?"

Bella nodded. "It's ok." Bella whispered, glancing at her with a small smile. "You don't gotta play if you can't."

"I can…I want to play with you." She told her reassuringly.

Bella nodded, her smile growing. "Can we play after lunch?"

"Sure." Cuddy chuckled.

Bella turned to look at Chase with an excited smile. "Dr. Chase, Lisa said she'd play!" She said loudly.

Chase turned with a smile, from his conversation with Cameron. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he glanced at Cuddy. "Really?" He asked in disbelief.

Cuddy shrugged her shoulder and nodded, not seeing what the big deal was.

"Well, Dr. Cuddy, with all due respect, I believe you better prepare yourself to get your ass kicked." Chase told her challengingly.

Cuddy chuckled and raised her eyebrows. "I'm well prepared, believe me. I haven't played foosball since college."

"What are you guys talking about?" Cameron asked.

"Foosball challenge between Me, Bella and Cuddy…you want in?" He asked Cameron.

"You and Bella against me and Cuddy?" She clarified.

"Yep."

Cameron shrugged and looked at Cuddy. "I'm pretty good, I think we stand a chance at beating them."

Cuddy chuckled. "Great, I need the help."

"Yay!" Bella exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "I can't wait."

The three adults looked at her, laughing at her excitement. Bella opened her mouth to say something else to them, but stopped, looking up at Cuddy and gesturing with her finger to lean down so she could whisper something to her. When she did, Bella cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered, "Can they eat with us?"

Cuddy smiled widely in amusement and whispered in return. "Sure, why don't you ask them?"

Bella nodded, glancing up at Chase and Cameron. "Will you eat lunch with us?" She asked.

Cuddy glanced at them as they gave Bella a surprised, yet amused look. Cameron and Chase both glanced at Cuddy and she gave them a nod.

"We'd love to." Cameron answered.

* * *

10 Minutes Later

Bella sat in the booth in the cafeteria, swinging her legs against the booth, and taking a bite of her pizza. She kept Dr. Cameron and Dr. Chase talking as she asked them questions about what they do. She learned that Dr. Chase was a surgeon and Dr. Cameron worked in the ER.

"Did you know that you were my patient for a while, back when you were sick?" Dr. Cameron asked her.

"I was?" She asked, looking up at Lisa for confirmation. Lisa nodded.

"Cameron took care of you when you came into the ER." Lisa told her.

"Oh…I didn't remember that." She said.

"You weren't awake yet." Dr. Cameron told her.

"Oh." She stated before shifting her eyes to Dr. Chase. "Do you cut people up and stick your hands inside their guts?"

Dr. Cameron and Dr. Chase both laughed and Lisa looked down in surprise at her question, pausing with her fork at her mouth, as she was about to take a bite of her salad.

"As a matter of fact, I do." He answered with amusement.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this while everyone's trying to eat, Bella." Lisa said.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Where did you get your accent?" She asked Dr. Chase, changing the subject to something she thought was safer to talk about.

Dr. Chase laughed once more as Dr. Cameron smiled at her.

"Australia…you know where that is?" He asked.

Bella shook her head. "No."

Chase leaned over the table a bit and spoke dramatically, exaggerating his accent. "All the way on the other side of the world." He said, raising his eyebrows.

Bella's mouth fell agape and she smiled at him in awe. "Really?"

"Yep." He replied.

Bella looked up at Lisa and smiled. Lisa responded with a smile and a wink as she ate her salad. Bella turned her attention back to Dr. Chase. "Did you ever have a pet kangaroo?" She asked with a curious scowl, her question coming out with total seriousness in her tone.

He grinned at her. "No, I never had one of those."

Bella frowned. "Bummer, it would be really cool to have a pet kangaroo."

"I agree." He nodded his head.

Dr. Cameron and Lisa laughed as Bella continued asking Dr. Chase questions about Australia.

"Does everybody in Australia talk like you?"

"Yes." He answered.

"Do you got a boomerang?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." He told her. "It's hanging up on my wall at home."

Bella dropped her jaw. "Really? Can I see it?" She asked with excitement, straightening her back as she leaned in with curiosity.

"Sure…I'll bring it in."

Bella smiled with excitement. "Cool!" She exclaimed. "Did you ever hold a koala bear?"

"No."

As she asked her questions, she noticed that Lisa and Dr. Cameron kept laughing at her. With each question she asked they would laugh more. She didn't think she was being funny, she was just curious. She rolled her eyes and kept asking her questions.

"Do they have alligators in Australia?"

"No, but they do have crocs."

"Did you ever see one?"

"Yes, but not anywhere near where I lived."

"Are they scary?"

"Yes, they're very dangerous."

"Was it really hot there?"

"Yes…excruciatingly hot."

Bella frowned. "Is that a lot?"

Dr. Chase laughed. "Yes…it's a lot."

After five minutes of non-stop questions, Lisa stopped laughing long enough to put her arm around Bella's shoulder.

"Sweetie, why don't you give Chase a break with the questions so he can eat and you can finish your pizza."

"Ok." She said, taking another bite of her pizza.

A few minutes later, Dr. Cameron began asking Bella questions as well. "So Bella, how do you like being here at the hospital?"

"I like it here, but sometimes I get bored. Except when I get to hang out with Greg, cuz he's really fun."

Dr. Cameron raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?" She asked, glancing at Lisa before shifting her eyes back to Bella. "Greg House?" She asked for clarification.

"Uh huh." She replied, eating the last bite of her pizza.

"So what do you guys do?" She asked with curiosity.

"Ummm…well, yesterday we played hide and seek and then we played foosball with Dr. Chase, and then we went up to the roof, but that got boring after a while."

"Sounds like you had fun though." She commented.

Bella nodded.

"So he's pretty nice to you?" Dr. Cameron asked with surprise in her voice.

"Yeah, he ain't mean really, he just pretends to be." She told her. Bella started eating her salad, picking out the tomatoes and eating them one by one. "I especially like it when he comes over and we watch movies after dinner and he spends the night." She added absently as she shoved a tomato in her mouth, before quickly realizing she shouldn't have said that. Bella looked up at Lisa, who was looking at her with shock before she turned her gaze to Drs. Chase and Cameron.

Silence fell between them as they all stared in surprise at each other. Bella lowered her head, afraid that Lisa was going to be mad at her for telling them their secret. She quickly glanced up at Lisa again to gauge her reaction, noticing that her attention was still on the doctors across from them. Her expression was blank, but Bella could tell that she was afraid of what would happen next.

Dr. Cameron leaned in and whispered. "Cuddy, are you and House…?" She asked, leaving her question open.

Lisa sighed, closing her eyes in defeat, and nodding her head. "Please…you cannot tell anyone." She begged, looking at the two doctors.

Bella looked away from Lisa, lowering her gaze to her hands on her lap. "I'm sorry." She mumbled an apology to Lisa.

She felt Lisa shift in her seat and place her arm around Bella's shoulders, whispering in her ear. "Sweetie, it's ok, I don't want you to worry about it. I am not mad at you, understand?" She told her softly.

"Our lips are sealed." Dr. Chase spoke up, telling Lisa with reassurance that they understood.

Bella looked up at him as Lisa turned her attention to him as well. "Thank you." She responded gratefully.

Dr. Cameron nodded in agreement. "You don't have anything to worry about from us." She assured Lisa.

Lisa nodded her thanks as she stroked her hand over Bella's back. They sat in awkward silence for several minutes, eating their food. Bella looked from adult to adult, wondering how she could fix the silence. She decided to change the subject.

"Dr. Chase, what's your first name?" She asked, almost shyly.

He glanced up at her from his plate of food with a bit of surprise. "Uh, Robert." He answered.

"Can I call you that?"

He smiled. "Sure, if you want. But I doubt anyone here knows me by that name so you might have better luck with Chase."

"Oh…ok." She responded, before looking at Dr. Cameron. "What's yours?"

"Allison."

Bella smiled. "I like that, can I call you that?"

"Sure." She answered with a sweet smile.

Bella smiled.

"Well, guys, I've got to get back upstairs." Chase said, gathering his tray and gesturing to take Allison's tray as well as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "I've got to go stick my hands in someone's guts." He grinned at Bella.

Bella giggled. "When's our game?" She asked him.

"Don't know, might have to be later."

"Ok. Bye Chase." Bella said.

"See ya, kiddo." He responded before looking at Lisa. "Cuddy, can I take your tray?"

"I'll get it, thank you Chase. And thank you for your patience with all the questions." She chuckled.

"Oh don't worry, I enjoyed it." He replied, winking at Bella before he walked off.

"I should get back too." Allison said, moving to get out of the booth. "Bye you guys, I look forward to our game." She chuckled.

"Bye, Allison." Bella waved, watching her walk away.

"Cameron." Lisa called, before she got too far, turning around to look at her.

Allison turned around as well; waiting to hear what Lisa had to say.

"Thank you." She said, quietly.

Allison nodded with a reassuring smile, before she shifted her gaze to Bella and winked at her, turning away once more to head out of the cafeteria.

Bella looked up at Lisa as she faced the table once more. "I like them." Bella told her. "Can they come over sometime?"

"I don't know, Sweetie, maybe."

"Are they gonna tell on you and Greg?" She asked with uncertainty, still feeling guilty for saying what she had.

Lisa turned to look at her. "No, they won't tell."

Bella nodded. "Because they're your friends?"

Lisa smiled. "Yeah…I guess they are my friends."

Bella sighed. "I miss Greg, can I go see him?"

"Do you want to take him some lunch? I bet he hasn't eaten yet."

"Yeah!"

"Alright, let's go." Lisa said, gathering their trash and stacking their trays before getting out of the booth with Bella behind her and heading for the trash can before making their way back through the line to get Greg's food.

"You want to go through the line to get it for him?" Lisa asked with a smile, offering her the money in her hand.

"Really? I can?" She asked with delighted surprise.

"Sure. You know what he likes, right?" She asked.

Bella nodded and took the money, going over to the end of the line to wait her turn. The line had died down and there were only a few people in front of her so she didn't have to wait long. When it was her turn she ordered Greg's food with a smile on her face. She was excited that Lisa let her do it. The woman behind the counter was nice and she asked with amusement if this was for her and Bella shook her head.

"No, it's for my dad." She told the woman.

"Oh well your dad is very lucky to have a daughter like you to bring him his lunch for him."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, he's the best." She answered as she paid for the meal and watched the woman write something on the box. When she looked at what she'd written, Bella smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, doll, have a nice day."

"Bye." She responded with a wave.

Bella made her way back to Lisa and handed her the change. Bella carried the box in her hand and covered up what the lady had written on it with napkins and plasticware. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to show Lisa what the lady wrote. They left the cafeteria and made their way to Greg's office.

* * *

House sat behind his desk with his tennis ball in his hand as he threw it up in the air and caught it, repeating his movements several times until he caught a glimpse a little girl and her hot mom coming his way. He threw the ball again, catching it, and throwing it again. He and his team had just finished a differential and he was trying to figure out what was wrong with his latest patient.

The girls walked into his office and Bella set a box down in front of him. It smelled like…

"This better be for me or that's just mean." He said, looking at Bella.

"Yep." Bella answered with a smile, pushing the box toward him on the desk.

"Sweet." He responded. He removed the napkins and plasticware that were on top of the box and read what was written on it.

'Dad.' It read simply.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Bella and Cuddy. "Why does it say dad on it?"

Cuddy scowled and glanced at the take-out box before shifting her eyes to Bella. "What?" She leaned more closely to see the box in his hand, apparently not having noticed it before.

House looked at Bella. "Any idea?"

"I stole it from a kid down the hall, I guess it was for his dad…he was smaller than me so I took it. I knew you was hungry." She answered with a smart aleck smirk.

Cuddy looked at her in surprise and then frowned.

House smirked, knowing it was lie. He didn't really like the idea that this kid saw him as her father, but he let it go for now, playing along with her. "Way to go, kid, lucky for me it's my favorite."

"Yeah, real lucky." She replied with a shrug.

"You two have the weirdest relationship." Cuddy commented, rolling her eyes and taking a step back.

House shrugged and nodded in agreement, acknowledging that as truth. He opened the box and smiled…his favorite. He grabbed the sandwich and took a bite out of it.

"How's your patient?" Cuddy asked, taking a seat in the chair across from his desk.

"Don't know yet, we're still running tests." He replied after swallowing.

"Can I stay up here?" Bella asked Cuddy with a pleading look.

"Sweetie, House has a patient, I think it's better if you stay downstairs with me."

"Please, I promise I'll be real quiet."

"If there's anything the kid knows how to do, Cuddy, it's be quiet." House interjected with a bit of snarkiness, referring to when they had first met her and she never spoke a word to them.

Cuddy smirked. "You don't mind if she stays?" She asked with surprise.

"I don't care, Cuddy, but you're the kid's mom, you make the decision." House responded, taking another bite of his Reuben.

Cuddy sighed, glancing at Bella, who had a pleading look on her face. He could tell Cuddy was trying not to smile at her expression. She finally nodded and Bella jumped up to give her a hug.

"Thanks, Lisa!"

"You're welcome, but I want you to stay _in House's office_…no running around the hospital."

Bella nodded. "Ok." She agreed with excitement.

* * *

2:00 PM

Bella sat in Greg's comfy chair in his office as he talked to his team inside the conference room. He had asked if she wanted to sit in there but she declined, wanting to sit and draw for a little while. She thought she might be in the way anyway. She had had fun at lunchtime with Chase and Allison and she thought it would be awesome to watch Chase do surgery. Bella knew it probably wouldn't happen but she wanted to ask Greg anyway; sometimes he would let her do whatever she wanted.

Several minutes later, she watched Greg's team leave the conference room as Greg put the cap back on the marker and place it in his blazer pocket. He entered his office and made his way to his desk. She watched him pick up his tennis ball and begin tossing it up and down in the air, just as he was doing when she and Lisa had come in here earlier. Greg must've sensed her watching because he turned his attention to her and placed the ball on his desk.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothin'." She answered.

"It's never nothin' with you…what's on your mind, kid?"

"Ummmm…." She began, trying to think of the best way to ask him if she could go watch Chase do surgery. Maybe it would be best just to come out and ask. "Can I go watch Chase do surgery?" She mumbled quickly.

Greg narrowed his eyes at her and leaned forward. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I would get into with your mother if I let you do that?"

"What do you care? You always get in trouble." She snarked.

"That's true. But you still can't go."

Bella's jaw dropped, not expecting him to refuse her. "Pleeeeaaase. I wanna see him stick his hands in somebody's guts." She whined.

"Sorry, kid, not gonna happen. You'd puke at the first site of blood…and there is A LOT of it."

"I will not, I promise, please Greg please, please, please?"

"No."

"Why…and not because of the blood. I've seen it before, you know?"

"Exactly…you've seen enough, so forget it." Greg responded with that tone he used when he really meant what he said.

Bella slumped her shoulders with disappointment. There was no arguing with that tone. How did he know she'd seen a lot of blood before? She wondered. The only time she ever did, was when Mattie was shot and he didn't know about that. Bella leaned her head back and sighed, she had really wanted to see surgery. Plus she had made a drawing for Chase and wanted to give it to him. Maybe he'd let her go see Allison instead; she didn't think there was anything she couldn't see in the ER.

"Can I go see Allison, then?"

"Allison?"

"Yeah, Dr. Cameron." She clarified.

"Since when are you two so chummy?" He asked, with sarcasm.

"Since me and Lisa had lunch with her and Chase today." She answered. "So can I go see her?"

"Why do you really want to go down the ER?" He asked suspiciously.

Bella shrugged. "I want to give Allison this picture I drew." She responded, holding up her drawing. It was a cartoon-ish image of a man in a safari hat and a boomerang, bouncing up in the air with a kangaroo. "Since I can't give it to Chase, I want to give to Allison." She explained.

Greg smirked at her drawing. "Fine." He said, standing up and making his way to her. Bella smiled and bounced out of the chair with excitement. They walked out of his office together and made their way down to the ER. Once they stepped inside the doors, Bella noticed Allison helping a patient and looked up at Greg.

"Is she too busy?"

"Nope. Stay here." He instructed, making his way over to where Allison was.

He stood directly behind her and didn't say a word, as she talked with a woman. Bella watched him, curious what he was going to do. Allison continued talking, oblivious to Greg standing right behind her. Bella wanted to laugh, but she kept quiet. He was gonna scare her.

Finally Allison turned around and ran right into Greg, knocking her back into the patient's bed. She dropped her file on the floor and had a look of extreme confusion on her face. Greg smirked at her as she gained her balance and looked up at him with surprise before it turned into irritation.

"Damn it, House, you scared me."

"Yes, that was the point."

Bella giggled as she stood by and watched. Allison bent down to pick up her file before walking around Greg and toward where Bella was standing at the reception desk. She saw her and smiled. "Hey Bella."

"Hi, I came to bring you this. Greg wouldn't let me take it to Chase in surgery so I thought you'd want to have it." Bella told her.

Allison looked at her with delighted surprise before glancing at the drawing. She laughed at the drawing and shifted her attention back to Bella. "This is amazing…you drew this?"

"Yes." She answered with a wide smile.

"She didn't draw it for you, you're just the mule to give it to Chase. You better watch out for her…she'll steal your Aussie out from under you. That kid's got charm out the wazoo."

Allison laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "And you would know, right? How many times has she used her charm on you to get you to do something she wanted you to?"

Greg scoffed. "Ha, I'm unfazed by little girl charms. The only charm that works on me is-."

"Cuddy's?" Allison interjected with amusement before he could finish.

Greg glanced at her with surprise before narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

"It's ok, House, I'm not gonna tell anyone. I'm happy for you guys."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Greg responded.

"I accidentally spilled the beans." Bella spoke up, looking at Greg, hoping he wouldn't get mad.

He shifted his eyes to Bella. "To her?" He asked.

"And Chase too. Sorry, I didn't mean to." Bella told him apologetically.

"Well, I guess as long as they keep it to themselves, I won't have to kick their asses for knowing." Greg threatened, as she looked at Allison.

Allison rolled her eyes. "Your safe, House, I told you."

Before Greg could comment further, Bella heard the doors to the ER slam open with force and two guys come in, quickly wheeling a gurney with someone on top of it. They yelled out a bunch of stuff that Bella didn't understand. Allison ran over to them and began helping the man on the gurney.

They wheeled the man directly in front of Bella and she stared at him with wide eyes as he lay there. His eyes were closed and his shirt was bloody all over. Several nurses moved over to help with the injured man. Someone was pumping air into his mouth and nose. Bella was confused about what was happening. Greg pulled her away from the chaos. She suddenly heard someone say that the man had been shot. Bella's eyes grew wide and she glanced up at Greg, who was looking down at her, trying to pull her further out of the way. She looked back at the man as he bled all over the floor. Suddenly all Bella heard were the gunshots that rang out the night that Mattie was shot. She glanced at the man's face again, seeing Mattie's in its place. Everything started moving in slow motion and the color drained from the room, except for the blood on the man's shirt and the floor. Sounds were muffled as Bella covered her ears, and squeezed here eyes shut. A moment later as the chaos around the ER grew, she yanked her arm out of Greg's grasp and turned, running out of the ER, and not looking back. She ran as hard as she could, away from the man, and away from the horrible images that were surfacing in her mind of the night Mattie had been killed. It was one thing to see it in a nightmare, and another to see it real life…again. She had just relived Mattie's death in there, and she wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

**Ok one more chapter down and several to go! Please let me know the level of suckage or awesomeness on that by clicking the review button and leaving me something to think about. Thanks!!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Haha…that was evil of me, wasn't it? BUT, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging off that extremely tall cliff for too long, so here's the next chapter. The reviews helped me get this written more quickly, by the way. *Hint *Hint. Thanks for all of them, they are amazing. **

**Hope you enjoy!!!!!**

**Chapter 28**

"Shit!" House yelled out in anger in the middle of the ER as he watched Bella run out the door. House made his way down the hallway as quickly as he could with his injured leg to try and find where she would've gone. He was pissed at himself for bringing her down here. Pissed…he was _more_ than pissed, he was irate. He should have known that something like this could happen. He just wasn't thinking…the chances of this happening were ridiculous…but it had happened, and he needed to find Bella. He didn't have any idea where she would go. Once out of the ER, he pulled his cell phone out and dialed a number.

"Hey, House…what's up?"

"Wilson, I need you to help me do something without asking me a million questions, I'm in a hurry."

"Ok…that doesn't sound _at all_ suspicious, House. What are you up to?"

"Damn it, Wilson are you gonna help or not? I don't have time for your fucking questions." He hissed into the phone.

"Alright, geez, what's wrong?"

"Bella ran off, and I need to find her…fast."

"Ran off? Why?"

House rolled his eyes. "Wilson, this is exactly what I don't have time for."

"Uh, ok, ok…where do I start looking?"

"Check in my office. And if you run into Cuddy, do not tell her that I don't know where Bella is, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, got it." Wilson replied, hanging up the phone.

House breathed a small sigh of relief at knowing that he had help. He thought of checking Cuddy's office, but he wanted to save that as a last resort. If Bella showed up there she'd be calling to chew his ass out anyway, so he decided to dodge that bullet for the moment; and if he showed up _without_ her, well…that would be even worse. House made his way to the doctor's lounge, to check and see if she'd made her way there. He wasn't sure how familiar the kid was with the hospital, so he stuck to places they'd been before.

As he stepped off the elevator, he strode down the hall to the doctor's lounge. Unfortunately, she wasn't inside. "Damn it." He cursed aloud into the room as he turned around and walked out again, deciding to check the roof next. It was as far away from the ER that she could get and she wouldn't be disturbed by anyone; he imagined that would be what she'd want.

A few moments later, he walked out onto the roof. He didn't see her anywhere but he decided to check around. He looked behind a large vent, but she wasn't there. He walked over to the ladder going down to a lower section of the roof. Thankfully she wasn't there either, because there's no way he'd be able to get down there, if she was. As he walked along the wall he heard sniffling. He sighed in relief and followed the sound. He found her sitting on the gravel of the roof behind an air conditioning unit next to the wall. House went over to her quietly, but making enough noise as he walked so he wouldn't startle her. She looked up at him with a tear-stained face.

"Hey, kiddo." House greeted softly. "Can I sit down?"

Bella shrugged.

House sat down on the gravel beside her, stretching his legs out and leaning his back against the wall. He didn't say anything for a moment, sitting with her in silence. He wasn't really sure what to say, honestly, so he sat there. He thought of what Cuddy would do in this situation. House lifted his hand up and brushed her hair away from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, kid." He spoke softly, looking down at her.

Bella lifted her gaze up to him, with a look of confusion. Her breath hitched in her throat. "Why?" She whispered, he voice sounding raspy.

"I shouldn't have taken you to the ER. I should've known something like that could happen."

Bella looked away from him. "I wasn't scared of the blood."

"I know." He responded. "Do you want to talk about what really scared you?"

Bella shook her head emphatically. "No."

House nodded. "Ok." He said softly. "You mind if I talk about it?"

Bella nodded. "I don't wanna think about it no more." She said with emotion, her voice sounding desperate as she hiccupped from having cried so much.

"Ok, you mind if I just sit up here with you then?"

Bella shook her head before leaning over and laying her head on House's shoulder. He lifted his right arm and enveloped her into his arms. She adjusted her head onto his chest and moved her arm around his waist, grabbing a handful of his t-shirt. House gently wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumb before holding her more securely in his arms. He had noticed that her fingers were scratched up and bleeding slightly, making him wonder what she'd been doing up here. Taking a look around he noticed the rocks were scattered all around her. He frowned, knowing what had happened. They sat there in that position for several minutes until House remembered that Wilson would still be looking.

House pulled his cell phone out and dialed his number.

"Hey, she wasn't there." Wilson said, answering the phone. "I went to the doctor's lounge but…"

"I found her, Wilson, thanks." He told him before hanging up on him.

"Does Lisa know I ran away?" Bella asked quietly.

"No."

"Sorry I ran from you." She mumbled into his chest.

"It's ok, kid…just…don't ever do it again." He responded softly, running his fingers through her hair.

Bella nodded, tightening her hold on him.

* * *

_53 Minutes Ago_

_Bella ran out the doors of the ER, making her way to the stairwell. She climbed the stairs as far up as she could as fast as she could go, before her legs gave out on her. She sat there for a few minutes catching her breath while laying her head down on her arms as she leaned forward onto her knees. She had chosen to take the stairs because too many people took the elevators and she didn't want to be around anyone. After a few minutes, she stood and climbed the rest of the stairs all the way up to the roof._

_Bella opened the door to the roof and walked around, not really knowing what she was doing up there. She felt like being alone and this was the only place she could think of. Bella sat down on the gravel, against the wall and behind an air conditioning unit, in case someone came up here and saw her. She hugged her knees to her chest and laid her head down on them, crying for what she'd just seen and remembered happening to her brother. The amount and smell of the blood in the ER, taking her back to that night in the alley with Mattie, holding him and trying to get him to stop bleeding. She sobbed loudly, grabbing a handful of rocks and throwing them across the roof in anger, screaming out into the cool spring air. She screamed at Mattie for what he'd done to get himself killed, and she screamed out of anger at his broken promise to always take care of her. She screamed at the men for killing him. She screamed because her parents were dead. She screamed again, not caring if anyone heard her. Bella wasn't sure where all the anger was coming from, but she felt an intense and overpowering anger that she just couldn't hold within her any longer. So she screamed and screamed and screamed with all her might, standing up and throwing rocks as hard as she could across the roof, and hearing the clanking as they hit the air conditioning unit and vents in the vicinity. She didn't care if she broke anything, she was so angry, and this made her feel better._

_As her screams faded, she collapsed onto the rocks again, hitting the wall behind her and just sobbed, not able to stop the tears from flowing. She wished none of this had ever happened. She wished she had her family back. As much as she loved Lisa and Greg, she wanted her real Mom and Dad and brother. Right now, she just wanted them back. _

_Bella cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She felt defeated and tired. She sniffled and wiped her soggy eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, feeling a few remaining tears spill over and ignoring them. She felt some pain in her fingers and her right elbow, and noticed that she'd cut herself on the rocks when she was throwing them and she must've scratched her elbow on the wall when she fell. A minute or two later, Bella heard footsteps. She knew those footsteps and she should've known he would find her. Not that she minded anymore, right now it would feel nice to be held. To be comforted by someone. She looked up and saw Greg standing there._

"_Hey kiddo. Can I sit down?" _

* * *

House sat on a bench across from the women's restroom on the 4th floor. He was waiting for Bella to finish cleaning up so he could bandage her fingers and elbow. She was a mess; her face and eyes were red from tears, her cheeks were dirty, her pants were stained with dirt from being up on the roof. They had stayed up there for about 30 minutes, sitting in silence. He wondered if she would open up and finally talk about what happened but she hadn't. He was disappointed that she hadn't but what was he supposed to do, force her to talk? That would only make things worse. So he had to be patient.

Finally, Bella walked out of the restroom, her face clean, but her eyes still puffy and red. He gave her a small smile. "Feeling better, kid?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah…are you gonna tell Lisa what I did?"

"Look, you didn't do anything wrong, so stop acting like you did. If it's anybody's fault it's mine. And yes…I will have to tell Cuddy, she'll find out either way. And I'd rather her hear it from me than have her find out some other way."

Bella lowered her head. "I don't want her to be mad at me for running…I promised I never would again."

"It wasn't your fault, and she won't blame you for it." He told her, lifting her chin with his finger and staring into her eyes. Bella nodded. House held his hand out to her and she took it. They walked together to the doctor's lounge, which thankfully was empty, and Bella sat down on the couch, folding her hands in her lap, and staring blankly at the television that someone had left on. House watched her, but made his way over to the cabinet with the first aid kit.

"C'mere, kid…we have to clean those scratches." He told her.

House watched as Bella stood up, walking over to him. "Hop up here." He instructed, pointing at the tall stool next to the counter. She did as she was told and held her hand out to him. "This might sting a little." He said softly as he gently rubbed her fingers with the antiseptic wipes. She hissed a little at first but didn't complain. House set about cleaning the rest of her wounds and bandaging her up. He looked down at her and watched her as she continued staring blankly ahead of her. "You're all set, kid." He told her, watching as she hopped off the stool. "You want to tell me how you got those?"

"I got mad and threw the rocks and then I fell down."

House nodded, confirming what he thought had happened. "You'll be fine."

Bella nodded, and went back to sit down on the couch. House followed her, sitting next to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Bella shook her head.

"You want to see your Mom?" He asked softly, feeling lost as to what to do for her.

Bella looked up at him and nodded. House nodded as well, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed Cuddy's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hey." He heard her answer a moment later. He could tell she was smiling.

"Hey." He responded.

"What's wrong? Is Bella ok… are you ok?" She asked with slight alarm in her voice, knowing that the tone of _his_ voice indicated something was wrong.

"We're fine...but…Bella wants her Mom." He told her softly, glancing down at Bella as she looked up at him.

"Where are you? I'll be right there." She told him.

"Meet me in my office." He responded, hearing her hang up a second later.

"Let's go, kid." He said, holding his hand out for her take as she stood up.

They beat Cuddy to his office since it was just down the hall and Bella sat down in his comfy chair as he took a seat behind his desk. They were silent, neither of them speaking a word the whole time. A few minutes later they heard Cuddy's heels making their way down the hall toward them. She opened the door to the office looking slightly panicked.

"What's going on?" She asked House before she looked over at Bella. She noticed Bella's red-rimmed eyes and dirty clothes, as well as the band-aids on her fingers. She frowned in confusion. "What happened?" She asked, going over to Bella and sitting on the ottoman in front of her, placing her hands on Bella's face.

Bella stood up and crawled onto Cuddy's lap, burying her face in Cuddy's neck. Cuddy held her close, tightening her arms around her. House stood up and quietly made his way out of the office, feeling uncomfortable with the mother/daughter moment.

* * *

Cuddy held her daughter close to her, not having any idea what was going on but giving Bella what she seemed to need right now. Bella wasn't crying, she was just sitting on Cuddy's lap as she cradled her in her arms. Cuddy closed her eyes, breathing in Bella's scent that she had become familiar with over time. She shifted her arms and leaned her head onto Bella's.

"What happened, Sweetheart?"

Bella didn't answer right away, but after a moment she sighed and spoke softly. "I was bad…I didn't stay in here like you told me. I ran away from Greg." She mumbled.

Cuddy felt a tear drop onto her arm and she shifted her head to look down at Bella, noticing her wet cheeks as she silently cried. "What happened, baby, why would you run away? I know you wouldn't without a reason."

"It wasn't his fault…don't be mad at him."

Cuddy took in a deep breath, not liking the sound of this at all. "Please tell me what happened…I won't get mad."

Bella nodded. "Yes you will." She replied, her voice breaking slightly.

"Sweetie, right now I don't know what's going on and it's scaring me. Please tell me what happened."

"I wanted to give Chase a picture I drew for him, but he was in surgery and Greg wouldn't let me go see him. And then I asked to see Allison instead so I could give her the picture, so Greg let me go with him to the ER. But then I saw…something and I ran away."

"What did you see, Sweetie? Something that scared you?"

Bella nodded. "I don't want to talk about it."

Cuddy sighed. "I need you to tell me what you saw."

Bella shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it." She said more forcefully.

"Ok." Cuddy replied. Learning partly what had happened, Cuddy _was_ slightly upset. She didn't know the reasoning behind everything yet but she was upset at House for agreeing to take her to the ER, he should have known better than that. Cuddy guessed that what Bella saw had to do with her parents or her brother, thinking those would be the only two things that would upset her so badly. Cuddy held her, stroking her back and comforting her.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked with emotion in her voice, like she was about to break down at any moment.

"No, Sweetie, I'm not mad at you. I am upset that House took you to the ER, he knows better than that. It's dangerous and it can be very scary for a child. And I don't like it that you asked him to take you down there when I told you stay up here." She told her softly, before sighing and continuing with her thought. "But this is also my fault…bringing you here everyday when you should be in school or playing with kids your own age. I understand you get bored and it's my fault. I'm so sorry about all of this, Bella. I'm sorry that I haven't been a good mother to you so far."

Bella lifted her head at that and frowned. "Yes, you have. You been the best, Lisa." She told her, throwing her arms tightly around her neck. "You been the best." She repeated with conviction in her voice.

Cuddy smiled as her eyes welled up with tears at what Bella had told her. She held her tighter and released her when Bella leaned back. "Thank you, Sweetheart, that means a lot to me." She whispered with emotion. Bella gave her a small smile.

"What happened to your fingers and your elbow?" Cuddy asked, taking Bella's injured hand and examining her fingers as well as her elbow.

"I fell down on the rocks, but Greg fixed it." She told Cuddy.

"What rocks?"

Bella lowered her head and looked away from her.

"Sweetie, what rocks?" Cuddy asked, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"I ran away to the roof." Bella mumbled.

Cuddy sighed. "Bella, it's supposed to be locked, how did you get up there?"

Bella shook her head. "It wasn't locked."

"Oh my god." Cuddy sighed, getting more upset now. Well, maintenance was getting a not so friendly phone call from her as soon as she could get to it. "Bella, the roof is dangerous, please don't ever go up there again, honey."

Bella nodded. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to be by myself."

"What did you see in the ER, Sweetie?" She asked again gently.

Bella shook her head emphatically, scrunching her face, and her eyes welling up with tears as a small sob escaped her lips. "I don't want to talk about it. Please don't make me talk about it." She begged.

Cuddy hugged her tightly. "Ok…it's ok, I'm not going to make you talk."

Bella hugged her back, relaxing at Cuddy's assurance.

Cuddy took her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at the time. It was after 4 PM. She looked down at Bella. "Why don't we go home early today? It's been a long one for both of us and I think we could use the break."

Bella nodded her head and sniffed, wiping her tears away. "Ok." She answered.

Bella climbed off Cuddy's lap and allowed her to get to her feet. Cuddy helped Bella put her stuff away in her backpack and helped her place it over her arms and onto her shoulders. Bella grabbed Cuddy's hand and they made their way out of House's office. As she and Bella walked toward the elevators, she had nearly forgotten about House…she needed to talk to him, but that would have to wait until later. But she didn't want to leave without telling him something, so she stopped in front of the conference room doors and led Bella inside with her. House had been watching them as they left his office and looked slightly upset. Not mad, but…guilty, she noticed.

"We're leaving early." She told him. He nodded. "It's been a long day so…" she added, feeling like she needed to explain.

"Yeah, I get it." He said, sighing. "Cuddy, I…"

"Later, House. Right now you have a patient who needs you. Come over tonight if you can…otherwise, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

House agreed with a nod, although he didn't look happy about it. Cuddy needed him to concentrate on his patient, and she knew he couldn't do that if he knew she was angry with him. Bella let go of Cuddy's hand and walked over to House, moving her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

"Bye, Greg."

"See ya, kid." He said softly, placing his hand on the back of her head as she hugged him. He brushed her hair away from her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb, a gesture that Cuddy had never seen him do before and it made her heart swell, replacing some of the anger she felt. It made her realize that he was just as upset with himself as Cuddy was. Bella released her hold on him and stepped back to Cuddy, taking her hand. Cuddy gave him a small smile and turned around, walking out of the conference room.

* * *

6:00 PM

House was sitting in his office with his elbows on his desk and his head in his hands. He'd been thinking about what happened today with Bella. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He was able to concentrate on the case long enough to start a course of treatment on his patient but the events of the day never really left him. It was his fault that Bella had a nightmare last night and it was his fault that she'd seen what she'd seen today in the ER. He should have realized that something like that could've happened before he agreed to take her down there. This is the second time in the span of 24 hours, that he had made the kid feel bad. He sighed and shook his head. And some people wondered why he thought he shouldn't be a father. He'd managed to screw her up in one day, he hated to think how screwed up she'd be after a lifetime with him.

He lifted his head at the sound of his office door opening, seeing Wilson walk in with an exasperated look on his face."

"I have been trying to reach you all damn day, House, what the hell happened with Bella?"

"Yes, and I've been ignoring you all damn day because I didn't want to talk about what happened with Bella." He answered with sarcasm.

"You call me and ask me to help you _find Bella_…" He began, swinging his arms out in front of him in an exaggerated gesture, and a questioning look on his face, before continuing. "…_not_ to talk to Cuddy about it, and then you tell me you found her, only to hang up on me without explanation. And then you're unreachable all day long."

"And?" House asked.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "What the hell happened, House?" He practically yelled.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." He responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"House." He said, in warning, placing his hands on his hips as he stood there waiting for an answer.

House sighed and rolled his eyes at Wilson, knowing his friend would continue to ask until he got an explanation and not having the energy to listen to it. "You know anything about Cuddy's kid? About her past?"

Wilson frowned. "Not much." He said, taking a seat in one of the chairs in the office.

House sighed heavily, preparing himself to tell Wilson everything he knew. "She has nightmares…like the Freddy Krueger kind…scary as all hell."

Wilson frowned, shaking his head. "No, I didn't know that." He said sadly.

"Well, it's worse than that. The reason they're scary is…scary." House told him, shaking his head.

"House, what the hell happened to her today?" Wilson asked with concern.

"Getting to it. Obviously you know her parents are dead…what you don't know is that she had a brother…who is also dead."

"Died with her parents?"

House slowly shook his head.

"What happened to him?"

"Long story short, the two ended up living on the streets in New York City…alone. He was killed…shot in the abdomen and head."

"Oh my god. Where was she when this happened?"

House looked at him pointedly, not saying a word and letting him figure it out.

"No." He replied, shaking his head. "No way." He repeated, staring at House to see if he was screwing with him. Wilson eyes grew wide, seeing that House was serious. "She witnessed her brother's murder!?" He asked in shocked disbelief.

House nodded.

"Holy shit, House…is she seeing someone for this!?"

"She was but I'm not sure if she still is."

Wilson stood up and began pacing the room. "This is insane!" He exclaimed. "How the hell is that little girl functioning? First she's orphaned, then she witnesses her only family left, get murdered in front of her?" He asked with total shock at what he had just learned. "I can't believe this."

"Wilson, sit down before you collapse. I don't want you passing out on my carpet, I'm not picking you up." House rolled his eyes.

Wilson turned to him. "Why haven't you told me this before?"

"Why…so I could have the pleasure of seeing this very reaction from you?" He snarked. "What was I thinking?"

Wilson glared at him. "House, you have to get Bella into some therapy."

"Me? I'm not the kid's father, Wilson."

Wilson shrugged and waved his arms in front of him. "You might as well be, House. You spend enough time with her, she loves you like a father, and she looks up to you like one."

"I am not her father." House repeated in a slow, deliberate tone.

"Fine, then Cuddy needs to do something."

House stood up and pointed his cane at Wilson. "Wilson, so help me, if you go to Cuddy with this and start telling her how to parent her kid…I'll shove this cane so far up your ass you'll feel it in your throat."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "All I'm saying is that she needs to talk to someone."

"Don't you think Cuddy knows that? She's handling it…I didn't tell you all this so you could meddle, Wilson." House spoke sharply to him, sitting back down in his chair.

"Fine, I'll leave it alone." He sighed loudly. "I still don't understand how she can…I don't know…smile, and be the happy little girl I've seen her be? Shouldn't she have some sort of post traumatic stress?"

"Why the hell do you think she wasn't talking when we found her?"

Wilson looked at him with realization and nodded his head. "Oh, right, I'd forgotten about that. Wow, she's…improved dramatically. You think she's been talking to Cuddy about this?"

House shook his head. "She would've told me."

Wilson nodded in agreement. "So then what happened today that made her run off?"

House shook his head. "The kid drew a picture for Cameron and she wanted to give it to her down in the ER. I screwed up; I took her down there. While we were there…the ambulance rolled in with a guy…a GSW." He told him solemnly.

"Oh my god." He whispered, sitting down heavily in the chair he had vacated earlier. "And she saw her brother all over again." He shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my god." He repeated.

House rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Wilson, your reaction makes me feel so much better. I think I'll get up now do a happy dance with all this joy I am currently feeling in the teeny tiny crevices of my stone heart." He snarked, standing up and grabbing his cane.

Wilson looked up at him. "If you had a stone heart you wouldn't be beating yourself up right now."

House clenched his jaw. "It's a damn good thing I'm _not_ that kid's dad, Wilson…I've managed to screw her up and all I am is her friend."

"Oh please, would you listen to yourself…you sound like an idiot, you know damn well that's true. I'm _pretty_ sure you didn't kill her brother…that's what screwed her up, not you. It's not like you knew any of this was going to happen, you can't blame yourself for this."

House shook his head. "Watch me." He responded, walking towards the door of his office.

"Where are you going, House?" Wilson asked, turning around as House opened the door to his office.

House shook his head. "I don't know." He replied, walking out without another word.

* * *

8:15 PM

The rest of the day had been better for Bella. She and Lisa had come home, cleaned up, and gone out to dinner, which had been pretty fun. Lisa took her to Chuck E. Cheese's and they had spent most of the evening eating and playing games together. Lisa was right; she isn't very good at foosball. Bella discovered this after beating her easily several times. But they had played other games as well and Bella managed to win a few small prizes with her tickets. Lisa won some too, but gave hers to Bella and one of the prizes Bella chose was a temporary tattoo, which she was able to talk Lisa into applying to her arm. Bella laughed, telling her she couldn't look at the one she chose until she was finished. Lisa had rolled her eyes and laughed when she saw it was a skull and bones tattoo. Later, they got in one of those photo booths and took pictures together. On and off throughout the evening, Bella's thoughts would wander to what had happened earlier today in the ER. Bella wanted to tell Lisa everything…about her brother, about what really happened to day…but fear kept her from talking. Fear of the pain and anger she felt, and of it never going away if she let it surface, consuming her completely.

Now, Bella sat in the corner of her room on the floor with a box in her hand. It was a wooden box with a latch on it that she'd found when she was exploring the basement the other day. Lisa said she could have it, but she didn't tell her what it was for; not because she didn't trust her, but because it was private and she just didn't feel like talking about why she wanted it. Bella opened it and looked inside. She kept several pictures of her and Lisa; the ones that they'd taken awhile back with her camera and had had printed, as well as the one that Lisa had given Bella of herself. Bella had also added the $15 that Lisa had given her today and the photos they'd taken tonight. If something ever happened to Lisa, she was going to have something to remember her by…forever. And the money that she earned would be saved so she'd never have to steal again. She'd be prepared this time. What she'd seen today, reminded her that anything could happen at any time. She'd forgotten that, and that's why she had to prepare herself in case she lost everyone she ever loved again.

Bella stood and hid the box in the back of her armoire. She quickly changed into her pajamas, getting ready for bed. Bella picked up one of Splat's toys and dangled it above his head. He swatted at it and she giggled, pulling the little ball with feathers on the end of it along the floor for him to chase. She always felt better when she played with Splat. He always made her laugh.

A few minutes later, Lisa knocked lightly on her bedroom door.

"Come in." Bella called out. She usually didn't have her door closed but tonight she wanted to be alone.

"Hey." She greeted as she opened the door and walked in with a smile. "How's it going in here?" She asked.

"Good." Bella answered as she sat on the floor playing with Splat.

Lisa nodded, giving her a small smile. "It's almost bedtime, did you brush your teeth?"

"Not yet." She replied, standing up, and moving to finish getting ready for bed.

Lisa walked out as well, making her way toward the kitchen. When Bella returned to her room, she crawled in bed and waited for Lisa to return to tuck her in. Splat jumped up on the bed and curled up on her extra pillow, like he was used to doing every night. Bella scratched behind his ears and placed a kiss on his head. Just then, Lisa came in with a glass of water in her hand.

"Here." She said, placing the glass on her nightstand. "In case you get thirsty tonight." She told her quietly, sitting down on the bed facing Bella.

Bella smiled. "Thanks." Bella shifted her eyes across the room. "Lisa, will you stay in here with me till I fall asleep?"

Lisa nodded. "Of course I will." She answered, lying down next to Bella. Bella scooted in closer, snuggling up to her. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. She felt Lisa place a kiss on her head and wind her arms around her.

"Are you doing ok, Sweetie? I know you had a rough afternoon." She whispered to her.

Bella nodded against her chest, opening her eyes to stare across the room. "Yeah, I guess." She told her. Bella didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to talk about it either. "I had fun tonight…it helped me forget for awhile." She continued, mumbling softly.

"I'm glad, that's what I was going for." She replied, giving her a squeeze.

Bella grinned happily. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She responded, placing another kiss on her head. "Listen, I need you to understand something, ok? I know you aren't telling me everything that happened in the ER, and that's ok because I know that whatever it was, it had to do with your parents or Mattie and you're not ready to tell me about it. And that's why I don't want to punish you. I think you've gone through enough when it comes to that. But you still disobeyed me and I'm letting it go this time. I don't want you thinking that you can do that and get taken to Chuck E. Cheese every time. That's not why I did that. Ok?" She told Bella gently.

Bella nodded. "Ok. I won't do it again." She promised.

"I love you, Bella. I just want you to be happy."

"I love you too." Bella responded.

Bella closed her eyes once more, allowing her mind to shut out the unwanted thoughts of her day. All she wanted was to forget it happened; and she wanted to forget about Mattie. She didn't want to forget him completely, just the bad stuff. Bella wanted to remember the good stuff. She took her thoughts to the time that he had given her a present for her birthday. It was a toy of his that she loved to play with, but she couldn't remember what it was now. She just remembered that he had given it to her for her birthday because she loved it so much back then. Bella wished she could remember what it was. It was with these thoughts that Bella finally fell into a deep sleep, her hand clutching Lisa's shirt at her waist for comfort, clinging to the one person she knew would always take care of her from now on. The person that had gotten her out of the hell she lived in for so long and whom she thought could help rid her mind of the horrific memories she held deep within her. If only she could make herself talk about them.

* * *

12:16 AM

Cuddy startled awake, hearing the front door of her home closing followed by the deadbolt locking. She lifted her head off the pillow; her heart racing and hoping it was House and not a burglar in her home. Finally she heard House's footsteps and she sighed in relief, waiting for him to come into the bedroom. He never did. She had only heard a few steps before they stopped and she wondered what he was doing. Cuddy sat up, lifting the comforter off of her and slipping silently out of bed. She walked down the hall in her bare feet looking for him. Making her way to the kitchen, she gasped when she heard his voice.

"I'm in here." He said, his voice coming from the living room.

She turned back and made her way in there, seeing the silhouette of him sitting on the couch in the dark, his elbows on his knees and his cane in his hands in front of him. She walked over to him, sitting down beside him.

"Hey. How's your patient?"

"Treatment seems to be working, but there's a chance that could change. But I didn't come here to talk about that." He answered.

"I figured."

He turned his head to look in her eyes. "How angry are you? I just want to know what I'm in for."

"I'm not angry at you…not anymore." She answered. "I was, but I've had time to think and realize that this is partly my fault as well. I can't expect Bella to sit in the hospital day in and day out without something like this happening. Especially when I know you have a case and I let her stay with you while you're trying to diagnose someone…she's a distraction to you when your trying to work and it's my fault for letting her stay up there. On top of that, I understand that she gets bored and wants to roam around and she can't. I can't blame _her_…or _you_ for that." She finished, placing her hand on his arm.

House scowled at her. "You have no idea what happened, do you?"

"I know that she talked you into leaving the office after I told her to stay put, and that you took her down to the ER to give Cameron her drawing and that she saw something she doesn't want to talk about…which I can only assume means she saw something that had to do with her parents or her brother, judging by how upset she was."

"Yeah, and you're not pissed off at me for taking her down there and practically screwing up her life?" He asked with disbelief in his tone.

"House, you hardly screwed up her life. She's fine. She's no different than she always is when she has a nightmare and doesn't want to talk about it. Don't misunderstand, I'm not making light of it, I know what she goes through. But you hardly did this to her."

House rolled his eyes and stood up, turning to face her. "Cuddy…you would throw me out of your house, and probably your life, if you knew how upset that kid was today. If you had seen the look on her face at what she saw…if you knew what she saw, because clearly she didn't tell you."

"Keep your voice down." She told him evenly.

House sighed loudly. "You want to hear it or not?" He asked, lowering his voice.

Cuddy frowned, not sure that she really wanted to hear it, since apparently things were worse than she thought, but knowing she needed to hear it, Cuddy nodded.

House resumed his place on the couch next to her as she turned her body to face him. He slowly recounted what had happened, the horror that she had witnessed again and it resembling what she'd seen with her brother. He included when Bella ran off and he found her on the roof almost an hour later. He told her about the state that he'd found her in and about him sitting up there with her, hoping that she would talk to him but she never had. Cuddy watched him closely as he told her everything. She heard the anguish in his voice and the guilt for having taken her down to the ER. She saw the pained look in his eyes at imagining what Bella had gone through alone up on that roof. She also saw the fear…the fear of how she was going to react to him after he finished telling her about the pain her daughter had gone through today without her knowledge when she thought Bella was being taken care of in his hands. Cuddy felt tears rolling down her cheeks as he recounted everything as well as for the emotions she was feeling toward him right now.

When he was finished talking, he sat there quietly, staring across the room. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears fall down her face. She wiped her cheeks with her hand and opened her eyes, looking at his face. She sniffed, moving closer to him.

"You're right…I should kick you out of my house." She started, watching as he turned his head to look at her. She placed her hand on his forearm and caressed him there with her thumb. He slowly shifted his eyes to her hand on his arm.

"If I thought for one second that you had done any of that on purpose…I would. But none of that was your fault, House. You did not _knowingly_ or _purposefully_ hurt my little girl. You _could not_ have known that that would happen. Sure, she shouldn't have been there in the first place, House, but the truth is…it could've been me down there with her just as easily as it was you." Cuddy placed her hand over her heart. "I am _so_ sorry for putting you in that position. She is my responsibility and I knew you were busy. I could have put your patient's life in jeopardy for making her your responsibility today. You should have been thinking about how to save your patient, not looking after my child. Not running around worrying and looking for her because she ran away from you. And that is _my_ fault. I don't blame you, House, so stop blaming yourself." She finished, bringing her hand up to his face and tilting his head up to look at her. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter today. Thank you for being there for her when she needed someone. You have no idea how much that means to me."

House sighed, moving his hand up to her wrist and removing her hand from his face. "You shouldn't be so forgiving, Cuddy, especially with me. You're kid is in even more pain than she usually is, because of me. I did that to her today, Cuddy. _I did_."

"And I think you've sufficiently beat yourself up for it." She interrupted.

He rolled his eyes. "If it _were_ the other way around, you can't tell me you wouldn't be feeling the same way right now." He stressed.

"You're right, I would be blaming myself. But I also know, that you would be telling me the same thing that I'm telling you right now. So let's stop going around in circles, I'm getting dizzy." She said, the corner of mouth quirking into a smile.

House stared at her for a moment before adding, "yeah, it's probably that booze you've been kickin' back lately." He responded with sarcasm, squeezing her hand, as a smirk appeared on his face.

Cuddy chuckled at him. "So are we ok now? Are you done blaming yourself?" She asked a moment later, turning his hand around in hers, palm to palm, and lacing their fingers together.

House nodded. "I'm sorry, Cuddy. I realize I didn't say that before, but I mean it."

"I know." She whispered. "Come on, let's go to bed."

House wiggled his eyebrows and she laughed at him. "To sleep, I'm exhausted and so are you." She told him, standing up from the couch and holding her hands out to help him up.

"Damn, no make-up sex." He pouted, taking her hand and standing as well.

"We weren't fighting, House."

"I was fighting with myself, that should count for something." He stated as he followed her out of the living room. He stopped suddenly, and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him roughly, twisting her arm at an odd angle.

"Ow…House, that hurt." She told him, scowling at him. She noticed his eyes on her arm. "What are you…?" She started asking before he interrupted.

"Nice tat, Cuddy. You join a gang, this afternoon?" He scowled, asking with sarcasm.

She saw what he was referring to and laughed. "It's temporary, House, don't get too excited. Bella won it as a prize at Chuck E. Cheese's tonight and convinced me to wear it."

House's jaw dropped in surprise. "You went to Cheese's without me?!" He asked, glancing at her. "Damn you, Cuddy." He said, in genuine shock.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Oh god…I shouldn't be surprised that you'd love that place, but I am a little." She stated, grabbing his hand and leading him down the hallway.

"Hey, don't diss Chuck E., if it weren't for all the damn brats, I'd live there. Food, games, what else is there? Well, sex, but that's what the bouncy houses are for." He told her with sarcasm.

Cuddy laughed, rolling her eyes again.

He paused in the hallway as he passed Bella's door. Cuddy turned around, watching him.

"You mind if I…?" He asked, pointing to her door.

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Go ahead." She whispered.

House silently opened the door, peaking in on Bella. She watched his face as he looked in on her, wondering what he was thinking. She loved that he seemed to care so much about Bella. Cuddy hoped that someday he could get to the point where he'd see himself as a father to her. Not for Cuddy's sake, but for Bella's…and House's. They needed each other. Bella needed a father and House needed someone to love him like only a daughter can love a father. He needed it, even if he didn't realize it. She's known House for a long time and has had feelings for him for a long time, but being around Bella and caring for her, is one of the reasons she moved from caring for him to loving him. He was different when he was around her. House showed a different side of himself when he was with her. Cuddy didn't think that House even realized it but it was true. She always knew he was capable of loving like that, but she just never thought she'd see it happen.

Cuddy took a step toward him, embracing him as he watched Bella sleeping. He placed his arm around her shoulders. "How is she?" Cuddy whispered to him as she looked in at Bella as well.

"Sleeping." He responded. "You think she'll have a nightmare?" He asked after a moment.

"God I hope not…but there's a chance, I suppose, given what's happened."

House nodded, sighing as he lowered his gaze to the floor.

"We're here if she needs us, House. Let's go to bed." She told him, knowing he was still blaming himself.

House nodded, closing the door. They quietly made their way down the hallway to Cuddy's bedroom, both glad to put this day behind them.

**Reviews!!! More Reviews!!**

**Oh and by the way, for those international readers who don't know what Chuck E. Cheese's is…I would explain it, but you'd have better luck Googling it. But basically it's a kid's place, where you can eat and play games. In other words, kid heaven, and parent hell. Haha! Just kidding, I actually like Chuck E. Cheese's…but maybe that's cuz I'm a big kid.**


	30. Chapter 29

**Thanks for the many reviews I got on the last chapter…I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it. A few of you mentioned that you'd wanted Bella to run to Cuddy, and to be honest that didn't cross my mind because it wasn't where I wanted to take the story. Bella's suffering is private to her at this point and she fears talking about it. Having said that, I think you guys will be happy with this chapter. Again, thank you for reading my fic…it's still a blast to write and I hope you guys are still enjoying it. **

**Chapter 29**

10:00 AM – Friday Morning

Cuddy sat in the reception area of the Principals office at Riverside Elementary School with her legs crossed at her knees and her hands clasped in her lap. Bella sat beside her, swinging her legs back and forth in the chair she was sitting in. Cuddy was nervous. She didn't know how Bella was feeling but _she_ was extremely nervous about this meeting. She was nervous because she didn't know what to expect because she's never done this before. The Assistant Principal had been very nice and accommodating about the information she'd given Cuddy over the phone about the school and how they would be able to help Bella. Cuddy had debated whether to send Bella to a private school, but she thought Bella might do better in a public school setting. She'd done research about this particular school and was pleased with the academics they offered as well as the teachers who taught there.

Today they would be taking a tour of the school as well as meet with the Principal. The school had informed Cuddy that she would have a great deal to get caught up on to attend the 4th grade in the fall with the rest of her age group. They recommended a tutor and that she sit in with the students in her class to observe, and if she feels comfortable enough, to participate. They mentioned that she would likely need to continue her tutoring throughout the year as well, depending on how well she did.

As they waited, she felt Bella lean her head over on her right shoulder. Cuddy turned her head, glancing down at her as she waited quietly. Bella had decided she wanted to dress up a little so she'd worn a brown corduroy mini skirt and a pink floral button up shirt under a cream colored sweater. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a pair of flip-flops on her feet. She looked adorable. Cuddy thought she might get cold, since the weather was only slightly warm today, but she said she'd be fine.

Cuddy had been concerned about her since House had told her what Bella had witnessed Wednesday at the hospital. Cuddy hadn't slept very well that night and Bella did end up having a nightmare like she and House were afraid she would. It was one of the worst Cuddy had ever witnessed and she had ended up staying in Bella's room with her the rest of the night. It had been hard to keep from breaking down as Bella sobbed in her arms. She needed to stay strong for Bella and allow her to grieve over her brother and the horrifying images and memories she had within her. With every day that passed, Cuddy became more concerned about her mental wellbeing if she didn't talk about this soon. She thought about pushing her a little, but she wasn't sure how wise that would be.

When she and House were laying in bed that night, he had mentioned Bella's injuries and that she had told him that she got mad and threw rocks. He suspected it was worse than what she told him. He suspected that she had felt such intense anger that she had to release it somehow. Cuddy knew she had to be angry about everything that's happened to her, but she had never seen any outward signs of it. She would have to watch more closely, and if Bella didn't open up soon, Cuddy would have to start taking her to therapy again. With everything that had been going on lately, Bella hadn't been to her sessions in a few weeks. She had seemed fine, so Cuddy didn't push it but that would have to change soon, she feared. The last couple of days had been stressful for both of them. Thursday, Bella had been clingy, not wanting to go anywhere without Cuddy, which meant she had stayed in her office all day with her, went with her when she was paged and stayed close by at the reception desk when she was seeing patients in the clinic. Cuddy knew she was staying so close because of what had happened on Wednesday and the nightmare she'd had that night. It was starting to wear on Bella quickly and soon it would start to affect her physically.

Cuddy looked up when she heard the door to the Principals office open and a young boy, with his head hanging low, walk out the door followed by a tall man she assumed was the boy's father. Mrs. Waddell, the principal of the school, followed them out as well. She turned her attention to Cuddy and Bella, smiling at them and holding her hand out as she made her way over to them. She was a woman about Cuddy's age, with blonde hair and brown eyes. She had the air and confidence of an administrator, just as Cuddy did, as well as having a friendly and approachable look that no doubt helped her a great deal in her position.

"Dr. Cuddy, I'm Sally Waddell, it's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for the wait, troublesome students are part of my daily routine here."

"It's nice to meet you as well, and don't apologize, I understand. I have a particularly troublesome employee of my own." She told her with a chuckle as she shook her hand.

She nodded in thanks and shifted her attention to Bella. "And this must be Bella." Mrs. Waddell said with a friendly smile.

"Hello." Bella greeted shyly, shaking her hand as well. Bella kept a tight grip on Cuddy's hand as they spoke with Mrs. Waddell.

"Well, why don't we take a seat in my office so we can discuss Bella's attendance here at Riverside." She said, gesturing for them to enter her office. As they entered, Mrs. Waddell sat behind her desk, clasping her hands in front of her. Cuddy and Bella sat down in the chairs opposite her desk.

"Can I get either of you anything to drink?" She offered politely.

"I'm fine…would you like anything Bella?" Cuddy asked, looking over at her as she sat in the oversized chair with her arms on the armrest and her legs swinging back and forth.

"No, thank you." She replied.

"Alright, well let's talk about what we can offer Bella. Per your discussion with my AP on the phone, Dr. Cuddy, we're aware of Bella's situation. I'm optimistic that we will be able to help her achieve the goal of placing her in her age group in the fall. However, being out of school for two years has set her back quite a bit. I think that with the right tutor helping her this summer, she should be able to catch up in order to move forward. Also, allowing her to sit in on classes for the remainder of the year will go a long way in achieving that goal as well. We'll require that she take a placement test before attendance. Obviously, this will allow us to gauge her level of comprehension in each subject. This test will need to be taken a month in advance of her attendance. I believe my AP gave you the name of a recommended tutor, is that correct?"

"Yes, she did and I have contacted her already. I'd like for Bella to get as much help as she needs and get started as soon as possible."

"Wonderful. Do you have any questions?" Mrs. Waddell asked.

They continued discussing everything Bella would need to do before starting school in the fall. Cuddy had asked a few questions about what would be expected of her to know, as a parent, regarding her education and to prepare her for the test as well as attendance in the fall. Mrs. Waddell gave her an information packet that explained everything about the school and it's academics and activities as well as its rules and regulations. About 20 minutes later, they were offered to take a tour of the school, and as they made their way down the corridors, Cuddy noticed Bella begin to tense up. Bella's hand became gradually tighter around Cuddy's as they walked the halls of the school.

* * *

Bella walked alongside Lisa, holding tightly to her hand as they were given a tour of Riverside Elementary. She was scared of coming back to school. She thought she would be ok and even _wanted_ to go back to school, but when she stepped inside the doors this morning, she realized that she might not be as ready as she thought. Walking into the school reminded her of what she'd lost when her parents died. It reminded her of her parents and the fun and friends she used to have at school. She thought of the day the principal came to tell her that her parents had been in an accident; one of the worst days of her life. As they walked down the corridors of the school, she looked at all the things around it that reminded her of being in this setting. This school was different than her old school, and she was older and would be in a different set of classrooms, but some things never changed.

She felt Lisa squeeze her hand and Bella looked up at her with a furrow in her brow. She could tell that Lisa knew something was wrong because she looked worried. She mouthed, 'You ok?' to her as Mrs. Waddell kept talking and pointing out different sections of the school as they walked. Bella frowned at her, letting her know that she was scared. Lisa looked at her in concern and let go of her hand, draping her arm around Bella's shoulder. Bella sighed, bringing her arm around Cuddy, her hand clutching the back of her blouse at her lower back.

They were led to the third grade classrooms and stopped in the corridor in front of one of the doors.

"Bella, this is where you'll be when you start here. Mrs. Penner will be your teacher. She's really nice and looks forward to having you in her classroom." Mrs. Waddell told her.

Bella nodded.

"Are you ready to go in?" She asked Bella with her hand on the doorknob.

Bella looked up at Lisa and she gave her a reassuring nod. "I'm right here with you." She encouraged her. Bella nodded.

Mrs. Waddell opened the door and stepped inside. They had entered through the back of the classroom, so all of the students were facing the front, their backs to Bella. Bella glanced all around the classroom; it was really nice. The teacher, Mrs. Penner, was writing something on the whiteboard. They were having their math lesson, Bella noticed. One of the boys in the back of the classroom turned around to look at them. Bella frowned, she knew him. After a moment she realized who he was and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was Simon; the boy she met at the park that day. He seemed to have recognized her as well because he waved at her. Bella waved back, giving him a small smile, happy that she knew someone here. She looked around for Maya but didn't see her, unfortunately.

They stayed in there for a few more minutes, just listening as Mrs. Penner taught the class. Mrs. Waddell didn't disrupt, allowing Bella to see what she would be doing. They left the classroom as quietly as they had entered and made their way back to the reception area.

"Do you have anymore questions, Dr. Cuddy?" Mrs. Waddell asked.

"When would be a good day for her start?" Lisa asked, gently rubbing circles over Bella's shoulder.

"How does Monday sound? She can stay in the classroom for the morning lessons, and if you like, she can meet her tutor in the library in the afternoons." She suggested.

Lisa nodded and looked down at Bella. "Are you ok with that, Bella?" Lisa asked her.

Bella looked up at her and nodded.

"Will she need to wear the uniform as well?"

"I don't think that will be necessary at this time, but if Bella will feel more comfortable dressing like the other kids, she's certainly welcome to do so. But obviously in the fall, all the rules will apply to her as well."

Lisa nodded in understanding and held her hand out to shake Mrs. Waddell's. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Waddell, I appreciate very much what you're doing for us. I think Bella will have a chance to learn a great deal here."

"You are very welcome, if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to call." Mrs. Waddell said as she shook Lisa's hand before holding her hand out to Bella. "Bella, I'll see you on Monday."

Bella shook Mrs. Waddell's hand and gave her a small smile. "Bye." She responded shyly.

She and Lisa walked out of the school and made their way out to their car. When they were securely inside, Lisa turned to her.

"Are you ok, Sweetie?"

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"I know it's scary, but you'll be ok. I know you will."

"Yeah, I know. I was just afraid because when I was at school last time, they came to tell me my Mom and Dad was dead. It just reminded me." Bella replied, her chin beginning to quiver a bit.

"Oh god, Bella I'm so sorry." Lisa whispered. "I should've thought of that." She responded sorrowfully, stroking Bella's shoulder, and sighing as she leaned her head back on the headrest of her seat. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"It ain't your fault…you didn't know." Bella replied, looking over at her. "I had to do it anyway, right?"

Lisa looked over at her, the corner of her lip curving into a small smile. "I guess, but I wish I'd thought of it sooner."

Bella shrugged. "It's ok. I'm ok now." She reassured her. "Anyway, I seen Simon in my class, so that helped."

"Simon?"

"Yeah, the boy I met at the park that time, remember?"

Lisa lifted her head in realization. "The show-off?"

Bella chuckled. "Yeah."

"Well, that's great. You have a friend in your class." She responded happily.

Bella smiled. "Yeah."

Lisa sighed in relief. "Well, let's get out of here…I'm starving. What do you say we stop for lunch before we head to the hospital?"

"Ok." Bella agreed.

* * *

3:00 PM

House was making his way back to his office from his patient's room, having just verbally abused him as he tried to convince him that he was an idiot for not accepting House's course of treatment, when Wilson caught up to him.

"Hey, House."

"Wilson, are you stalking me? I always knew you had a crush on me, but geez, man…I have a girlfriend, get over me."

"Cute. So anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink after work or go bowling…or both."

"And now you're asking me out…did you not hear a word I just said?"

"Shut up, House, are you in or out?" Wilson rolled his eyes. "And by the way, your girlfriend told me she'd be happy to be rid of you tonight."

House stopped in the hallway and glared at Wilson. "No, she didn't."

"You're right, she didn't. But she did give you permission to go if you wanted." Wilson responded with a smile.

"You _asked_ her if I could go? What the hell's wrong with you?" House asked him in shock.

"It's protocol, House. When you have a girlfriend, you have to ask permission first."

House rolled his eyes and continued down the hall to his office. "I'm not going anywhere with you, you freak."

Wilson followed him. "I'm buying." He said, trying to entice him.

"Forget it."

"Come on, House, we haven't hung out in ages. Besides, you could use a night out after the week you've had." Wilson said, as they both stepped into his office.

House made his way around his desk and sat down in his chair. He sighed. He could actually use a night out with Wilson. This week had been hectic; with one of his patients having died, only to get another patient, curing him, and then the incident with Bella and her nightmares, and now to have to deal with an idiot patient who didn't actually want his treatment. He'd hardly gotten any sleep or time to relax. Getting drunk with Wilson sounded just like what he needed.

"Fine." He answered. "But if you try and hit on me again, I'll kick your ass."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. See you tonight, 7:00."

House smirked as he watched his best friend walk out of his office. He'd sort of missed his friend; he'd been spending so much time with Cuddy and Bella that he hadn't hung out with Wilson in months. Not that he was complaining about being with Cuddy, but he felt like things had gotten a little too domestic lately. He was concerned that Bella was getting too attached to him and expected more of him than he was willing to give at the moment. He wasn't looking to be a father to her and he knew that she was beginning to see him that way. But he also felt like she needed it at the moment, with everything she's been going through. Which was one reason he hadn't said anything to Cuddy about it. The kid was suffering right now, and part of it was his fault. He realized that she needed to feel like she was safe and protected, especially from the demons in her nightmares and memories. He didn't feel he had the right to back away from her yet, when he had played a part in that suffering this week. He needed to help her deal with it and one way intended to do that was to find out who killed her brother; 'unless she already knew.' He thought. In any case, House intended to find out. That kid deserved closure and he was going to help her get it.

* * *

4:58 PM

Cuddy and Bella were inside of Cuddy's office getting ready to leave for the day, when her office door slammed open and House sauntered in as he always did.

"Leaving so soon? You just got here." He snarked, referring to Cuddy only having been here half a day.

Cuddy looked up at him and smirked. "Funny. Where the hell have you been all day, House?"

"I don't know about you, boss, but I've been upstairs doing my job."

"For once." She quipped.

House stuck his tongue out at her and then glanced over at Bella. "How'd school go, kid?"

"I was only there for a meeting and to see the school." Bella answered as she placed her stuff in her backpack.

"I know…and?" He replied sarcastically and gestured for her to elaborate.

"It was fine." She shrugged.

"Well, that sounded convincing. What happened?" He turned to ask Cuddy.

"She was fine, just a little nervous." She said, walking around her desk with her briefcase in hand and stood in front of House.

House nodded, looking unconvinced.

"So I hear you're going out with Wilson tonight." Cuddy smirked, changing the subject.

"Yep…I hear you gave me permission and couldn't wait to get rid of me."

Cuddy's jaw dropped. "I never said that. Wilson asked if he could borrow you for the night and I said that was fine but he didn't need to ask my permission." She defended herself.

House rolled his eyes. "Wilson is under the impression that he does need to ask permission because that is what people in 'relationships' do." He replied with sarcasm.

"House, you don't need my permission, if you want to go with Wilson, I thinks it's a great idea…you could use the night out, you've had a rough week." She added, shrugging her shoulder.

House nodded. "I'm not the only one who's had a rough week."

Cuddy smiled at him. "We'll be fine…we're going to do girl stuff and you can go do guy stuff."

"You realize that I'm going to a bar and getting drunk, right?"

Cuddy glared at him and then quickly shifted her eyes to Bella before looking at him pointedly, leaning in and speaking quietly to him. "I don't even want to know what you two will be up to tonight, and don't you dare call me in the middle of the night wanting me to come get you because you're too drunk to drive yourself, understand? Take a cab, and for god's sake, House, be careful."

"Yes, mommy." He snarked, turning around and moving to leave her office. "See ya, kid." He said as he left the office.

Cuddy smirked at him and watched him leave. She glanced over at Bella, who had been waiting patiently for them to leave. Cuddy smiled at her. "Ready to go?"

Bella nodded and stood up, grabbing onto Cuddy's hand as they exited her office.

* * *

7:40 PM

House and Wilson were gathered around a pool table as they drank their beers and killed time while they waited on their food. It was a busy Friday night and they had been waiting for their food for over 30 minutes. Wilson took his shot and missed the ball and the pocket entirely. House laughed.

"Wilson, maybe you should stick to bowling…you suck less at it."

"Shut up…let's see _you_ make that shot."

House nodded and stepped up to the table. "Let's." House lined up his shot, a moment later striking the cue ball and watching it roll down the table. It hit solid #4, watched it ricochet off the opposite side of the table and roll into the pocket. House smiled a cocky smile at Wilson and nodded. "_That_ is how it's done, Jimmy boy."

Wilson made a face at him. "Show off."

House laughed at him and got ready to take his second shot.

"So how's Bella doing?" Wilson asked.

House glanced up at him as he was lining up his shot. He didn't answer until he'd played his turn. When he finished he took the chalk and rubbed it on the end of the cue. "Not good." He answered finally.

Wilson looked at him in concern. "Still having nightmares?"

House nodded.

Wilson sighed. "House…"

"Wilson, she's Cuddy's kid and _she_ is taking care of it."

Wilson nodded. "I know that, House. I just wish there were something we could do for her."

House nodded in agreement. "Your turn."

Wilson looked down at the table and nodded. As Wilson set up his shot, House took a drink of his beer. He wondered what Cuddy and the kid were doing tonight. Cuddy said they were gonna do girl stuff so he assumed that meant they'd paint each other's toenails, do each other's hair and watch chick flicks. That thought made him crack a smile, but he covered it before Wilson saw it. Wilson had actually managed to make a couple of pretty good shots in the game before he missed and it was House's turn again. They continued their game, until House won and they made their way to their table where the food was waiting on them.

House and Wilson ate their food in silence for a few minutes until Wilson spoke.

"You think Bella will ever talk about what happened?"

House stopped chewing his food when he heard Wilson's question. He sighed, chewed and swallowed his food slowly as he thought about it. "I don't know, if she doesn't she's going to end up exploding soon. She's bottled it up for too long and her anger is just now beginning to boil over." He replied, keeping his eyes on his burger.

"She showed anger toward you and Cuddy?" Wilson asked with a surprised furrow in his brow.

House shook his head and looked up at Wilson. "No, the other day when I found her, she'd hurt herself throwing rocks on the roof of the hospital. She made light of it, but I could tell she was angry…and I mean really angry. I think she'd been screaming too, her voice was strained when I got up there."

Wilson shook his head in sadness. "My god. She's such a great kid, I hate that she's going through this."

House nodded.

"How's Cuddy doing with all of this?" Wilson asked.

"The best she can…she's got her hands full, but she's dealing."

Wilson looked at him carefully. "How are you doing?"

House glanced at him. "I'm fine."

Wilson nodded with a smirk on his face. "Of course you are." He replied, taking a drink of his beer. "What about you and Cuddy? Everything ok?" He asked casually, taking a bite of his burger.

House glared at him. "What is this, 20 questions?" He asked with sarcasm. "We're fine." He answered curtly.

Wilson held his hands up in front of him in surrender. "Just asking."

House rolled his eyes. "So who have you been bangin' lately?"

Wilson glared at him. "No one."

"You need to get back out there." House told him with a smirk.

Wilson didn't answer; he simply shook his head. House watched his friend intently, understanding that he wasn't ready to see anyone yet after what happened to Amber. But that didn't mean he couldn't screw with him.

"Come on, there's this new hot tech in radiology." House said, cupping his hands out in front of his chest indicating that she has huge breasts, while wiggling his eyebrows.

Wilson scowled at him. "Don't you have a girlfriend you're in love with?" He asked sounding appalled that he was checking out other women.

House smirked. "You'd understand if you'd seen this chick."

"You're disgusting."

"Quit bitching at me like a woman, Wilson, I'm not cheating on Cuddy by looking." He scoffed. "This chick is kind of hard to miss anyway…I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet."

"I'm sure _Cuddy_ would take issue with you checking out other women…I'm just looking out for my friend."

"_I'm_ your friend. And no she wouldn't…she knows that hers are the only breasts I want."

"That was actually kind of sweet coming from you." Wilson laughed.

House rolled his eyes. "Seriously though…" He continued, again indicating the girls' chest size with his hands.

Wilson laughed at him and shook his head.

They ate in silence for a few moments when House spoke up. "So you want to help me with something?" He asked, looking at Wilson questioningly.

"That depends…is this another one of your hospital wide 'practical jokes'?" He asked, using air quotes, referring to his remote control stunt, which didn't seem to have gone over like he'd initially planned.

House glared at him. "No, dumbass, I'm talking about finding out who killed Bella's brother."

Wilson's eyes practically shot out of his head, like he had cartoon eyeballs. "What? How the hell are you going to do that?"

"I don't know, Wilson, that's why I need your help." He answered, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know what to do?" Wilson responded.

"You know any NYC cops?" House asked. "That's where the kid was killed."

Wilson shook his head. "No."

House nodded. "Guess you'll just have to call around then…try and find the police report on a John Doe age 14, killed last year from a GSW to the head."

"Me?!" Wilson exclaimed. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find out what I can about the foster parents they were with before they took off to NYC."

"What's that going to tell you?"

"Hoping they might have a photo of the kid." He replied. "That, and I'd like to know why they didn't try and find them when they ran off…if they even cared."

Wilson shrugged. "Maybe they did…I mean, maybe they never thought of looking in New York."

"Maybe." House responded, shaking his head. "That kid would still be alive if they'd stayed there, Wilson."

Wilson nodded. "Yeah probably." Wilson looked at him with a frown, shaking his head. "You can't change what happened to her, House."

"I know." He said solemnly before looking Wilson in the eye. "But she deserves to at least have something from him and if those people have any of their old stuff, I want it."

Wilson nodded in understanding. "Ok." He responded with determination.

* * *

9:08 PM

Bella lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. The past three nights had been exhausting for her. She had hardly slept due to her thoughts about everything that's happened this week as well as the nightmares she's had the past three nights. Tonight, she was afraid of sleeping because she knew she would have another nightmare. She didn't want to close her eyes and see the images that were ever-present in her mind. She didn't even need to be asleep to see them anymore. Her nightmares had been exacerbated by what had happened in the ER and they scared her even more now. Now she was seeing the man that was shot that day as well as Mattie. She kept seeing the man's eyes open, staring at her, as he lay on the gurney. He kept asking her to help him, and not let him die like Mattie had. In another nightmare, Mattie had sat up after he was shot and blamed her for letting him die. She couldn't bear it that he thought that…she would give anything to have him back. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she still felt guilty.

Bella felt a tear slip out of the corner of her eye as she lay there. She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them, trying to rid them of the burn of tiredness she felt. Sleep was trying to pull her under but she wouldn't let it. Bella turned over, reaching out to pet Splat; she had to stay awake. Bella shifted her thoughts to what she and Lisa had done tonight. They had come home and Bella had played outside for a little while as Lisa prepared dinner. Afterwards they had made cookies together and watched a movie. Bella had decided she wanted popcorn in the middle of the movie, so they paused it and made a big bowl to share. It had been fun and again, Lisa had been able to distract her so she wasn't thinking about everything, and for that she was grateful.

Now, after about 30 minutes of trying to keep herself awake, her body finally gave in, and Bella slept. She slept until, subconsciously, she realized she had fallen asleep and woke up, only to fall asleep two minutes later. She slept for about 25 minutes and woke up again. Bella rubbed her eyes, she felt so tired, and she knew she needed to sleep but she desperately wanted to stay awake.

Bella threw the comforter off of her body, feeling hot. She turned her head and saw through the crack under her door that a light was on in the house. Lisa was still up. Since Greg wasn't here, she wondered what Lisa was doing…

* * *

10:14 PM

Cuddy sat in the living room on the couch with piles of paperwork spread out in front of her on the coffee table, beside her on the couch with her laptop on her lap. She had brought some work home that she needed to finish since she had left work early on Wednesday and had only worked a half day today. She was reading over an item in the budget for the pediatrics department, when she caught a glimpse of Bella standing in the doorway of the living room watching her with a sad expression on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked exhausted.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "Bella…what are doing up, Sweetie? What's wrong?" She asked with concern.

Bella lowered her head and shrugged her shoulders.

Cuddy moved the paperwork off of the couch and set her laptop on the coffee table. She patted the couch beside her, indicating for Bella to sit next to her. Bella looked up and moved forward, walking to the couch and taking a seat next to Cuddy. Cuddy lightly draped her arm over Bella's shoulder, hugging her as she leaned against Cuddy.

"What's wrong? Can't sleep?" She whispered, placing a kiss on her head.

Bella shrugged. "Don't want to." She answered, twisting her fingers and fidgeting nervously.

"How come?"

Bella shrugged once more.

"You're afraid you'll have another nightmare?"

Bella didn't respond right away, but finally nodded after a moment.

Cuddy sighed. "C'mere." She said, tapping her leg and indicating for Bella to lay her head down on her lap.

Bella lay down, looking up at Cuddy as she gently caressed her face. "I'm sorry you have nightmares, baby, I wish I could take them away."

Bella nodded solemnly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Cuddy continued her caresses as Bella's eyes shifted around the room, never allowing them to close. Cuddy had been staring across the room at nothing in particular when she heard Bella's quiet voice.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah." She answered, shifting her eyes to Bella.

"Um…do you got a brother?"

Cuddy looked at her sympathetically. "No." She whispered. "No, Sweetie, I don't have a brother…but I have a sister."

Bella nodded. "_I_ had a brother."

Cuddy stilled the movements of her hands, surprised that Bella brought up Mattie. "I know." She responded softly.

"Mattie…his real name was Matthew but I always called him Mattie."

Cuddy smiled. Bella was aware that Cuddy knew she had a brother, but she was talking as if Cuddy didn't know this…and Cuddy let her, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts and letting her tell Cuddy whatever she needed to. She was just excited that Bella was talking about him at all.

"And he always called me B. He was the only one that ever did." She continued.

"I like that. It's sweet."

"I guess." She mumbled. "He was a big jerk sometimes, though." Bella added a moment later.

Cuddy chuckled. "I hear brothers can be that way."

"Yeah, well he was real good at it." Bella said, rolling her eyes.

Cuddy laughed. "What did he do?"

"He used to always hide in places and jump out and scare me. I hated that. And one time he hid a fake spider in my bed at Halloween. And another time he dumped a bucket of water on my head when he was washing Dad's car." Bella shrugged. "Stuff like that."

"Well, it sounds like he loved you a lot to pay that much attention to you."

"It sure didn't seem like it." Bella said, shaking her head.

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Yeah…maybe not at the time, but he did love you didn't he?"

Bella nodded. "He was a pretty good brother, even though he was mean sometimes." Bella looked away from Cuddy. "He's dead, you know?"

Cuddy's smile faded, not expecting Bella to admit that. She nodded. "Yeah, I know…I'm so sorry, Bella." Cuddy opened her mouth to ask if she would tell her how he died, but before she could Bella continued talking.

"Did you know he played the violin?" Bella asked.

Cuddy frowned, trying to follow her thoughts. "No, I didn't know that. I bet he was really good."

"He was a show off." Bella mumbled with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Cuddy smiled down at her.

"Mom used to love it when he played even though she couldn't hear him. He had these big speakers in his room and he would hook his violin up to 'em and she would lay her hands and feel the vibrations and that's how she heard." Bella explained, gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

Cuddy smiled. "I can imagine how proud she was of him…of both of you." She commented softly.

Bella nodded. The room fell silent once more for several minutes as they were both lost in their own thoughts. Bella held Cuddy's left hand in hers, looking at her fingers, lifting each one in turn and examining them, turning her hand around and tracing her palm with her finger. Cuddy wondered what she was thinking about as she did this. She was probably looking at it from an artist's perspective, mapping out the lines and curves of her hand so she could visualize it in her head to draw later. Or maybe she was just nervous about talking about her brother.

"I took piano lessons when I was little, but I don't remember none of it." Bella said.

Cuddy wasn't sure where her thoughts were headed as she talked; she was just saying whatever came to mind. Cuddy didn't mind listening; in fact, she found it interesting what Bella was saying and Cuddy loved it that she was talking about Mattie, even though it wasn't what she'd expected when she thought Bella would open up about him. Maybe she just needed to start with the good memories to get to the bad ones.

"House plays the piano, did you know that?" Cuddy responded softly.

Bella nodded. "I seen a piano in his house." She glanced up at Cuddy. "Is he real good?" She asked.

Cuddy smiled. "He's amazing…you'll have to make him play for you sometime." She told her, knowing that House didn't usually play for anyone but himself. But if anyone could get him to play, Bella could.

Bella nodded and shifted her eyes away.

Cuddy gently ran her fingers through Bella's hair. "What about Mattie? Did he play the piano?" She asked softly, wanting to keep Bella talking about Mattie.

Bella shook her head. "Not really, but he had a guitar too and he played that."

"He was very talented…just like you are with your drawing."

"Yeah." She agreed. "Did you know that my Dad was a architect and that's how I draw so good?" She asked. "Greg said it's cuz I inherited it."

Cuddy smiled as Bella's train of thought kept shifting around from one family member that she'd lost to the next. She loved hearing about them, though; it helped give her more insight into Bella and who she was as a person and who she would become in the future.

"I think he's right. Who did Mattie inherit his musical talent from?"

"I don't know…I think my grandpa because Mom said he played music too, but he died when I was a baby."

"Sounds like you had a very talented family."

Bella shrugged. "I guess."

Bella shifted her head and looked up at Cuddy. "Do you play music?"

Cuddy smiled at her, thinking how ridiculous that question was because she was practically tone deaf. "No…I don't play music unless it's on the radio." She answered around a chuckle.

Bella smiled and resumed her position. "It's ok…I bet you got other talents. You cook real good." Bella said.

Cuddy chuckled once more. "Thank you, but I'm not sure that's a talent."

Bella looked at her again. "Yuh huh, it is…cuz my Dad couldn't cook for shit." Bella told her.

Cuddy's jaw dropped when she heard her swear, but instead of getting upset, she laughed. She never expected that to come out of Bella's mouth and she just lost it. "Bella, please don't swear, honey." She said, through her laughter.

Bella giggled. "Sorry…I didn't mean to, it just slipped."

Cuddy nodded, but couldn't stop laughing. "Oh my god…" She said, still laughing. "I shouldn't be laughing…but…" Cuddy said, trying to stop laughing.

Bella frowned. "It wasn't that funny was it?" She asked curiously.

"No." Cuddy answered, still laughing slightly. "I just wasn't expecting that to come out of your mouth, Sweetie." She chuckled.

"Sorry." Bella shrugged.

"It's ok…just make sure you don't do that at school." Cuddy told her with a smile.

"I won't." She promised, looking up at Cuddy and chuckled.

Bella shifted her eyes away and turned her head on Cuddy's lap, looking across the room. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Cuddy thought that maybe Bella was finally trying to go to sleep but she could tell Bella's eyes were still open. Cuddy brushed her fingers through Bella's hair, hoping she would fall asleep and finally be able to get some rest. However, Bella kept her eyes open and didn't even attempt to close them.

"Bella, why don't you try and get some sleep, honey, I know you're tired."

Bella shook her head. "I don't want to sleep…I'm afraid." She told her, Bella's voice trembling slightly.

"I know, but I'm right here for you…I won't let anything bad happen."

"I can't." Bella whispered, after a moment.

"Can you tell me what scares you in your dreams?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't want to think about it."

Cuddy nodded in understanding. She couldn't blame Bella for not wanting to think about it…it was horrifying for Cuddy to think about and she wasn't the one actually having the nightmares. So Cuddy said nothing, just comforting her the best way she knew how at the moment. About five minutes of silence passed when Bella spoke again.

"Lisa?" Bella said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Is it bad to be mad at somebody if they're dead?"

Cuddy frowned at her question. "I don't know. Are you mad at Mattie?"

"A little. Mom and Dad would be mad at him too, if they knew what he did." She mumbled, almost inaudibly.

Cuddy looked down at her and frowned curiously. "What did he do, Sweetie?"

Bella shook her head. "He was just tryin' to take care of me." She answered.

"Bella, did Mattie get in trouble…and that's why he died? Did someone kill him?" Cuddy asked, already knowing that someone had and trying to get her to talk about it.

Bella stiffened, but didn't respond.

"It's ok…you don't have to tell me." Cuddy assured her, sighing as she stroked her arm lightly.

A moment later, Cuddy heard Bella sniffle and saw her turn her head into Cuddy's leg, burying her face as she cried. A sob escaped Bella's lips and she brought her hands up to her ears, covering them as if she was trying to block out the noises only she could hear. Cuddy urged her to sit up and she lifted Bella onto her lap, hugging her tightly and cradling her, speaking softly into the side of her face. "It's ok, Bella. Just cry, Sweetie." She whispered to her. "Just cry."

Bella cried softly, still covering her ears with her hands, her eyes closed tightly as her tears escaped them. Bella began shaking her head as she moved her arms over her head so that her arms were now covering her ears. She continued crying and laid her head down on Cuddy's shoulder. Cuddy tightened her arms around her, letting Bella know that she was there with her and she wasn't letting go.

"I don't want to see it no more." Bella mumbled.

Cuddy wasn't sure she heard her correctly, but Bella repeated herself, louder this time as her voice trembled.

"I don't want to see it no more."

"I know, honey, I'm so sorry." Cuddy whispered to her. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you…I wish I could take it all away."

"You can't take it away, it won't go away." She replied, shaking her head.

"Look at me, Bella. Don't look at the bad things in your mind…look at me." Cuddy instructed her, hoping she would focus on her instead of her bad memories. Bella shook her head more forcefully. "Look at me, Sweetheart." Cuddy whispered to her. Bella slowly lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking at Cuddy. Cuddy gave her a loving smile, and gently removed Bella's arms from her head, uncovering her ears. She wiped her wet cheeks with her thumb and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "It's ok." Cuddy whispered to her. "I'm here, ok? I'm not going anywhere…you're safe."

Bella nodded in understanding. She looked into Cuddy's eyes with sadness, her tears silently spilling over her cheeks. Cuddy held Bella's head in her hands, gently caressing her face with her thumbs. Bella sniffled and brought her arms around Cuddy's neck. She had stopped crying and hugged Cuddy tightly as Cuddy's arms came around Bella's back, stroking her hands over her softly.

"Lisa?" Bella whispered in her ear, her voice wavering.

"Yeah?" Cuddy whispered in response.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Cuddy closed her eyes in sadness, hearing how desperate she sounded. "Of course you can." She answered, tightening her arms protectively around her.

Bella nodded, but kept her arms tight around Cuddy's neck. Cuddy released Bella, gently caressing her back. "Come on, let's go get in bed."

"You're coming now too, right? I don't want to go unless you're coming too." She mumbled, with a little fear in her voice.

"I'm coming too, I just need to get ready for bed, ok?"

Bella nodded. "Ok." She responded, releasing Cuddy from her embrace. "What if Greg comes over…will he be mad cuz I'm in there with you?"

"Sweetie, Greg isn't going to be mad at you. He probably won't even come over tonight, ok? I don't want you to worry about that."

"Ok." She answered, standing up to allow Cuddy to stand as well. She looked up at Cuddy with a small smile on her face. Cuddy glanced down at Bella as she stood up.

"What?" She asked softly, wondering what she was smiling about.

"You called him Greg." She said, smiling up at Cuddy.

Cuddy chuckled. "I did, didn't I?"

Bella nodded, rubbing her fist into her weary eyes. "Come on, Sweetheart, go get in bed, I'll be right there."

Bella left the living room and walked slowly down the hall to Cuddy's bedroom as Cuddy made her way through the house turning off the lights and making sure the door was locked. A few moments later, as Cuddy stood in the kitchen and poured a glass of water for Bella, she thought about what Bella had told her. She had actually opened up quite a bit tonight and Cuddy was happily surprised that she'd done so. Even though she didn't tell her what had happened with Mattie, she did talk about him and that was something. Bella even talked about her parents, which was also something she hadn't expected her to do. Cuddy wondered if Bella had ever been able to make peace with their deaths or if it still haunted her. She wondered if Mattie had been able to help her deal with it or if he had even dealt with it before his own death. She had so many questions she wanted to ask Bella but was unsure whether she should right now. There would be time for that, she thought. She just needed to help Bella deal with these nightmares and hopefully help her get past them. One way she intended on doing that was to start taking her to therapy again. Bella would hate it, but it had to be done.

Cuddy made her way to her bedroom and set the glass of water down on her nightstand next to Bella. Bella was already in bed, under the comforter, waiting for Cuddy. She smiled at Bella and grabbed her pajamas, making her way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. A few minutes later she immerged from the bathroom and saw that Bella had her eyes closed but opened them when she heard the bathroom door. Getting into bed, Cuddy felt Bella scoot over and curl into her side, cuddling up to her. She wound her right arm around Bella and reached out with her left to turn off the lamp.

"You doing ok?" Cuddy asked in a whisper soft voice, her fingers gently brushing through her hair.

Bella nodded against her side, but didn't say anything. Cuddy felt Bella's hand grip the tank top of her pajamas.

"Try to go to sleep, ok? I'm right here if you need me."

"I'm scared." Bella whispered.

Cuddy tightened her arms around her. "I'm here."

Bella nodded and closed her eyes.

* * *

1:00 AM

House stepped into his apartment after his night out with Wilson. Surprisingly, he wasn't drunk, instead he and Wilson had talked about how they would get the information they needed to find Mattie's killer. Having a strategy, they had parted for the night. House looked around his apartment, seeing the loneliness of it. It seemed empty somehow. He had all his stuff but it was too quiet…too lonely. He made his way over to his couch and sat down. He was tired but he didn't feel like sleeping in his empty bed. He wanted Cuddy with him. It surprised him how much he missed her when they were apart. He never expected to need her so much. And then there was the kid. He actually missed the kid.

House looked around his apartment again as he sat in the dark…alone. He looked over at his piano and thought of playing a bit, but changed his mind a second later. He didn't really want to be here.

House got off the couch and made his way down the hall to his bedroom. Looking inside, at his empty bed, he took a step forward. He really didn't want to be here. He undressed and got in the shower…he smelled like beer and cigarettes. House showered quickly and pulled on a pair of pajama pants. After brushing his teeth, he made his way to his bed, pulled back the blanket and climbed in. His sheets were cool to the touch and they hadn't been slept on in a week because he had spent most of it at Cuddy's or at the hospital. House looked up at the ceiling, he was exhausted, he should be drifting off into LaLa Land by now but he was wide-awake. He turned over and looked at the empty side of his bed. He really didn't want to be here.

He sat up, got out of bed and packed a bag. Within 10 minutes he was out the door and headed over to Cuddy's place. On his bike, he made it there in another 10 minutes. House walked up to the front door and inserted his key in the lock, turning it as quietly as he could. Once inside he locked the door back and hoped he hadn't awakened Cuddy. Making his way down the hall to Cuddy's bedroom, he noticed that Bella's door was ajar. He peeked his head in and saw that she wasn't there. House furrowed his brow and turned around, making his way to the living room. Not there either. He looked in the kitchen, in case she was awake and needed a glass of water. Not finding her in there either, he figured she must be in Cuddy's room.

House walked into Cuddy's bedroom, seeing Bella curled into Cuddy's side with her arm slung around Cuddy's waist. Cuddy had Bella protectively wrapped in her arms. They were both sound asleep and the image made a small smile appear on House's face. He quietly changed into his pajama pants and hung his cane on the doorknob. As carefully as he possibly could he slipped in bed beside Cuddy, wrapping his arms around her. It was this that caused her to startle awake.

"Shh, it's just me, Cuddy." House whispered in the darkness.

Cuddy turned her head in his direction with a look of confusion on her face. "House?"

"Yeah, go back to sleep, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I didn't think you were coming over."

"I wasn't…I actually went home, but…" He responded, leaving his answer open.

"I missed you too." Cuddy whispered in a sleepy tone.

House placed a kiss on her cheek and tightened his arms around her. "Bella ok?" He asked.

"No." She replied simply, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

House nodded in understanding. "Go back to sleep, we'll talk tomorrow."

Cuddy nodded, already halfway there. She settled her back against his chest as he brought his arms around her as well as Bella. House sighed, just before his body drifted off into a deep and comfortable sleep.

**Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to review!!**


	31. Chapter 30

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I've been busy at work this week and even when I did have time to write, I couldn't concentrate because I was thinking about work…ugh!! Anyway, thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews!! How I love them so!!! Alright, here's the next chapter…extra long…hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 30**

_Bella sat on the porch of her home, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin leaning on her hands. It was a beautiful day, but there were no birds singing and there weren't any people outside mowing their lawns or kids playing; no people exercising or cars driving down the road. It was silent, almost as if Bella was the only one in the world. She wondered what was going on. She stood up and walked down the sidewalk, turning her head to the left and then to the right, looking down the street. There was no one around._

_Suddenly, she heard the roaring of a motorcycle engine, the clack, clack, clack of a horse's hooves on the pavement along with a dog barking, and a monkey hollering over the noise of a plane's engine. Bella scowled. As the sounds got louder, she noticed the birds beginning to sing and the neighborhood begin to come alive. She turned her head toward the noises and saw Greg coming down the street on his motorcycle. There was a keyboard across the handlebars and he was playing it as he drove the bike. Bella noticed that the faster he played, the faster the bike would go. He played more slowly until the bike stopped, parking it on the street in front of her house and taking his helmet off. He smiled broadly at her and said happily, "Don't frost the pie."_

_Bella scowled again, not understanding what he was talking about. In the next moment she saw the horse coming down the street that she'd heard a moment before. There was a dog with one blue eye and one brown eye, riding the horse dressed in a green and white striped jockey outfit. He held on to the reigns with his paws and barked loudly at the horse. She understood he was telling the horse to slow down as they stopped in front of them. Greg looked over at them and told them, "Don't frost the pie."_

"_Why are you saying that?" Bella questioned with curiosity, not finding it strange that a dog was riding a horse and Greg's motorcycle ran on the sound of his piano keyboard. It was normal. _

"_I just don't like frosting…don't frost the pie." He answered seriously._

_In the next moment, the monkey came flying down the street on an airplane. He was wearing goggles on his eyes and a scarf around his neck. The airplane landed in front of her house and Lisa came out the front door, screaming at the monkey to get off her lawn and that he was ruining her rose bushes. Bella ran over to the monkey and asked if she could take a ride with him. Greg got off his bike and ran over to Lisa, kissed her and ran away, getting onto his bike, which had turned into a pink tricycle. He put his helmet on and began pedaling down the street screaming, "Don't frost the pie, don't frost the pie." _

_The dog barked at the horse and it started galloping away in the same direction that Greg had gone. He continued barking loudly, saying, "I like frosting, I like frosting." _

_Bella climbed in the plane and sat behind the monkey, who introduced himself as Fred before telling her that he liked frosting too. Fred started the plane and it began rolling down the street._

"_Wait for Lisa." She told Fred, as Lisa ran over to the plane and got in beside Bella. Once they were inside, the plane picked up speed and flew up into the sky until they caught up with Greg, still hearing him scream, "Don't frost the pie, I don't like frosting, don't frost the pie!" over the plane's engine. The dog was still barking, "I like frosting, I like frosting!" Bella began screaming down to them as well. "I like frosting too, I like frosting too!"_

* * *

7:00 AM

"I like frosting too." Bella mumbled into the pillow. Bella slowly opened her eyes, the sound of her own voice having awakened her. She looked around the room in confusion and remembered she had slept in Lisa's room last night. She had her head on Lisa's pillow, facing her as Lisa slept on her side curled up against Greg; her arm on his chest under his t-shirt. Bella lifted her head with a scowl. 'Greg? When did he get here?' She wondered. A moment later a smile spread across her face, happy that he had come over. She lay back down quietly, thinking of her conversation with Lisa last night and what she had told her about Mattie and her family. She felt good inside for telling her a little bit about them and she felt like telling her more sometime. Lisa was a good listener and she liked that she let Bella talk about whatever she wanted and didn't push her to talk about other things. She wondered if she'd ever be able to get to the point where she could tell Lisa what happened to Mattie. She already seemed to know that Mattie was dead, but Bella didn't know how she knew that. Maybe she just guessed.

Bella rubbed her eyes, still feeling sleepy. She wasn't as afraid to go to sleep again as she had been last night. Thankfully, she hadn't had a nightmare, even though she had dreamt. Bella scowled, suddenly remembering her strange dream. 'Where had that dream come from?' She wondered. That was the weirdest dream she'd ever had, that was for sure. As strange as it had been though, Bella felt like she'd actually gotten some rest. She sighed into the pillow and closed her eyes for a few minutes, until she felt the bed shifting beside her. Bella opened her eyes and saw Greg roll onto his side as Lisa snuggled more closely to him, his arms coming around her, hugging her. Greg opened his eyes, seeing Bella looking over at him. She smiled a sleepy smile and waved her fingers at him.

Greg's lips curved into a tiny smile as he winked at her, bringing his arm over her and gently pulling her toward him and Lisa. Bella scooted closer against Lisa's back, laying her head lightly against her so she wouldn't wake her.

"Hey, kid." Greg whispered to her.

"Hey." She responded. "When did you get here?"

"About 2:00."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "That's late." She commented.

Greg smirked at her. "My mommy said I could stay out as late as I wanted on the weekend."

Bella giggled softly.

"You sleep ok?" Greg asked her softly.

Bella nodded. "Yes." She responded before furrowing her brow. "You ain't mad that I slept in here?"

Greg frowned at her. "Why would I be mad because of that?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know." She mumbled, shifting her eyes away from him.

"Hey." He said, waiting for her to look up at him. When she did, he continued. "You have more right to be here than I do, this is your house, kid."

Bella looked away from him, fidgeting lightly with the hem of Lisa's pajama top at her lower back. "It could yours too, you know?" She mumbled.

Before he could respond, Bella saw Lisa shift around before she turned her head to look at Bella. She had a look of confusion on her face and moved her hand down to where Bella was fidgeting, feeling her hands there.

"Oh my god, I thought I had a bug on me. That tickles." She said sleepily and chuckled, turning her head back and burying her face against Greg's chest.

Bella giggled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's ok." She responded, carefully rolling onto her back as Bella scooted away from her giving her room and placing her arm around Bella so she wouldn't fall off the bed. "How did you sleep?" She asked softly, looking into Bella's eyes.

Bella smiled. "Good."

Lisa smiled in response. "No nightmare?"

Bella shook her head. "Nope."

Lisa hugged her tightly and sighed happily. "Oh, thank God."

"I did have a weird dream about you and Greg though." She said, with a giggle.

Lisa chuckled. "What about?"

Bella sat up and faced them as Lisa leaned back against Greg and he placed a kiss on her temple, settling back to hear Bella's dream. She told them of her strange dream, watching them laugh about the horse-riding dog and Fred the plane-flying monkey. Greg chuckled when she told the part about him screaming about not 'frosting the pie' because he didn't like frosting. Lisa laughed when Bella told her she was worried about her rose bushes.

"I don't even have rose bushes." She'd said in response. Bella giggled before continuing. She recounted the part where Greg's motorcycle turned into a pink tricycle and Lisa laughed loudly at the image of him pedaling down the street as Greg rolled his eyes. When she finished, she moved to lie next to Lisa.

"That's the weirdest dream I ever had, but I liked it. It would be fun to fly in a plane with a monkey." Bella said with a giggle.

"Screw that, I want a motorcycle that runs on music." Greg responded.

Lisa and Bella both laughed at him. "Yeah." Bella agreed.

A moment of silence filled the room before her stomach growled. Bella giggled. "I'm hungry."

"How do pancakes sound?" Lisa asked, combing her fingers through Bella's hair.

Bella sat up excitedly. "Yeah! Can I help you make them?"

"Sure." She chuckled, sitting up in bed.

Bella scrambled off the bed and waited for Lisa. Bella looked over at Greg. "Ain't you coming?" Bella asked.

"Nope, wake me when the pancakes are ready." He replied, turning over and closing his eyes.

"Ok." Bella responded, running out of the room, followed closely by Lisa.

Bella felt good today. She was so happy that she hadn't had a nightmare and all she wanted to do today was play and not think about anything that had happened this week.

* * *

10:15 AM

House was sitting in the living room with Cuddy's laptop, trying to find out any information online about Bella's brother. He was seeking newspaper articles for around the time he thought he might have been killed. He didn't know for sure without asking Bella and he didn't want to do that right now. She was having a good morning, after a night's relief from her nightmares and he wanted to keep it that way. She deserved it.

Bella was currently outside in the backyard playing, taking advantage of the beautiful spring day outside. Cuddy had gone for a run about 30 minutes ago so he was alone to do some research. He hadn't told Cuddy what he was doing and he wasn't sure he wanted to just yet. He wanted to be able to have something before sharing with her what he was up to. Monday he planned to call New Jersey Child and Family Services to see if they would give him information on the family Bella and Mattie had been with two years ago. He suspected they wouldn't give him anything but he had to try something. Wilson was supposed to try and contact the New York police to see if he could find the police report on the murder. House knew that was a long shot, but again, he needed to try…for Bella.

He had been working for almost an hour on it when he heard the backdoor open and Bella come running into the house. She was dressed in a tank top and shorts, but was missing her shoes.

"Greg!" She called out, stopping at the entry to the living room. "Do you want to see how high I can climb the tree in the backyard?" She asked with excitement.

House closed the laptop and glanced up at her. "Where's your shoes?"

"I took 'em off so I could climb the tree." She answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

House nodded. "How high?"

Bella smiled. "Almost to the top!" She said with excitement.

House raised his eyebrows in surprise…that tree was pretty tall. He nodded his head. "Let's see it."

Bella jumped excitedly and waited for him to follow her. They walked onto the deck and Bella took off down the steps and toward the tree. House noted that the tree was perfect for climbing and that it was one he would've climbed as a kid. Bella began making her way up, placing her feet on the limbs and pulling up with her arms on the limbs above her. 'She's pretty strong for a munchkin.' He thought. He sat down in one of the chairs on the deck, watching her as she made progress up the tree. Within a few seconds she had climbed over halfway up there. House watched as she quickly made it as far as she could go.

"See how high I got?" Bella yelled down to him.

"Way to go, kid. You got a good grip?" He asked, making sure that she wasn't going to slip and fall down the tree.

"Yep."

House nodded and they continued talking to one another as Bella sat down on one of the branches she was on. About 10 minutes later, Cuddy opened the door to the backyard with a bottle of water in her hand.

"Hey." She greeted him, coming over to sit next to him on the steps.

She was sweaty and still breathing heavily after her run. House looked her up and down appreciating the view…a sweaty Cuddy was a sexy Cuddy.

"You stink." House told her with a smirk.

Cuddy grinned. "I thought you would've liked me all sweaty." She replied in a flirty tone.

"Sweaty yes, stinky…not so much." He told her, scrunching his face.

She pouted, moving to stand up. "Fine, I'll just go…"

"Sit back down here, stinky." House replied with a chuckle, grabbing her arm before she could move too far. Cuddy sat back down, the corner of her mouth curving into smile. House leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips.

She smiled at him. "Where's Bella?" She asked softly.

"She went up North." House responded.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "What does that mean?"

House pointed up at the tree and Cuddy turned her head with a scowl. He watched as her eyes moved up the tree until she spotted Bella sitting on one of the top branches. She gasped loudly. "Oh my god!!" Cuddy stood up, staring in disbelief at where her daughter currently was.

Bella giggled. "Hi, Lisa, look how high I got!"

Cuddy looked over at House in shock. "You let her climb that tree, House?"

"It was her idea, she got up there before I could stop her." House told her sarcastically.

Cuddy glared at him before looking over at Bella once more. "Oh my god, Bella, please come down from there." She said, with panic in her voice.

"Why? I ain't gonna fall. See…I'm holding on real tight." Bella told her, indicating her grip on the branch in front of her.

"Bella, just…please come down, Sweetie."

"She's fine, Cuddy, let the kid play."

"Shut up, House." She said, glaring at him again. "I can't believe you let her do that."

"Why? She's a kid, Cuddy. Kids climb trees. Didn't you ever climb a tree when you were a kid?" House asked, thinking that she was being ridiculous right now.

"No, I didn't…I prefer solid ground, thank you." She looked up, seeing that Bella hadn't moved to climb down yet. "Bella, could you please come down…now." Cuddy asked again, adding her 'mommy tone' at the end. House recognized that tone and he realized she'd used it on him on various occasions in the past at the hospital when he'd done something he wasn't supposed to, making him _very_ familiar with it.

House heard Bella huff and begin climbing down the tree. Cuddy turned her head and closed her eyes. "Oh my god, I can't watch. Tell me when she's down." She said, placing her palm on her forehead.

House rolled his eyes. "Your being ridiculous, Cuddy. She was proud of herself for getting that high and you just pissed all over her accomplishment." He said, in a voice low enough that Bella couldn't hear. House saw Bella hop down off the last branch. "She's down." He told her curtly, turning around and heading back inside the house.

* * *

Cuddy watched House walk inside before turning around to see that Bella was now sitting on the ground beside the tree, putting her shoes back on her feet. Cuddy sighed, thinking about what House had just said. Maybe Cuddy _had_ overreacted a bit, but seeing Bella in that tree had scared her. Once Bella's shoes were on, she ran over to the soccer ball and kicked it hard against the fence, kicking it again when it had bounced back to her. Cuddy could tell that Bella was upset, wondering if some of that anger that she had inside of her was coming out or if it was a reaction to what had just happened. Cuddy watched her kick the ball with all her strength over and over again until the ball bounced over her head and Bella chased it to the other side of the yard.

Cuddy sat down on the steps and rubbed her forehead with her hands. She hadn't meant to upset Bella. She should've expected her to climb the tree but she hadn't. Maybe it wasn't that big a deal, like House had said. He was right, kids climb trees all the time and nothing ever happens. She didn't want to be the overprotective mother that never lets her child do anything fun. And she would be in danger of being that mother if she wasn't careful.

Bella ignored Cuddy as she sat on the steps of the deck and watched her kick the soccer ball around the backyard. Bella was mad at her and that hurt. Cuddy didn't want Bella to feel this way, she'd had a hard week and she'd been having fun today until Cuddy came and ruined it for her. "Damn it." Cuddy whispered, closing her eyes in regret. She'd really had no reason to ask Bella to get down other than her own fear. She realized that this wasn't the only time that she would scare Cuddy like this and it was a natural maternal response, but she needed to let Bella be Bella and not keep her inside a bubble the rest of her life.

"Bella." Cuddy called out to her.

Bella ignored her and kept kicking the ball as hard as she could.

"Bella, please c'mere, Sweetie." She called again.

Bella kicked the ball once more across the yard and looked over at Cuddy. "What…I ain't allowed to kick the ball either?" She asked smartly.

Cuddy frowned at her, not expecting her to talk back like that. "Of course you are…but I really don't appreciate you talking to me that way."

Bella hung her head with a frown on her face, standing in the middle of the yard.

"Please come sit over here me for a minute." Cuddy said softly, patting the space next to her on the deck.

Bella made her way over there slowly, her head still hanging low, avoiding Cuddy's eyes. She sat down and Cuddy gently laid her hand on Bella's back. She massaged her gently with her fingertips and spoke softly to her.

"Listen, I'm sorry I overreacted about you being in the tree ok? It just scared me to see you up so high…I was afraid you'd fall."

Bella nodded.

Cuddy sighed. "You're allowed to climb the tree." She told Bella as she looked up in surprise at Cuddy. "_But_…you aren't allowed to do so without an adult out here with you and you have to _promise me_…that you will be careful."

"But Greg was out here with me and I was being careful." Bella told her with a furrow in her brow.

"I know…which is why I'm apologizing. I'm sorry I ruined your fun."

Bella shrugged. "It's ok. Sorry I got mad at you." She said, glancing up at Cuddy and quickly shifting her eyes away again.

Cuddy placed a kiss on her temple. "It's ok." She whispered to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes when Cuddy moved to stand up. "I'm going to go get a shower then I'll make us some lunch." She told Bella.

"Ok." Bella replied, standing up with her. "Can I see if Greg will come watch me climb the tree again?"

"Sure." Cuddy responded. Her heart speeding up at knowing she would be up in the tree again.

Bella smiled and ran into the house.

Cuddy took in a deep breath, releasing it and making her way into the house, thankful that she had a daughter right now and not a son, knowing that boys are naturally more adventurous than girls. A boy would've probably tried to jump from that height and hope to land on his feet. 'God help me.' She sighed, thinking to herself as she walked through the house to her bedroom.

* * *

12:13 PM

House was sitting at the table outside on the deck. He had the laptop out there with him as he did his research and watched after Bella at the same time. So far he hadn't had any luck in finding what he was looking for, which he found frustrating and extremely annoying. Bella was still playing in the tree when Cuddy came back outside after her shower. She saw him and came over to sit in the chair next to him. He glanced up at her as she leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"You still mad at me?" She asked softly.

House rolled his eyes. "Yes! I am furious…why the hell aren't you walking around here without any clothes on?" He asked, loudly in mock outrage.

It was Cuddy's turn to roll her eyes, chuckling at him. "Keep your voice down, jackass." A moment later, as if just realizing it, Cuddy frowned at him. "What are you doing with my laptop?" She asked suspiciously.

"Oh, the usual, snooping around in your personal business, changing passwords, that sort of thing." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Cuddy moved to try and take it from him, but he snatched it out of her reach. She glared at him. "Don't you dare drop it, House." She warned him.

"I won't if you'd just keep your hands off it." He responded, still holding it out of her reach.

"It's my computer…give to me." She demanded, standing up and walking around him to try and take it away from him.

"Don't be selfish, Cuddy, it's not nice." House snarked, once again pulling it away from her.

Cuddy huffed. "What are you doing on my laptop, House?"

"Oh relax, I'm not doing anything…I'm just using the internet." He said, setting the laptop back on the table.

Cuddy sat back down in the chair beside him, sighing loudly. "You could've just said so. Why do you have to piss me off?"

"Because it's just so much fun."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "So what are you doing?" She asked more calmly, pointing at the laptop.

"None of your business." He responded, turning it so she couldn't see what he was doing.

"House." She warned.

"It's research, Cuddy. Leave it alone." He snapped, swiveling the laptop further away from her.

Cuddy glared at him. A moment later, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, slamming the door on her way inside.

House sighed and rolled his eyes. He probably should have just told her what he was doing, but he didn't feel like talking about it when Bella was just a few yards away. He had just managed to piss Cuddy off twice in a matter of seconds…he would need to go fix that. House took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Wilson's number.

"Hey, House."

"What are doing tonight?" House asked him in lieu of a greeting.

"Uhh…no solid plans. Why, you want to grab a drink?"

"Nope. Need you to come over and watch the kid tonight."

"Sure. What time?" Wilson replied.

"Be here at 6:45." House told him.

"You taking Cuddy out?"

"Yep…got some smoothing over to do."

"Uh oh, what happened?"

"Pissed her off…twice in 30 seconds."

"Well that's a new record, I think. Good job, I'm sure that one will go down in the books."

"Bite me. Just be here on time and plan to stay late."

House could hear Wilson's smile over the phone. He rolled his eyes and hung up on him. He shifted his eyes over to where Bella was playing. He whistled, grabbing her attention. When she looked up, he motioned for her to come over to him. Bella ran to where he was seated and plopped down on the chair beside him as he closed the laptop.

"I'm taking your Mom out tonight…that cool?"

Bella shrugged. "Yep. Does she know yet?"

"Not yet…gonna go tell her now, so stay out of the tree while I'm in there."

"Ok."

House picked up the laptop and made his way inside to try and get himself out of the doghouse tonight.

* * *

10 Minutes Ago

Cuddy walked into the kitchen and slammed the door, separating her from House as he sat out on the deck. She rolled her eyes. How did he manage to do that to her? How did he piss her off one second, make her forgive him a second later and then piss her off again? Only House could accomplish that so quickly. Cuddy set about making lunch, trying to forget what had just happened. She kept wondering what he was doing research on. 'Why was he keeping something from her? Did it have to do with Bella, the hospital, his leg? What?' She asked herself.

Cuddy glanced outside and noticed that House was on the phone, but she couldn't hear what he was saying and she had no idea who he was talking to. She shook her head, deciding to ignore him. She began pulling food out of the fridge to make Bella and House a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a salad for herself. She started constructing the sandwiches, piling House's sandwich with tons of ham, lest he bitch at her for not putting enough on there. When the sandwiches were ready to place on the griddle she heard the door open and looked over to see House walk inside, placing the laptop down on the table. He didn't say anything for a moment and she turned her attention back to making lunch. House slowly made his way over to her.

"I'm not keeping secrets from you." He began. "I just didn't want to say anything until I had more information."

Cuddy scowled. "Information about what?" She said dryly. "Oh right, you can't tell me." She replied with sarcasm.

House sighed, standing beside her at the stove as she grilled the sandwiches. "My, aren't we petulant today." He snarked.

Cuddy scoffed. "Now you know how I feel everyday."

"Alright, look, I will tell you what I'm doing research on…it's not even that big a deal since I was going to tell you eventually anyway, but you have to wait until tonight."

Cuddy furrowed her brow and looked up at him. "Why tonight?"

House moved in closer to her and whispered in her ear. "Because that's when our date is."

Cuddy looked up at him in surprise, a small smile making its way onto her face, before it quickly disappeared. "What makes you think I want to go on a date with you?"

"Because you can't resist me." He said, with a smirk, into her ear before he leaned down and placed a kiss on her neck.

Her smile returned as the stubble around his lips tickled her neck. "Stop…you'll make me burn the sandwiches."

House smiled into her neck and pulled away. "Say you'll go out with me tonight."

She tilted her head up to look into his eyes and nodded her head. "Ok." He leaned his head down and kissed her, moving his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. She pulled back before they got carried away in the kiss they were sharing. Cuddy turned the eye off on the stove and placed the sandwiches on a plate, handing one of them to House with a smirk on her face.

"Tease." He said, taking his sandwich from her.

Her smirk grew into a smile as she winked at him and gave him a smack on the ass as she passed by him to go call Bella into the house for lunch.

* * *

6:30 PM

Bella jumped up and down on Lisa's bed as she helped her pick out a dress to wear tonight on her date with Greg. She had watched her try on six different dresses, telling her there was nothing wrong with any of them. Bella rolled her eyes as she saw Lisa pick another dress out of her closet. She threw herself back on the bed in exasperation, sighing loudly.

"What was wrong with the blue one?" Bella asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know it just didn't look right on me."

Bella sat up on her elbows. "Are you nervous or something? It ain't like you don't see him _every single day_." She said, exaggerating the last three words to emphasize her point as she stood up and started bouncing again.

"I'm not nervous. I just want to look good." She told Bella, her words spilling out of her mouth rapidly. "Believe me, you'll understand someday." She added.

"You looked good with the first dress you put on." Bella exclaimed.

Lisa chuckled at her. "Ok fine, this is the last one I promise…what do you think?"

Bella stopped jumping and looked at her. She wore a red halter dress with a deep-v top and a flared pleated skirt. The length of the dress hit just above her knees and the top of the dress in the back left half of her back exposed. 'She looked beautiful.' Bella thought.

"That's it…that's the one. Don't change again, ok? He'll love it." Bella said with excitement.

Lisa gave her a big smile and came over to her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Sweetie. I knew I could count you." She said, kissing her temple.

"You're welcome." Bella responded excitedly and began jumping again. "You look bewww-tii-fulll." She said with a giggle.

Lisa laughed at her. "Did House dose you with sugar to hyper you up for Wilson?" She asked with amused suspicion.

Bella nodded. "He gave me a Mountain Dew. He said James likes to stay up late and that I had to entertain him."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Of course he did." She responded as Bella kept jumping on the bed. "Well you can entertain him until 9:30, but then I want you in bed, ok?"

Bella nodded, as she continued jumping. A moment later she heard the doorbell and jumped off the bed to go and answer it, knowing it was James.

"I'll get it!!" She hollered as she ran down the hall. Bella slid to a stop in front of the door and peeked outside to make sure it was James. Seeing him standing there, she pulled the door open with a smile. "Hi James!!" Bella greeted him, throwing her arms around his waist and nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa, hey Bella. Good to see you too." He chuckled, hugging her back.

"Can we make popcorn and watch a movie? Can we have pizza for dinner? Do you want to see how high I can climb the tree in the backyard?" She asked in rapid succession.

James raised his eyebrows at her. "Uhh…yes, yes and…yes?" He responded with a slight questioning tone as he walked into the house and closed the door.

"Yay!" She exclaimed. "Come on, I can climb almost to the top!" Bella said, taking his hand and pulling him along with her through the kitchen. "But I ain't allowed to do it unless you're with me, so come one!" She said, dragging him behind her. Once outside, Bella ran to the tree she had been in practically all day long and began climbing.

* * *

About 10 minutes later, Cuddy followed the sound of giggles and laughter to the backyard. House had gone home to get ready for their date tonight and he was due back any moment. She opened the door to the backyard and saw Wilson at the base of the tree Bella had climbed, watching her intently. Cuddy made her way over there, careful not to trip in the grass with her heels.

"You may want to let her burn off some of that energy out here…House gave her Mountain Dew."

Wilson turned around at the sound of her voice and raised his eyebrows when he saw her, bringing a smile to her face.

"Wow…you look incredible, nice dress." He complimented.

"Thank you, Bella helped me pick it out." She said, pointing up to her daughter.

Wilson nodded. "So House got her wired, huh? I'll be sure to thank him when he gets here." He said, rolling his eyes.

Cuddy chuckled. "Don't worry, when she finally crashes, she'll crash hard. She's been out here almost all day…I had forgotten how much energy kids have." She laughed, shaking her head.

Wilson laughed as well. "Yeah…I'd give anything to have that much energy now." He replied.

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah, me too." She said, looking at her daughter in the tree, chuckling at how much she loved it up there.

"So, any instructions?" Wilson asked with a smile.

"I left some money on the counter in case you want to order take out for dinner or you guys could go out if you want. She'll probably want to watch a movie later but bedtime is at 9:30 and she should have a bath before then. She knows all of this so most likely she'll do it on her own, but you may have to remind her."

Wilson nodded.

"Thank you, Wilson. I appreciate you doing this." Cuddy told him gratefully.

Wilson turned his head to look at her, a smile coming to his face. "It's no problem, I enjoy spending time with her. She's a great kid."

"Yeah…she is." Cuddy said with a smile before lowering her gaze to stare at the ground, speaking softly. "Wilson, I'm not sure if House has told you, but…Bella has nightmares. I don't know if she'll have one tonight because she didn't last night, but in case she does…call me, ok?"

Wilson nodded. "House told me, Cuddy. I hope that's ok?"

"It's fine…I just want you to be prepared in case something happens." She responded, looking up at him.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her. Just go out and have a good time." Wilson said.

She shook her head; he didn't seem to understand. "They're horrifying, Wilson, just be prepared, ok?"

He nodded. "What does she respond to the best when you comfort her?"

"It depends how bad it is, but mostly I just let her cry and let her know I'm there. It takes her awhile to calm down, so just call me and I'll come right home."

Wilson nodded in understanding. "Does she talk about them?"

"Not really, but I know what they're about and I don't want to tell you about that right now."

"It's ok, House explained some of it."

Cuddy nodded.

Before the conversation could continue, she heard House's motorcycle pull into the driveway. She looked over at Wilson and placed kiss on his cheek. "Thank you again, Wilson, call me if you need _anything_." She instructed.

"We'll be fine, don't worry."

Cuddy nodded before turning her gaze up into the tree where Bella was. "Bella, I'm leaving, come give me a hug," she called out to her.

"Coming." She answered as she started climbing down.

Cuddy held her breath, nervously waiting until she was out of the tree. She noticed Wilson's look of amusement before he laughed at her.

"Shut up, she makes me nervous."

Wilson held his hands up in front of him. "Didn't say a word."

She glared at him and turned her attention to Bella as she hopped down from the lowest branch of the tree. She ran over to Cuddy and gave her a hug. "Have fun with Wilson and do what he says. I love you." Cuddy told her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Love you too." Bella responded, with a kiss to Cuddy's cheek.

Cuddy straightened and looked at Wilson. "Bye Wilson, have fun." She chuckled.

"See ya, Cuddy."

Cuddy made her way back inside, just as House came into the kitchen. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw her.

"Holy shit, Cuddy." He said, a smile coming to his face as he walked up to her. "So you want to skip the date and go straight to my place?"

Cuddy laughed at him. "I take it you like the dress."

House nodded emphatically, reaching for her with his left hand and moving his arm around her waist, capturing her lips with his. Cuddy moved her hand up to the nape of his neck, returning his kiss. Cuddy pulled back but House dipped his head further and kissed her again. Cuddy smiled against his lips as she kissed him and pulled back again. "Isn't this supposed to be reserved as the 'after the date' activity?" She told him with a chuckle.

House shrugged. "I've never been known to follow the rules…you know that better than anyone." He grinned. "Besides, you look smokin' hot in that dress, what do you expect me to do?"

Cuddy's smile grew. "Thank you. You look pretty sexy yourself." She told him, smoothing her hands over the lapels of his jacket.

"You better stop it unless you're prepared for me to take you back to my place and screw you senseless."

Cuddy laughed and grabbed onto his hand, making her way out of the kitchen with him behind her. "We'll save that for later, right now I'm starving."

* * *

8:00 PM

House and Cuddy sat outside enjoying the quiet and intimate setting of the small, family-owned Indian restaurant. The weather was perfect for the rooftop dining that the restaurant offered. There was a slight breeze, but the temperature outside couldn't have been better. They had spent most of the evening bantering back and forth as they always did. Cuddy had tried to ask him some more 'get to know you' questions, which _he_ tried his best to deflect. So she had made it into a game, saying they could each ask 5 questions about each other. She specified that they could not be about sex, knowing full well that that would be what he would ask her about. He reluctantly agreed, however, and here they were.

"Alright, you go first then and don't ask me what my favorite color is or some other stupid question." He told her.

Cuddy laughed and nodded. "Fine…how old were you when you started learning the piano?" She asked with a smile, taking a bite of her food.

He nodded, accepting that as a non-stupid question. "6."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows and nodded her head. "Wow…are you going to elaborate?"

"Are you asking me too, because that would count as one of your questions?" He said with a smartass grin.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I should've known you wouldn't make this easy."

"You could ask me to make it easier on you…but then…that would only leave you with two more questions."

Cuddy glared at him. "_Second question_." She stressed before opening her mouth to continue.

"Hey, my turn, cheater."

She scowled at him, but gestured for him go ahead.

He cleared his throat before he wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to roll her eyes. He could tell she was beginning to feel sorry she started this whole thing.

"What did you think of me when you first saw me back in med school?"

Cuddy furrowed her brow and scoffed with amusement at his question. "That's your question? That isn't even a question _about_ me, House. It doesn't count, ask something else."

House smiled widely at her. "You're deflecting because you don't like the question, and that means I'm going to like the answer; so answer."

"I'm not answering that because it doesn't have anything to do with getting to know me."

"Sure it does…I'm _getting_ to know what you were thinking."

"House, that question is about you and your ego, not about…"

"Oh so, it will feed my ego…which means you were hot for me…nice!" He laughed.

"That isn't what I said."

"So then tell me." He pushed.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Fine…I thought you were attractive."

House laughed again. "Way to understate it, Cuddy. You had sex with me and you barely knew me."

"Why did you ask if you already knew the answer?"

"To see you squirm." He snarked.

"You're such a jerk…why can't you be serious?" She huffed.

"Fine…." He relented, rolling his eyes. "My next four questions will be serious."

She looked at him suspiciously.

"Your turn." He said, gesturing for her to ask her question.

She sighed and shifted her eyes to her plate for a moment before looking back at him. "Did your father ever physically hurt you?" She asked in a low and uncertain tone.

House's smirk disappeared from his face. He certainly hadn't expected that question, although he probably should have prepared himself seeing how the whole 'getting to know you' conversation had gotten started with this topic last time they talked like this. He looked away from her and leaned back in his chair as he contemplated lying to her. But what would that accomplish really? She'd still ask him questions about his father regardless if he told her the truth or not. He swallowed and took in a deep breath, looking up at her once more. He nodded. "Yes, and I'm not elaborating."

Cuddy nodded in understanding. "I won't ask anymore questions about your father."

He nodded in thanks.

"Your turn." She said.

He took a moment to think of a question and when he had one he spoke softly. "Did you have a good childhood, Cuddy?" He asked, looking down at his hand on the table as he fidgeted with his silverware. He felt weird asking these questions.

She didn't answer right away so he glanced up at her. She was watching him curiously. When he caught her eyes on him, she nodded. "Yeah…it was pretty good…normal, I guess."

"Normal's ov…" He began.

"Overrated." She finished for him. "Yeah." She chuckled.

He smiled and nodded. "You go." He told her.

Cuddy leaned forward, softly touching his fingers with hers; caressing them. "Did you ever consider going to music school instead of medical school?"

He turned his hand around, taking her hand in his as she ran her fingers over the palm of his hand. "No. Music is a hobby…it relaxes me, takes my mind off stuff, that's all."

She smiled and nodded. "I've always loved hearing you play." She told him softly. "I wish you'd play for me sometime."

House shrugged. "Maybe I will."

Cuddy's smile grew. "Your turn."

They continued holding and caressing their hands together. He looked down at their joined hands. "When did you start wanting to have kids?"

She raised her eyebrows at his question and shook her head, considering how to answer. "Uhhmm…I don't know really, maybe 3 or 4 years ago. Well, I mean, I've always wanted kids…but, since my life didn't turn out as I had expected, it was then that I started seriously considering being a single mom."

House nodded. "I thought you were crazy, Cuddy…wanting to do that on your own. I still think you're crazy." He smirked, squeezing her hand. "But I also know you can do it, you are doing it." He told her softly, grinning at her.

"Thank you." She whispered, bringing his hand up to her lips and placing a kiss on his fingers before returning their hands to the table, still joined together.

They sat in silence for a moment before he released her hand, picking up his fork and taking a bite of his food. They had been talking and had nearly forgotten about eating. He had actually started getting into this questions thing. It was a chance to get to know the Cuddy he never had the opportunity to know; the person he loved, not his boss or colleague. Cuddy began eating again as well, taking small bites. House looked up at her after a moment.

"It's your turn, Cuddles. Two to go…make 'em good."

She nodded and looked up at him. "Have you always had a motorcycle? I remember you had one back at Michigan." She commented.

He nodded. "Ever since I was kid, I wanted one. But I didn't get my first one till I was 19. I saved for 3 years to buy that thing. Mom almost had a heart attack when she found out I bought one." He told her with a smile.

Cuddy laughed. "Yeah, I can imagine. It makes _me_ nervous when you ride that thing." She said, shaking her head at him.

"You still interested in riding with me?"

She smiled. "Maybe." She replied in such a way that let him know that she hadn't changed her mind, but was teasing him.

"You can trust me, Cuddy, I won't do anything stupid."

"I know you won't…I trust you, but that doesn't mean I can't be nervous about it."

He shrugged, acknowledging that was true.

"Your up." She said, pointing at him with her fork.

"Not yet, but I will be later." He snarked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I get two more." He stated, before continuing with his question. "As your current boyfriend, I feel I need to ask…" He paused, smirking at her.

"No sex questions, House."

"Shhh, just let me finish." He said, clearing his throat dramatically. "How many boyfriends have you had?"

Cuddy laughed at this question. "Not as many as you think I've had."

"I'm not counting one-night stands…I'm talking relationships here."

"Same answer. And how many one-night stands do you think I've had, House?" She asked with an offended tone to her voice.

"Well, I know you've had at least one." He answered, with a smirk.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Ok, my turn, last question." She said, ignoring him and moving on. "As your current girlfriend, how many girlfriends have _you_ had?"

House rolled his eyes. "A few. I was quite the stud in school, if you remember."

She laughed again. "Well, as your current girlfriend, I feel that it's my place to say that you still are quite a stud."

He laughed at her answer, nodding his head in agreement. "This is very true." He stated smugly.

Cuddy shook her head. "Ok, stud, last question." She prompted.

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" He asked with a smile.

"I thought you were going to ask me serious questions?" She said, looking at him with amusement.

"I lied, I'm book ending my questions."

She rolled her eyes. "Well if you get to lie…."

"Your answer can't be a lie." He stated.

She shrugged. "Sure it can…we weren't specific on that."

"Don't lie to me about this, Cuddy. Have you ever kissed a girl?" He asked again, his voice filled with hope.

"Yes." She stated simply.

House's eyes went wide at that revelation. "Oh my god, I can die happy now. Thank you, Cuddy, my fantasies were in fact reality this whole time." He said happily.

Cuddy looked at him with amusement. His smile fell from his face. "You're lying to me aren't you?"

"No."

"Hold on, when I asked, 'have you kissed a girl', I didn't mean your mother or your sister or your grandmother…I am talking about making out with another woman, Cuddy. Do not lie to me, I can't take it."

"In that case, no…I have never kissed another woman." She laughed, seeing his expression crumble.

"You are damn mean, Cuddy, you knew what I was asking. Damn it, I was prepared to brag to Wilson and everything."

Cuddy chuckled. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you. If you want I could go kiss that girl over there, she looks like she might be into it." She joked.

"Nah, I wouldn't put you through that. But… you and Thirteen on the other hand…that I'd like to see."

She shook her head. "That's ok, I wouldn't want you to get jealous."

He scoffed. "Believe me, the last feeling I would be having about that would be jealousy."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and moved to stand up. "I'm going to the Ladies' room." She told him with amusement in her voice.

House watched her walk away, enjoying the view, with a smile on his face. He picked up his fork and finished eating his meal. Several minutes later, Cuddy came back from the restroom and sat down in her chair across from him. House glanced over at Cuddy as she picked up her fork and finished her dinner. He sat there admiring her. She looked amazing tonight; he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. The way her hair softly fell over her shoulders and the way the candlelight gave her skin a soft glow. And that dress…he was dying to get that dress off of her even though it looked incredible on her. She looked up at him and he gave her a small smile before shifting his eyes away from her.

"What?" She asked softly.

House looked up at her again, noticing the way her lips curved into a smile. He shook his head. "Nothing."

"Come on, what were you thinking just now." She asked, reaching her hand across the table and placing it on his arm.

"Just thinking how nice it was of you to let the girls breath a little tonight…you're totally braless, aren't you?" He asked, smirking at her.

Cuddy chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I get that that was your way of saying I look good tonight, so…thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied sincerely, after looking into her amused eyes for a moment, noticing the sparkle in them.

She smiled and slowly removed her hand from his arm. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Cuddy cleared her throat softly. "So, are you going to tell me what you've been up to?" She asked, taking a sip of her water.

House looked up at her with a furrow in his brow, but then realized what she was talking about after a moment. He'd almost forgotten about that. He slowly nodded, knowing he needed to tell her what he was doing before it became an even bigger issue between them. He had really wanted to have something to tell her before letting her in on what he and Wilson were doing, but now that she knew he was up to something, she would just keep asking or get even more pissed that he was keeping something from her. He placed his fork down on his plate and looked her in the eyes. "I'm looking for Mattie's killer."

To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She had the same look on her face that Wilson had when House had asked him for help to find this information. She put her fork down and leaned back in her chair, staring at him in surprise.

"House…" She said, her shock not only evident on her face, but in her voice as well.

He didn't say anything more, letting the shock wear off.

"Why?" She whispered.

"Why?" He asked in confusion; he had not expected her to ask him that. "What do you mean, why? Don't you want to know? Don't you want to find out who's responsible for giving your kid nightmares almost every night? Don't you want to know who would do that to a 14 year old kid, Cuddy…to know who would leave that little girl to die?" He asked, not understanding why she wouldn't want to know all of that. "Don't you want her to have some peace?"

She scowled. "Of course I want her to have peace, House…but I don't think finding who did this to her brother is going to accomplish that. She probably already knows who did it…she witnessed it remember?"

"I know that, Cuddy, but I can't go ask her that can I? I don't want her to know I'm doing this; she doesn't need to know. Not until I've got the information." He told her, his frustration growing at her inability to understand why he was doing this.

"What are going to tell her when you find out, House? How do you think that it's going to give her any peace? How do you _know_…that she doesn't see that man's face in her nightmares _every_ night?" She argued. "Don't tell me that you're doing it for her when the reason you're really doing it is to satisfy your own curiosity. If that's the reason, then knock yourself out…but _don't_ bring her into this." She told him firmly before leaning in and looking him directly in the eyes. "Are you still feeling guilty for happened the other day in the ER? Is that why you want to do this?" She asked.

House stared at her in disbelief. "I want justice, Cuddy. I want justice for that little girl and I want justice for her brother. She _deserves_ that; this has nothing to do with what happened the other day. How could not want to know why your kid goes through this everyday? How could you not want to put that bastard behind bars?" He asked, gritting his teeth as he expressed his anger at the man responsible.

Cuddy sighed loudly, looking away from him for a moment, trying to calm herself down before she turned her head to look into his eyes once more. "House, I love that you want to help her move on from all of this and I love that you love her enough to want that. And you're right, she does deserve it…but, I don't want her going through any more pain than she is already and that is what's going to happen by bringing all of this up. She's talking, House. She's _finally_ opening up to me. Isn't that enough? Isn't it enough that she can say his name out loud now?" She asked, her eyes tearing up. "The fact that she can talk about him…that says to me that she's on her way to finding the peace you say you want her to have and deserves to have. She's not going to find it by remembering the man that took her brother away from her."

House was surprised that Bella had spoken to Cuddy about this. "She told you what happened to him?" He asked with interest.

"No, but she told me about him. About who he was…how she remembers him." She told him softly. "About how he used to tease her but that he was still a good big brother to her." She continued, a tear escaping her eye. "She's talking, House. Just…please leave it alone. Please don't do this to her." She begged, shaking her head and wiping her tears away with her left hand.

House watched her silently, sighing. This wasn't how this was supposed to go…he expected her to support him and maybe even offer to help. But she hadn't done that and now he didn't know what he should do. Should he do what he did best and ignore her? That would be the stupid thing to do, he knew that, but he couldn't help himself. "I have to know, Cuddy. I have to know why this was done to her. I can't ignore it and I can't do what you're asking me not to." He said quietly, knowing that he risked pissing her off again.

Cuddy closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and leaning forward, looking him directly in the eyes. "Do what you have to do, House, but don't you _dare_ talk to her about this. Don't you dare ask her questions, I want you to leave her out of it, understand? She is _my_ daughter and I will not let you cause her more pain with this." She said in warning.

"I already told you I wasn't going to tell her about this, Cuddy. She won't even know what I'm doing." He told her.

Cuddy shook her head. "And when you've found what you're looking for? What are you going to do with it…Hmm?" She asked, her temper simmering. She leaned back, shaking her head. "I don't want you to do this." She said.

"Cuddy…all I'm doing is trying to find a murderer. Whoever did this has to pay, I'm going to make sure they do."

Cuddy looked up at him with a scowl. "You're not a cop, House. That is not your job. Bella needs you to be who are, right now; she needs you to be her friend. She needs to know that she can come to you and talk or cry or laugh. She does not need you to chase a man she's been trying to forget. Bella has been plagued every day with what's happened to her…all she wants is to forget, so she can just be a kid. She has had to bear too much weight on her shoulders for a child; she has had to grow up and be an adult far too quickly. I cannot _imagine_ having to do what she has done, House. Bringing this up now, will set her back, and I will not risk that. You say that she won't know what you're doing, but inevitably, she will find out. You were being careless today with the laptop, House, which is how I found out you were up to something. How long do you think it will take her to figure out you're up to something too?"

"I'll be more careful, Cuddy." He told her before looking at her pointedly. "I'm doing this."

House saw the moment her anger rose up into her face. It was like a shockwave, starting deep within her and working it's way up. It had been simmering up until this point and it was about to boil over. She stared at him for a few moments before angrily scooting her chair back and standing up. She grabbed her purse and looked back him. "Then I guess I can't stop you." She said, stomping away from the table and back into the restaurant to make her way down the stairs, leaving him there alone.

**Please don't forget to leave me a review!!! **


	32. Chapter 31

**Yay! Another chapter…finally! I say finally because it was another busy week at work and it feels like frickin' ever that I've posted a chapter even though it was last Saturday and this one is a day early. Man, it's been long week!! Anyway, hope you enjoy this one…as always thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**Chapter 31 **

10:30 PM

The cab pulled up in front of Cuddy's house. She paid the cabby and opened the door, stepping out of the car. She and House had taken her car to the restaurant and House still had her keys, but she was so angry, that she hadn't thought of getting them back from him to drive home. They're date had started out wonderfully and she had been having a fantastic time with him. They had gotten to know each other a little better tonight and she wouldn't trade that for anything. But when he told her what he was doing, it went downhill from there. She couldn't believe he was doing this. How could he not see that he could potentially hurt Bella doing this?

Cuddy walked up the front porch steps, grabbing her extra set of house keys out of her purse. Unlocking the door, she opened it and stepped inside, noticing that the only light on in the house was in the living room. She made her way there and grinned when she saw Wilson asleep on the couch. Bella must've worn him out. She stepped into the room and reached for the throw on the back of the couch, covering him up. Cuddy turned around and made her way out of the room, quietly walking down the hall and stopping at Bella's room. She turned her head and stared at Bella's closed door, deciding if she should go in and check on her. It had only been a few hours but she had missed her daughter and the argument with House made her want to see that she was really ok. Cuddy silently opened the door, leaving her heels in the hallway so she wouldn't wake Bella. She made her way inside, seeing Bella's chest rising and falling slowly as she slept. Cuddy saw Splat's glowing eyes in the darkness of the bedroom as he lifted his head to look at her. She smiled and shifted her attention back to Bella, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to her forehead and gently caressing the side her face. Bella breathed in and shifted in her sleep, turning her head into Cuddy's touch.

Cuddy straightened and turned around to make her way out of the bedroom, but stopped when she heard Bella's sleepy voice.

"Lisa?"

"Hi, baby. I'm sorry I woke you up."

She stared at Cuddy in confusion and lifted her head. "Is it morning?" She asked.

Cuddy smiled, shaking her head as she made her way back to Bella's bed, sitting down beside her. "No, Sweetie, it's still nighttime."

"Oh." She responded, laying her head down on her pillow. "Did you have a good date?"

Cuddy smiled again at her question, nodding her head. "It was fine." She didn't want to lie to Bella but she couldn't tell her what had happened.

Bella frowned at Cuddy. "You look sad." Bella said softly, pouting her lip into a small frown. "Did Greg make you sad?" She asked.

"I'm ok, Sweetheart, don't worry about me, ok?"

"Did you have a fight?" Bella asked, ignoring what Cuddy had told her.

Cuddy sighed, realizing she should've known the Bella would see right through her. Cuddy slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, we did. But I don't want you to worry about that, we'll work it out."

Bella nodded and sat up, moving her arms around Cuddy's neck. Cuddy hugged her and closed her eyes as Bella comforted her with a hug. She sighed and tightened her arms around Bella. "Thank you, Sweetie."

Bella released her hold around Cuddy and looked up at her. "Do you want me to be mad at Greg too?"

Cuddy furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No…no, I don't want you to be at Greg, ok? It's between him and me and we'll work it out." She reassured Bella, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Bella nodded.

"I love you. Go back to sleep ok?" Cuddy told her softly.

Bella nodded again. "I love you too." She mumbled, laying her head back down on her pillow.

Cuddy stood up and made her way out of Bella's room. When she closed the door, she caught a glimpse of Wilson standing in the hallway with a furrow in his brow. She knew he'd heard what she'd told Bella.

"Hi." She greeted, walking over to him.

"You ok?" He asked softly.

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah, I just…I just want to go to bed. Thank you for keeping her, Wilson. I hope she didn't wear you out too much."

Wilson gave her small smile. "She was great, we had a good time."

Cuddy smiled tiredly at him and nodded.

"What did he do?" Wilson asked quietly.

Cuddy shook her head. "He's just being his stubborn ass self…I don't want to talk about it."

Wilson nodded in understanding and brought his arms around her in a hug. She hugged him back with a smile. "Want me to talk to him?" He asked, before releasing her and making his way to the front door.

Cuddy scoffed. "I doubt it'll make any difference…it never does." She said, following him to the door.

Wilson smiled and nodded. "I'll talk to him."

She gave him a small smile. "'Night, Wilson."

"Goodnight, Cuddy. Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you."

Wilson opened the door and made his way out of the house. Cuddy closed and locked the door before turning and making her way to her bedroom. She undressed, getting ready for bed. Making her way into the bathroom, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She was still upset but she mostly felt sad that their date had ended that way. Slipping into bed, she looked over at the empty side of the bed, House's side. Cuddy sighed and turned her gaze up to the ceiling, trying to forget what had happened. She knew it would be impossible and she knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

She was still awake 45 minutes later when she heard House's motorcycle roar to life before speeding down the road. At least he'd brought her car back. Part of her wanted to call him and try once more to talk him out of it, but she knew that he wouldn't listen. House was going to do what House was going to do, and she didn't want to have any part of it.

* * *

45 Minutes Earlier

House was in Cuddy's car, driving back over to her place when his cell phone rang. House looked at the caller ID and rolled his eyes. He should've known he would be getting a call from Wilson.

"What?" He answered, sounding as pissed as he was feeling right now.

"What'd you do to Cuddy?" He asked.

"Nothing…mind your own business."

"You're both my friends…it is my business."

House sighed loudly into the phone. "I don't know what the hell I did, ok? I told her I was looking for Mattie's killer and she flipped out. I don't know what her problem is."

"She doesn't want us looking?" Wilson asked with confusion.

"Nope."

"Well, I take it you didn't mention I was helping you since she didn't bite my head off." Wilson replied.

"Doesn't matter, I told her I was doing it whether she liked it or not."

"House, if she doesn't want us looking then maybe we should respect that, this is her kid."

"I am well aware of who's kid she is, Wilson, you don't need to remind me every 2 seconds." He exclaimed in anger at him.

"Look House, I think maybe we should let this go." Wilson told him.

House rolled his eyes. "Fine, take her side and do whatever the fuck you want." He said, hanging up on him. He threw his phone in the seat beside him and kept driving. He needed to take Cuddy's car back to her house and get his motorcycle, but he didn't want to talk to her. He quickly decided to just leaving her car keys under the flowerpot so he wouldn't have to go inside the house. This night had totally gone to shit. He had planned to take her back to his place so they could spend some time alone without any interruptions. The evening had started out perfectly until he'd told her his plan.

House pulled into her driveway a several minutes later and parked the car. As he got out he locked it up and made his way to the front door. He stood there a moment, almost changing his mind and walking inside the house to talk to her. But he wasn't changing his mind about finding Mattie's killer so him walking in there to talk would only end in another disaster and he didn't want Bella to wake up and hear any of it. So he placed the key under the flowerpot and made his way to his bike. He got on and placed his helmet on his head, started it up and made his way home.

* * *

8:10 AM – Monday

Cuddy sat behind the wheel of her car as she drove Bella to her first day of school at Riverside Elementary. Cuddy was feeling anxious for Bella but was happy that she was moving on to a new stage in her life right now. Bella had told her last night that she was nervous but that she would be ok. Cuddy promised she would go in with her if she wanted her to and make sure that she felt comfortable before she left. Bella had nodded and looked relieved that she wouldn't have to do this alone.

Sunday had been somewhat strange. Cuddy hadn't heard from House after their argument and she hadn't attempted to call him either. She didn't know what good it would do to talk about it if he was going to do what he was going to do anyway and nothing she said would change his mind. They would, of course, have to talk eventually but she wanted to put that off as much as she could; Bella needed her right now. Bella had been sweet about all of this…doing whatever she could to help make Cuddy happy so she wouldn't think about being mad at House. She hated that Bella was in the middle of this because none of it was her fault. She didn't want Bella to find out what was going on and she had avoided talking about House so she wouldn't ask.

A few minutes later they had pulled into the school parking lot and Cuddy parked the car in one of the spaces. She looked over at Bella, who sat in the seat next to her and was staring out of the window at the school. Cuddy watched her a moment before reaching over and placing her hand over Bella's on her lap.

"You ok?" She asked softly.

Bella glanced over at her and shrugged her shoulder. "I'm scared." She said softly, shifting her eyes away from her and hanging her head.

Cuddy furrowed her brow, empathizing with her. "I know it's scary, Sweetheart, but once you get in there and make friends you'll love it. Simon is in your class, remember?"

"I ain't scared of that…I'm scared because I don't want nothin' to happen to you when I'm at school. What if it happens again?" She said, her voice trembling slightly with fear.

"Oh my god…" Cuddy whispered, understanding now. She moved over in her seat and put her arms around Bella. "I'll be ok, Bella. Nothing's going to happen to me, ok?" She told her, whispering into her ear.

"You don't know." She mumbled. "I don't want to lose another Mom." She added, tearfully.

Cuddy hugged her tighter, closing her eyes as she felt the sadness her daughter was experiencing right now. Cuddy sighed, loosening her grip on Bella and leaning her forehead on Bella's temple, whispering into her ear. "Listen to me, ok?" She said, waiting for Bella's response before continuing. Bella nodded and Cuddy leaned back and tilted Bella's chin up with her finger, looking into her eyes. "I am not leaving you, understand? You're stuck with me forever."

Bella gave her a small smile and nodded her head. "Promise?"

"I promise that you will always be taken care of. What happened to you will never _ever_ happen again; I won't let it."

Bella nodded once more in understanding.

Cuddy placed a kiss on her forehead. "Are you going to be ok?" She asked softly.

Bella nodded.

"Are ready to go in? We don't want to be late your first day." Cuddy asked, brushing her fingers through Bella's hair, hoping to soothe her nerves.

"I'm ready." Bella said, nodding.

"Ok." Cuddy whispered, once more placing a kiss to her forehead.

They got out of the car and made their way inside the building. Bella held on tightly to Cuddy's hand, her nervousness evident in her demeanor. When they got to reception, Cuddy was given a visitor pass and asked to sign in. As she was doing that, the Principal came up to them with a smile. "Good morning, Dr. Cuddy, Bella."

Cuddy looked up, smiling in return. "Good morning Mrs. Waddell."

"How are you this morning, Bella? Are you feeling up to going to your class?"

Bella looked up at Cuddy before nodding her head.

"She's a little nervous, but I think once she gets in there, she'll be fine." Cuddy told the Principal.

"I understand. The first day is always the hardest." She commented.

"Can my Mom come with me?" Bella asked with a small voice.

"Sure, Sweetheart, she can stay for a little while, alright?"

Bella nodded with relief etched on her face.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to your class." Mrs. Waddell told Bella.

They followed her to the same classroom they had seen last week. When they stepped in there were only a few students in the classroom, most of them not having arrived yet. They were introduced to the teacher and directed to where Bella would be sitting. Cuddy noticed that Bella seemed to relax the longer she was there and she hoped she'd stay that way when Cuddy left. A few minutes later, Cuddy was sitting in the back of the room watching Bella at her desk and saw a small smile come onto her face. She looked up to see what Bella had seen that made her smile and recognized the boy that Bella had told her about. Cuddy thought he was adorable, with his unruly hair that just wouldn't stay out of his eyes and the slight dimples in cheeks. Simon came over to her desk as she sat there quietly.

"Hi, Bella. You're in my class?" Simon asked.

"Yeah. Is Maya in here too?" Bella asked Simon, hopefully.

"No, she's in another class but we play together at recess though."

"Oh." Bella replied, with a tinge of disappointment.

"I sit over there. Too bad you can't sit next to me, huh?" He said, pointing at his desk.

"Yeah. I ain't in here all day like you are though. I have to go to the library after recess."

"How come?" He asked, scrunching his face in question.

"Because I have to do other lessons."

"Oh." He replied. "Who's that lady over there?" Simon asked, pointing over at Cuddy, making her smile with amusement at him.

Bella turned around and smiled. "That's my Mom." She said with a giggle.

"Oh."

Bella waved at her to go over there and Cuddy stood, making her way to stand next to Bella.

"Lisa, this is Simon. Simon, this is my Mom."

"It's very nice to meet you, Simon." She said with a smile, holding out her hand to shake his.

"You too, Miss Lisa." He responded, taking her hand.

Cuddy smiled at him; he seemed like a very sweet boy. She was happy that Bella had found a friend here and she hoped she'd make even more friends. Most of the students had arrived within the last few minutes and Cuddy felt that it would be fine to leave now that Bella seemed to be comfortable. She looked at the clock in the classroom and knelt down to speak with Bella.

"Bella, I have to leave, do you think you'll be ok?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'll be ok."

Cuddy smiled, relieved that Bella was feeling better now. "Good. I'll be here at 3:00 to pick you up ok?"

"Ok." She responded, looking over at Simon.

"Don't worry, Miss Lisa, I'll look after her." He told Cuddy with seriousness.

Cuddy smiled over at him, loving how sweet he was with his protectiveness of Bella. He would be a great friend to her, she could tell already. "Thank you, Simon, I would really appreciate it."

He nodded with determination.

Cuddy leaned over and placed a kiss on Bella's cheek and quickly made her way out of the classroom. She was still nervous for how Bella's day would go today, but there was really nothing she could do right now but let her experience it. She sort of felt strange about this because most mothers got to spend years with their kids before letting them go to start school for the first time. This wasn't Bella's first time in school, but it was Cuddy's first time letting her go like this and they had only been mother and daughter for a couple of weeks. Walking away from the classroom just now was hard, knowing what Bella had been scared of this morning and the fact that she was leaving her little girl behind today. It sucked…but that was how it had to be.

Cuddy made her way back to reception to hand back her visitor pass and sign out. When she got there, Mrs. Waddell was standing at the desk speaking with the receptionist. As Cuddy signed out, Mrs. Waddell smiled over at her.

"How did things go with Bella?" She asked.

"It went well, I think she'll be ok."

"We'll make sure of it." She promised.

Cuddy nodded. "Thank you." She replied gratefully. "Could I ask you something, Mrs. Waddell?"

"Of course."

"As you're aware, Bella's biological parents are deceased and this morning she expressed fear that something would happen to me while she's here at school. The last time she was in school, she was told that her parents had been killed."

"Oh god, I am so sorry." Mrs. Waddell replied with sympathy in her voice.

Cuddy nodded in thanks. "If it's not too much trouble, and if she feels she needs it…would she be able to call me? Just so she can feel comforted that I'm ok?"

"Oh absolutely, I want her to feel safe here, Dr. Cuddy and if she needs to call you to feel that then I would be happy to allow her that privilege." She told Cuddy. "Also, if she needs to she can talk to our school counselor; she would be more than happy to help in whatever way is needed."

"Thank you, I appreciate how accommodating you've been, it's made this process a lot easier on both Bella and myself."

"You're very welcome, please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." She told Cuddy with a smile, offering her hand to shake.

"Thank you." Cuddy took it and smiled in return, feeling relieved and assured that Bella would be taken care of here. Cuddy made her way out of the school, feeling less anxious about leaving Bella. She knew Bella would be ok today, she just didn't know if she would be. Cuddy knew she'd be thinking about Bella every second of the day until she knew how her day had gone. She just needed to breathe and try to make it through the day.

* * *

10:00 AM

House walked in through the front doors of the hospital, limping his way across the lobby toward the elevators. He glanced over in the direction of Cuddy's office and saw her standing at the reception desk of the clinic. He caught her eyes on him but didn't stop or acknowledge her as he passed by. The rest of the weekend had been hell for him. He had spent all of Sunday in his apartment, sitting at his computer doing research to try and find any information on Mattie. He had contemplated calling Cuddy to apologize but the truth was he didn't have anything to apologize for. He hadn't done anything wrong and he stood by what he was doing for Bella. Wilson had called multiple times on Sunday but House hadn't answered any of his calls. If he was going to back out and take Cuddy's side, he didn't have anything to say to him either. House was on his own.

House stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button for the 4th floor with the tip of his cane. A few moments later he stepped off and headed toward his office. House made his way in and dropped his bag by the desk. He turned around to look at his fellows, who were just sitting at the table staring at him.

"Case?" House asked.

"Nope." Foreman replied.

"Then why the hell are you people up here? Shouldn't you be in the clinic or out there trying to _find_ us a case?" House moodily asked before scooping up his backpack and heading into his office. He sat in his chair and turned on his computer, ready to do more research on Mattie. He glanced into the conference room, catching his last fellow walk out the door as he had directed. He didn't care what they did, he just wanted them to stay away from him today.

About an hour went by as he searched the internet and made phone calls. He called New Jersey Department of Children and Families to try and speak with Bella's caseworker but no one would give him that information and Cuddy had never mentioned her name. He wanted to see if they would be able to help track down the people who fostered Bella and Mattie but so far no one was helping him get the information he needed. He felt discouraged and that pissed him off. He was in an even worse mood than he had been an hour ago.

A few minutes later Wilson stepped into his office. House looked up at him before shifting his eyes back to his task. Wilson came in and sat down across from him. "What do you want?" House asked, staring at his computer screen.

"I was thinking I'd help you find that bastard." Wilson told him.

House's eyes shifted up to Wilson's. "I thought you wanted to respect Cuddy's wishes."

Wilson nodded. "I did, and I understand where she's coming from…but I don't think I can just leave this alone, House. Someone has to pay and it shouldn't be that little girl. I think…this time, Cuddy's wrong."

House nodded, his lips curving into a smile. "Ok." He handed Wilson some of the research he had been working on yesterday. "That's all I have on the kid. There's not much there, but it gives me an idea who the kid was, background from former teachers and friends."

Wilson raised his eyebrows. "Wow, how did you get this?"

"Just call me Detective House…I have my ways." He smirked.

"Dick House…yeah, that fits." Wilson snarked, nodding approvingly.

"Can it or I'll send a hospital wide memo concerning your E.D."

"I don't have E.D. and as if anyone would believe a word you'd say, anyway."

"It wouldn't be coming from me…it would be from your urologist…a Dr. Schroder, I believe?"

Wilson glared at him. "I'm not even going to ask how you know that."

"That would be wise." He smirked.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Fine, so what's our next move?" He asked, changing the subject and getting them back on track with what they had been discussing.

"I need to get the police report from the murder, Wilson. I don't know how but I need to get it."

Wilson nodded. "I'll make some phone calls, House, but you know no one's going to give out that information."

"Just get whatever you can. I'm need to try to find out the name of the Bella's caseworker so I can ask her to find their old foster parents."

"How are going to do that?" He asked curiously.

"Don't know, I'll keep bugging them down at DYFS till they give me a name."

"Why don't you just ask Cuddy?" Wilson suggested.

House scoffed. "Cuddy's not going to give me shit if I ask her, Wilson. She wants nothing to do with this."

Wilson furrowed his brow and appeared to be thinking about something. "Wilson, you look constipated, I hear prunes are good for that." House commented with a smirk.

"Shut up…I think I've met her, House; Bella's caseworker." Wilson told him. "I'm trying to remember her name."

House sat up in his chair, surprised and thinking that they might actually get somewhere with this today. "Think hard, Wilson, or I'll have to kill you."

"Shhhhh." Wilson replied, concentrating on remembering the woman's name. "She was hot, I remember that."

"No wonder you can't remember her name…you were too busy checking out her boobs. Well done, my man, now I have a glimmer of hope that you're not a woman."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "That joke just never gets old for you does it?"

"Who's joking? I just call 'em like I see 'em, Jimmy."

"Cohen. Her last name was Cohen, I never got her first name." Wilson replied suddenly.

House's lips curved into a smile, writing down her name on a post-it. He picked up the phone, ready to call this Cohen woman. He winked at Wilson. "I'll let you know if she's single." He smirked as Wilson rolled his eyes and left his office.

* * *

11:30 AM

Bella's class was led outside to the playground for recess after they had finished eating their lunches. The morning lessons had been a little overwhelming for Bella but she had managed to sit and pay attention as Mrs. Penner taught the class. Some of the students had been looking at her and whispering to each other, but Bella had tried to ignore it. Mrs. Penner had introduced her to the class and everyone had said hello. She had allowed a time for everyone to go around and say their names, so that Bella would know who everyone was. She had been shy at first, having so many eyes on her, but after the introductions and as Mrs. Penner started the lessons she had felt more comfortable. She missed Lisa though and wished that she had been able to stay with her. Simon had kept his word to Lisa and had been looking after her. She was a little annoyed that he wouldn't leave her side, but at the same time she was glad to have a friend.

Now, as they were allowed to play outside, Simon had told her that Maya should be out there soon. Bella was excited to see her other friend because they had so much fun playing last time and she had missed playing with other kids.

"Come on, let's go play on the monkey bars." Simon told her.

"Ok." She responded, following him, but looking out for Maya as they went.

Simon climbed up first and made his way across, turning his head to see if Bella was watching. When he jumped down, he ran back to her. "Did you see how fast I went across? Pretty good, huh?"

"Yep." She answered flatly, wanting to roll her eyes at what a show off he was.

"Ok, now it's your turn. See if you can go as fast as me."

"No…I'm just going to go across, ok? I don't want to race." Bella told him, climbing up without waiting for his answer. She made her way across and when she jumped down she heard her name being called.

"Bella!"

Bella turned around to see Maya run up to her. She smiled and waved at her friend. "Hi, Maya!"

"I didn't know you went to school here." Maya said with a surprised smile.

"It's my first day."

"Oh, cool! So you finally got adopted?" Maya asked with excitement.

"Yeah."

Simon came up to them with a scowl on his face. "You're adopted?"

Bella nodded.

"So Miss Lisa ain't your real Mom?"

"No." She answered.

Maya turned to him with a scowl. "How do you know her Mom?" She asked.

"She was here this morning in my class before school started."

"You're in Simon's class?"

"Yeah. Too bad you ain't in there with us."

"No kidding, I hate my teacher, she's mean. You better be glad they didn't put you in my class." She told Bella with amusement, rolling her eyes.

Bella giggled. "Yeah."

"So what happened to your real Mom?" Simon asked with curiosity.

Maya glared at Simon. "Simon, stop being so nosy, that ain't none of your business."

Bella shrugged. "That's ok, Maya, he can ask." She told her friend before turning her attention to Simon. "My real Mom and Dad died and now Lisa is my Mom."

"Oh. Sorry Bella." Simon told her with sadness.

She gave him a small grin and nodded her thanks.

"Yeah, sorry about your Mom and Dad." Maya told her as well. "But at least you have a new Mom now, right?"

Bella smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Do you like having a new Mom?" Simon asked.

"Mmhmm…Lisa is great." Bella told him.

Simon nodded. "My Mom and Dad are divorced. I guess they didn't like each other no more or somethin'." He shrugged, and Bella could tell that it bothered him.

"Oh, sorry." Bella replied, knowing that it would be hard if Lisa and Greg didn't like each other anymore. They'd had a fight and Bella didn't like that at all. She felt sad for Lisa but she missed seeing Greg too. Bella hoped they would make up soon.

"That's ok, I still see my Dad every weekend and it's pretty cool cuz he always buys me whatever I want." Simon said with laugh.

Bella smiled. "That's pretty cool, but don't you miss having him at your house with you?"

Simon's smile fell and he seemed to think about what she'd asked. He shrugged and nodded his head. "Yeah."

"My Mom and Dad fight sometimes and me and my sister always ignore 'em. Grown ups can be so stupid." Maya interjected, rolling her eyes.

Bella and Simon nodded in agreement.

"You got any sisters or brothers, Bella?" Simon asked with curiosity.

Bella froze for a moment, staring at Simon, not knowing how to answer. She did _not_ want to talk about Mattie, so she simply shook her head.

"You're lucky, cuz I got a older sister and she's a bitch." Simon replied.

Bella gave him a small smile and Maya giggled at him. Bella wasn't lucky to not have Mattie anymore and she wanted to tell Simon that she loved her brother, but she couldn't tell him why he wasn't with her. She shrugged. "I wish I had a brother…or a sister." She added, so they wouldn't ask why she wanted a brother and not a sister. She just wanted her brother back.

"Why? They're so annoying." Simon asked, rolling his eyes.

Bella shrugged, wanting to end this conversation. "Let's play on the swings." Bella suggested.

"Yeah! I bet I can swing higher than you guys." Simon challenged, running toward the swings without her and Maya.

Bella looked at Maya with a scowl. "Is _always_ like that?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Always."

They began walking toward the swings, noticing that Simon was already swinging as high as he could go. Bella rolled her eyes. 'Boys are weird.' She thought.

They played on the swings until it was time to go back to their classes. Bella, Maya and Simon were walking away from the swings and heading over to stand with their respective classes.

"Bye, Maya." Bella said, waving at her.

"Bye. Maybe we can play together at the park after school." Maya said.

Bella smiled and nodded. "I'll ask my Mom if I can." She told her excitedly.

"Me too." Simon interjected.

"Ok. See ya." Maya responded, waving at them.

Bella and Simon waved and followed the teacher back to their classroom. When they reached the room, Mrs. Penner told her that she needed to wait for her tutor to come and show her to the library. Bella nodded and gathered her stuff, sitting down at her desk to wait for the tutor. Simon looked over at her as he sat at his desk and crossed his eyes, making faces at her to try and make her laugh. She rolled her eyes, but gave him a small smile. She signed, 'you're stupid' in sign language and he scowled at her. His expression of confusion was what made her laugh. The classroom was a bit noisy as everyone was slowly coming down from the excitement of playing outside. A few minutes later, a small woman with gray hair and glasses came into the room and spoke briefly with Mrs. Penner. Bella thought that must be her tutor. She was proven right when her teacher waved her to the front of the classroom. Bella stood and waved goodbye to Simon, making her way up there. She was introduced to the woman, Mrs. Decker, and followed her out of the classroom.

* * *

2:15 PM

Cuddy sat on the couch in her office going over charts that required her signature. She had been having trouble concentrating today thinking about Bella and wondering how she was doing. She wondered if she was having fun or if she was feeling frustrated because of the lessons being more advanced. Cuddy wondered if she was still feeling okay about being at school or if Bella was still worried that something was going to happen to Cuddy. She truly hoped that Bella had had a good day today and that it had been a good experience for her so that she would be comfortable going back. She wanted Bella to succeed, as every mother does for her child. She couldn't stop her nerves and her imagination from taking over as she thought of how Bella's first day of school was going. Cuddy looked at the clock for the millionth time today and saw that it was almost time to leave to pick Bella up from school.

Another reason Cuddy couldn't concentrate today was because of what had happened on Saturday night with House. She had been expecting him to come barging in her office all day today to continue their argument but he hadn't. She was still upset, and she knew he was as well, judging by the look he gave her this morning. They needed to fix this between them, to come to some sort of agreement because she didn't want this to affect Bella anymore. Yesterday, Cuddy could tell that Bella felt uncomfortable with this situation. She didn't know how to act or what to say to Cuddy in regards to their argument. Bella was afraid to talk about House in front of her and she didn't want her to feel that way. Cuddy needed to make the first move though, because she knew that House wouldn't.

Cuddy sat there for 15 minutes and finished signing the charts before gathering them in her arms and taking them over to her desk. She looked at the clock again and decided she would leave a little early to pick Bella up. Before she could gather her purse and close down her computer, the phone on her desk rang. Cuddy sighed and contemplated not answering it and letting it go to voicemail, but decided that it might be important.

"Dr. Cuddy."

"Hello, Dr. Cuddy, this is Janine Cohen with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. How are you doing today?"

Cuddy furrowed her brow in concern as to why Janine was calling her. "I'm fine, thank you, Janine. Is something wrong?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I'm not sure, Lisa. I got a phone call today from a Dr. Greg House. He says he's close with you and Bella and that he was looking for some information regarding her brother. To my knowledge, Bella doesn't have a brother and due to confidentiality I was unable to assist Dr. House in this matter, but I was curious if you had given him permission to call and ask about Bella. Do you know what he's talking about? Does Bella have a brother?"

Cuddy closed her eyes and shook her head. She should have known House would try to contact Janine. "I'm so sorry that Dr. House has been bothering you, Janine. I wasn't aware that he was going to contact you. Yes, Bella had a brother, but he's deceased. After their parents died, they were put into foster care because they had no other family to care for them. They ran away from the foster home and made their way to New York City where her brother was killed, leaving her alone to take care of herself. Sometime later, Dr. House and I found her. I believe Dr. House is trying to find information on her previous foster parents." Cuddy quickly explained, looking at the clock. She was going to be late to pick Bella up if she didn't get off the phone soon.

"My god." She whispered. "So she was in the system before and we didn't know it."

"Yes." Cuddy confirmed.

"Lisa…why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Janine asked with surprise. "If she's been in the system, that's information we needed to have before granting you custody. We needed to exhaust all avenues before giving her to you. If these people have been looking for her this whole time…" Janine paused for a moment, sighing over the phone. "You could lose her, Lisa." She told Cuddy softly. "The adoption isn't final yet and if a judge feels that you have misled us, he could decide to give her back to the family, and if he does, that's it. There's not anything I can do about it." She explained. "You would need a lawyer at that point."

Cuddy collapsed in her chair in complete shock, her jaw dropping as she stared across the room in stunned silence. Her eyes began to tear up and she felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She was speechless.

"Lisa? Are you there?" Janine asked quietly.

Cuddy cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. Her mouth had gone dry and her tears had spilled over onto her cheeks. She wiped them away and sat forward in her chair, propping her head up with her hand on her forehead. Cuddy closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm here." She whispered.

"Don't panic just yet, Lisa, ok? I will see what I can find out on these people and I'll call you back." She assured her.

"Yeah." Cuddy responded, still feeling the shock over what Janine had just told her.

"I'll call you with something either tonight or tomorrow, ok? Just hang in there. I promise we'll get this straightened out."

Cuddy nodded, forgetting that Janine couldn't see her acknowledgment over the phone. "Thank you." She added.

Cuddy hung up the phone and sat there a moment before she looked at the clock. She was officially late picking Bella up from school. She had 5 minutes to get there and it was a 15-minute drive. Cuddy quickly pulled herself together, not wanting Bella to get wind of any of this. As Cuddy left her office, House came to mind. This was his fault; he had started this. If he had just left things alone like she'd told him, none of this would be happening. The more she thought of it, the angrier she got. But she had to pull herself together before Bella saw her. Bella couldn't find out about this. Cuddy felt a tear spill over her eyelid as she walked to her car. She quickly swiped at it and got in, closing the door. All she wanted to do right now was cry, but she couldn't. Cuddy sniffed and wiped at her eyes once more before quickly checking her make-up. She needed to get through this day without breaking down. But tomorrow…tomorrow she would go have a talk with House and ask him what the hell he had been thinking. She could potentially lose her daughter and if she did it would destroy her. If she _did_ lose Bella…she didn't think she could ever forgive House for that.

**Thanks for reading, guys! Please leave me a review!!**


	33. Chapter 32

**The reviews were awesome for the last chapter! Your reactions were so awesome! I was all giddy and stuff. Thank you so much for sharing your opinions and your outrage at the characters. I had opinions for both sides, which was great! I hope you enjoy this next chapter…I worked hard on getting it the way I wanted it so let me know what you think. Even if you don't like it….**

**Chapter 32**

3:15 PM

Bella played on the steps in front of the school as Mrs. Decker stood by watching out for her as she waited for Lisa to get there to pick her up. She was ready to leave after a long day, but it had been fun too. She was able to play with her friends and Mrs. Decker was nice and had made her lessons easy for her to understand. Bella didn't care that Lisa was late, she probably got stuck helping somebody at the hospital. Sometimes Lisa worked too hard. Bella kept one eye on the parking lot as she hopped up and down the steps. Simon had left just a few minutes ago, after coming over to say bye and suggest that they play together later. She'd smiled and nodded her head, hoping that Lisa would let her go outside and play with him and Maya when they got home.

About a minute later, Bella saw Lisa pull into a parking space. She looked up at Mrs. Decker. "That's my Mom over there." She told her with a smile. "See you tomorrow, Mrs. Decker." She said, running up the stairs and grabbing her backpack, hoisting it over her shoulder.

"Hold dear, I'll walk over there with you." She told Bella, taking her hand.

"Ok."

They made their way over there and Bella opened the car door, slipping inside. "Hi Lisa!" She greeted her happily.

"Hi, Sweetie, did you have good day?"

Bella nodded with an excited smile. "Yeah!"

Lisa's smile grew, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Good, I was thinking about you all day today."

"You was?" She asked, smiling at Lisa, excited that she had been on her mind today.

"I was." She told her with a chuckle.

"Dr. Cuddy, I'm Silvia Decker, Bella's tutor." Mrs. Decker introduced herself as she peeked in through the car's window.

"Mrs. Decker, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. And please, call me Lisa."

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Lisa, you have a very bright young lady there. She did very well today." She told her with a smile.

"Yes, she is very intelligent." Lisa agreed, glancing at Bella and winking at her. "Thank you for your help, Mrs. Decker."

"You're welcome, dear. I gave her an assignment to complete tonight; it isn't too difficult, just a few math problems and a reading assignment. She did well with them today, so she shouldn't have any trouble."

Lisa nodded. "Thank you, we'll be sure to get those done tonight."

Mrs. Decker nodded. "Have a good evening. Bye bye, Bella." Mrs. Decker waved at her.

"Bye, Mrs. Decker."

Mrs. Decker waved and made her way back inside of the school. They sat there for a few minutes and Bella looked over at Lisa, furrowing her brow. Bella had expected Lisa to drive them away from the school, but she was staring ahead of her like she was in deep thought. Bella kept on watching her until she turned her head, smiling as she noticed Bella watching.

"Did you have a good day?" She asked.

"You already asked me that." Bella told her.

"I did?"

Bella nodded and frowned at her. "Is something wrong?"

Lisa furrowed her brow. "No, why?"

Bella shrugged. "You looked sad again. Did Greg make you sad today?"

Lisa sighed, shaking her head. "Let's not talk about that ok?"

Bella nodded. "Ok. But I don't want you to be sad."

Lisa gave her a sweet smile. "I'll be ok, don't worry." She reassured Bella. "Come on, let's go get some ice cream and you can tell me all about your day."

Bella gave her a huge, excited smile and nodded her head. "Yeah!"

Lisa chuckled at her excitement and pulled the car out of the parking lot.

* * *

7:30 PM

Cuddy was sitting in the living room on pins and needles hoping to hear from Janine tonight. She had been able to keep from breaking down this afternoon and into the evening, but she almost lost it as she and Bella sat at the dinner table and Bella talked excitedly about how she thought she was going to enjoy school and she couldn't wait to go back tomorrow. Cuddy had been happy to hear that, of course, but in the back of her mind she had been wondering what Janine had found out about Bella's previous foster parents. She wondered if she should ask Bella about them, but swiftly changed her mind. She didn't want Bella to know anything was wrong. Bella had looked at her with some concern but Cuddy was sure she chalked it up to her being mad at House…which was technically true.

Now, Bella was playing in her room and Cuddy was trying to work on some papers for the hospital, but was having trouble concentrating. She felt like she had gotten nothing done today, with worrying how Bella was doing in school, thinking about her problem with House and now adding the stress of potentially losing her daughter.

Several more minutes passed as she tried to work, when suddenly her cell phone rang. Cuddy snatched it up, not even looking at the caller ID.

"Cuddy." She answered. She never answered the phone like that but she was on edge right now and not in the mood for her usual greeting.

"Lisa, it's Janine."

"What did you find out?" Cuddy asked anxiously, sitting forward on the couch.

"Well, unfortunately not a whole lot just yet. I did find Bella's previous file on record and it was a fluke that it wasn't found before. There are several different Porters in the system in New Jersey and Bella was looked over. Her file wasn't even in the correct place. I apologize, Lisa, this is my fault and I take full responsibility. If the worst happens and we go before a judge, I'll testify to that. As far as the family that fostered her previously, I have their names and I'm looking into it."

Cuddy closed her eyes in disbelief. "I can't believe this is happening, Janine. How could this happen?" She asked softly into the phone, not wanting Bella to overhear her conversation.

"These things happen all the time unfortunately. Kids get lost in the system and it's tragic, but it's a reality. I assure you that this will get straightened out, Lisa, but I can't promise you a positive outcome at this point, not until I find out more on the family."

Cuddy nodded, the overwhelming sadness beginning to take over. Her eyes were tearing up again and she swiped at her cheeks, trying desperately to hold them back so Bella wouldn't know. "Thank you for your help, Janine, I appreciate your hard work on this, please call me as soon as you know anything." She pleaded softly into the phone.

"I will, Lisa, I promise. Try to get some sleep, ok?" She told Cuddy.

She scoffed. "Yeah, I'll try." She responded, knowing she wouldn't sleep a wink tonight.

Cuddy hung up the phone and stood up, leaving her work for tomorrow. She wasn't getting it done tonight. She made her way down the hall to check on Bella; she needed to get a bath before bed. Cuddy peaked inside her room as she sat on the floor, drawing in her sketchbook. When Bella noticed her she smiled.

"Look what I drew." She said, holding it up for Cuddy to see.

It was a loose sketch of a playground with three kids playing on the monkey bars. Cuddy smiled and walked in, sitting down beside her. "That's beautiful, Sweetie."

"It's me and Maya and Simon on the playground today at school."

"I love it." Cuddy told her.

Bella's smile grew, looking up at Cuddy with pride in her drawing and happiness that she had liked it.

"It's time for your bath, Bella."

Bella pouted. "Aww, can't I draw a little longer?"

"After your bath, baby." Cuddy told her.

Bella sighed and stood up, putting away her drawing materials. Cuddy noticed how carefully she returned her materials where they belonged in her art box. They truly meant a great deal to her and she treated them with care. After putting everything away, she left her room and made her way into the bathroom. A few moments later, Cuddy heard the shower running. She remained glued to the spot she was in, looking around Bella's room and how beautiful it was. She had spent a lot of time getting this room ready for her and it was perfect. Cuddy suddenly noticed where she was sitting and it was the exact spot she had been sitting the day that she had lost Joy. Her eyes began tearing up, remembering the great loss she felt that night and the emptiness of the room she sat in. The room was lifeless that night, just like she had felt inside at the loss of the baby she looked forward to bringing home, filling the room with life and happiness. Now she sat there in the same spot, only this time the room had life. And it had the most wonderful little girl living in it, but Cuddy suddenly began to feel that emptiness in her soul creeping up on her once more. She looked around the room, imagining all of the furniture and pictures on the walls disappearing and leaving her with nothing.

It was at this point that Cuddy could no longer hold back her tears. They came spilling down her cheeks and she was helpless to stop them. Her shoulders began shaking and she lifted her knees to her chest and dropped her head onto them, sobbing uncontrollably. 'This is not happening again.' She kept thinking in her mind as she let all of the emotions she'd been holding in since this afternoon, come spilling out of her. She couldn't lose Bella; she had become Cuddy's life. Bella filled an emptiness in her that she thought would never get filled. Her life was full now, complete. She just couldn't imagine living her life without Bella now that she has experienced being a mother to her.

Cuddy heard the water turn off in the bathroom and expected Bella to come back in her room at any moment. She stood up, wiping her tears, and making her way to her own bathroom to wash her face. She couldn't let Bella see her crying, she would ask too many questions that she couldn't answer right now. Cuddy could only hope that all of this would work out in her favor. Everything had been perfect until now. Why did she always have to get dealt blow after blow in her life? It seemed like it was always something, like she couldn't be happy for too long or the world would fall apart. Instead it had to be her world that fell apart because God forbid she find happiness for two seconds. Cuddy rolled her eyes at herself and her thoughts. She was feeling sorry for herself and that wasn't going to solve anything. She decided to take a long, hot soak in the tub to try and ease her tension. Maybe then she'd be able to get some sleep tonight.

* * *

9:30 AM – The Next Day

House walked into the hospital, making his way to the elevator. He glanced in the direction of Cuddy's office again this morning but didn't see her. He hadn't heard anything from her, which was weird because he was sure he would get an earful when she found out that he'd called Bella's caseworker, but apparently that had gone undetected for now. House stepped inside the elevator, using his cane to press the button for the 4th floor, and as the doors were closing, he saw a hand reach out and stop it. The doors slid open, revealing whom that hand belonged to. He saw Cuddy standing there, and if looks could kill…. 'Here we go.' He thought.

Cuddy got on, turned around to face the doors, and noticed that several other people were behind her waiting to board as well. "Take the next one." She told them coldly. They backed off and the doors closed, sealing him inside with Cuddy. "We have to talk." She told him, her tone never changing as she pushed the button for the top floor as they headed up to the roof.

"Great." He replied with mock enthusiasm.

The doors opened up on the 4th floor since he had already pushed the button before she got on the elevator with him, but they didn't move to get off. They were silent on the way up to the roof. And a few minutes later, as they both stepped onto the roof, Cuddy closed the door behind them.

"You didn't bring me up here to murder me, did you, because Wilson knows exactly where I am at all times. He placed a homing beacon on my ass the last time I went missing from…"

"Shut up." She snapped, gritting her teeth in anger. She turned around to face him, the anger evident on her face.

He glared at her, knowing she had found out about his call to DYFS. "Look Cuddy, I called Bella's caseworker to try to find out about her foster parents. She didn't give me anything so what the hell's your problem?"

"My _problem_, House, is that I could lose my daughter because of your little phone call to Janine." She shouted with anger at him.

He scowled in confusion. "What? That doesn't make any sense, Cuddy, they can't take your kid because I asked a few questions."

"They can if her previous foster parents have been looking for her!" She yelled.

He stared at her, still not understanding what the hell she was talking about.

"I can't believe you would do this, after everything I've been through to have child and you go fuck it up for me." She ranted, turning around and walking away from him.

He followed her. "What the hell? You're blaming me for this? That is bullshit, Cuddy!" He exclaimed, grabbing her arm and turning her around to face him. "This is not my fault, you just need someone to blame and I'm the closest target."

"If you hadn't decided to go hunting for Mattie's killer, then none of this would've happened, House!" She screamed at him. "I _asked_ you to leave it alone, but you can't. You can't leave anything alone, because you're too damn selfish and you have to have all the answers. Everything is a fucking puzzle to you!" She continued, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

"That's right, Cuddy, I'm selfish. I'm trying to find the man that murdered her brother so she can get past all the _shit_ she goes through everyday because of it. Yeah, I'm the biggest _selfish_ bastard in the world!" He yelled back at her. "I love that kid, Cuddy, and all I'm trying to do is help her." He added, pointing his finger at her.

Cuddy stared at him for a moment with rage in her eyes. In the next second, her expression crumbled and the rage and anger dissipated, leaving only fear and anguish. Her eyes filled with tears as she broke down in front of him. "I can't lose her, House." She cried, her body shaking as she sobbed. "I can't go through this again." She said, shaking her head as she stood in front of him. She looked about to collapse, so he took a step forward and enveloped her tightly in his arms, holding her against his chest. She cried uncontrollably in his arms and all he could do was hold her. He was a little stunned how she could go from one extreme emotion to the next. He wanted to tell her that everything would be ok, but he didn't know for sure that it would be. He didn't completely understand what happened, not making the connection on how his phone call could cause her to potentially lose Bella.

He leaned his head down to speak softly in her ear. "What happened Cuddy?"

She shook her head, unable to speak as she continued to cry. He soothed her quietly, caressing her back and comforting her as much as he could. She began to calm down after a few minutes and he continued to hold her in his arms. He felt her arms come around his waist, hugging him in return and they stood there silently for about 5 minutes as she continued to calm herself. He was surprised when he heard her voice.

"Janine asked if I knew if Bella had a brother and I explained everything to her, about Bella and Mattie having lived with foster parents after their parents death and that they had run away to New York; about Mattie being killed and leaving Bella alone. She told me I should've disclosed that they had been in the foster system to her beforehand and that if the foster parents have been looking for them all this time and a judge decided that I had misled them in order to gain custody faster…then he could take her away and give her back to them." She explained, choking out the last part with pain in her voice.

House sighed, leaning back and looking into her eyes. "That's not going to happen, Cuddy. Social services should've known she was in the system. It sounds to me like they are the ones who screwed up, not you."

She nodded. "Janine found her previous file. She told me that Bella was looked over in their system, she reassured me it wasn't my fault. But what if they want her back, House?" She asked miserably, a small sob escaping her mouth.

"Cuddy, Mattie took his little sister away from them for a reason. He may not have done it the smartest way but he did it. Those people can't be all that great if he felt he needed to get her out of there."

Cuddy sniffed and nodded her head in agreement, shifting her eyes away from him. House lifted his hand to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, causing her to look back at him. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Cuddy glanced away from him and stepped back. He looked at her with confusion as she turned her back on him and walked a few steps away from him.

She sniffed and wiped at her tears. "I'm sorry, House." She told him softly. "I shouldn't have blamed you for any of this. But I was _so_ angry and scared that this was happening to me again. I just…I cannot handle losing Bella. I was able to get past losing Joy, but Bella…she's mine, House. It's like I've known her, her entire life; like it was meant for me to be her mother, like I gave birth to her." She explained, turning around to face him. Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. "She's my child."

House nodded, walking toward her. "I know, Cuddy. And I wish I could tell you that you won't lose her, but I can't. All I know is that that kid has changed since she's known you and it's because she feels the same way about you. I'm not saying she doesn't miss her Mom or her old life, but she knows you saved her from the hell she's been living in and she's beginning to see you as her Mom." He told her softly, moving his hand to cup her cheek. "You should see her smile when she talks about you or how the very thought of disappointing you for any reason upsets her because all she wants to do is make you proud of her." He told her, watching her lips curve into a small smile. "She trusts you more than anyone, Cuddy. And if some judge can't see that the second you two are in the same room together, then he's an idiot." House leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers. "I'll say whatever you want in front of a judge, Cuddy. I don't want you to lose your kid." He told her softly. "I don't want to lose her either." He added in a whisper.

Cuddy wound her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, House." She whispered to him gratefully. They held each other for a few minutes before Cuddy placed a kiss on his cheek.

House leaned back, smirking at her. "You need to set Wilson up with Miss DYFS." He told her out of the blue, hoping to get a laugh from her.

Cuddy scowled at him before a small smirk came to her face and she shook her head. "I'm not playing matchmaker for Wilson." She told him, rolling her eyes with a bit of amusement in her expression.

"Why not? He needs to get laid, Cuddy. Seriously, you need to introduce them. He told me he thought she was hot."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows, giving him an amused look. "Really, he said that?"

House nodded. "He told me while he was trying to remember her name but the memory of her funbags kept getting in the way."

Cuddy chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh god."

House gently brushed her hair away from her face. "So are you done being pissed at me?" He asked as he moved his hand onto her hip, bringing her closer to him.

Cuddy placed her hand on his chest. "You're still going to look for Mattie's killer, aren't you?" She asked softly.

House sighed and nodded his head.

Cuddy shifted her eyes away from his. He lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Could use you're help, Cuddy." He said, softly. "But I'll understand if you can't." He added, moving his finger to caress her jaw.

She seemed to think about it for a few moments before she shook her head. "Bella can't know, House. I don't want her finding out, she already has too much on her mind without worrying about this too."

"I understand that, Cuddy. She won't find out." He assured her.

Cuddy nodded. "Fine, I'll help you. But it's not my priority, House; I want you to understand that. Bella is my first priority and if this starts to take time away from her, I'm done."

"I get it, Cuddy. Wilson and I will do most of the work."

"He's helping you?"

"Yeah."

Cuddy sighed and nodded her head. "I don't know why I'm surprised." She replied with a bit of humor. "You two are practically attached at the hip."

"Are you jealous of Wilson…because if you want to attach yourself to my hip, I'd be happy to oblige. And by hip, I mean penis." He added, dipping his head and stealing a kiss from her.

Cuddy chuckled as he kissed her. She pulled back and grimaced at him. "If Wilson were attached to your penis…then I'd be jealous."

House scowled. "Ugh…don't say shit like that, Cuddy, unless you want me to puke."

Cuddy laughed at him and gave him a peck on the lips. "We have to get back to work." She told him, grabbing his left hand and pulling him behind her to the door leading back inside the hospital.

"You mean, you have to get back to work…I just got here, I haven't even begun to work yet." He stated, letting go of her hand as they made their way down the stairs and opening the door leading out of the stairwell and into the hallway.

"And by work, you of course mean, avoid clinic duty at all costs, right?" She asked, looking at him meaningfully.

"That would be correct. You'd be surprised how much work goes into that." He replied with sarcasm.

Cuddy rolled her eyes as they entered the elevators, standing side by side at the back of the elevator. House grabbed onto Cuddy's hand once more, giving it reassuring squeeze. He shifted his eyes to her face and saw her lips curve into a small smile. They were silent as the elevator stopped on the 4th floor, unclasping their hands just before the doors slid open.

"Later, Cuddles." He whispered, before exiting the elevator and making his way to his office.

* * *

11:15 AM

Bella, Simon, Maya and another girl in Maya's class named Ellie sat together at the lunch table eating. Simon had forgotten his lunch so Bella shared hers with him. Lisa had given her enough food anyway and she wasn't that hungry. They talked about the science lesson in class this morning and Ellie said that her older sister had cut open a frog in her science class once. Maya grimaced at the thought but Bella and Simon smiled with interest.

"I know a doctor at my Mom's hospital that cuts people open and looks at their guts." Bella told them with a giggle. "His name is Chase and he's from Australia."

"Where's that?" Simon asked.

"On other side of the world." Bella told him, exaggerating her answer just as Chase had done, minus the accent.

Simon's eyes grew wide. "Really? Does he talk funny?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "A little, but I think it's cool."

"Cutting people open is disgusting, I'd puke if I saw somebody's insides." Maya said, scrunching her face in disgust.

"Me too." Ellie agreed.

"I asked Greg once if I could go watch Chase do surgery but he wouldn't let me, he said I'd puke because of all the blood."

"Who's Greg?" Maya asked with curiosity.

"He's my friend and he's a doctor too. He works at my Mom's hospital." Bella told them, not sure if she should mention that he's Lisa's boyfriend or if it was a secret from her friends too.

"Does he cut people open too?" Simon asked.

"No, I don't think so." Bella answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Does your Mom cut people open?" Simon asked with a curious grin.

"No, she sits at a desk and does paperwork all the time. But sometimes she sees patients too." Bella explained.

"Cool. So if I got sick, she could fix me?" Simon asked.

"Yeah, she fixed me once when I was her patient."

"Really? Cool!" Simon exclaimed. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up."

"Simon, you don't even like science, you can't be a doctor." Maya told him.

"I don't like learning about plants and stuff, that don't mean I don't like science, Maya. I could be a doctor, couldn't I, Bella?"

Bella shrugged. "Sure, if you want to."

"See, Maya. Bella thinks I could."

Maya rolled her eyes.

"What do you want to be, Bella?" Simon asked her.

"I don't know, my Mom said I got time to think about it." She told him.

As they continued talking for a few more minutes, their teachers called them to recess. Everyone got up, throwing away their trash and following their teachers outside to the playground where they started playing a game of soccer with a ball that one of the boys in her class had brought with him. As Bella was kicking the ball down the field, one of the boys pushed her over and took the ball away from her. She fell down, ripping her pants and skinning her knees and hands on the grass. Simon, Maya and Ellie ran over to her to make sure she was ok. Her hands and knees were bleeding but she didn't cry even though it really hurt and she wanted to. When Simon saw that she was ok, he took off after the boy that had knocked her down and shoved him to the ground. Seeing this, the teachers ran over to them and pulled them apart as they kicked and hit at each other.

Maya, Ellie and another teacher helped Bella up from the ground, taking her to the nurse, where she cleaned the wounds and bandaged her hands and knees. The antibacterial ointment the nurse put on helped it stop hurting as much but it kept throbbing. Recess was cut short for Bella as she was told to sit down and rest at the picnic tables outside until they went back to the classrooms. Maya and Ellie sat out there with her and they talked until it was time to go in.

When she got back to her classroom, she saw that Simon wasn't back yet. He had been taken to the Principal's office for fighting and she hoped he wouldn't get into too much trouble. He had started the fight because Bella had gotten hurt; it was her fault, and she thought she should tell the Principal.

When Mrs. Decker came to pick her up for her tutoring lessons, she asked Mrs. Penner before she left if she could go see the Principal and tell her what had happened. Mrs. Penner assured her that she would let the Principal know and that she could go with Mrs. Decker. Bella sighed and nodded her head. She wanted to tell Mrs. Waddell herself, but decided not to argue about it. As she sat in the library doing her lessons she found it hard to concentrate but Mrs. Decker had been patient with her. She kept thinking of Simon and if he was ok. Nobody except for Mattie had ever stuck up for her like that and she felt bad that Simon had gotten in trouble. She hoped to see him after school so she could thank him and make sure he hadn't gotten hurt as well.

* * *

1:15 PM

Cuddy was working at her desk, thinking about going to get some lunch when her phone rang. She was expecting a call from Janine but wasn't sure when she'd call. She was hoping to get information about Bella's previous foster parents to see if they had been looking for Mattie and Bella this whole time. But when she picked up the phone, it wasn't whom she was expecting.

"Dr. Cuddy."

"Dr. Cuddy, this is Mrs. Waddell at Riverside Elementary, how are you this afternoon."

Cuddy sat up straight in her chair, instantly panicking that something had happened to Bella. "I'm fine, Mrs. Waddell, thank you." She replied politely even though she was freaking out inside. "Is everything all right with Bella?"

"She's fine, Dr. Cuddy, but I'm calling to notify you that she did fall on the playground earlier at recess, scratching up her hands and knees, but she's doing alright." Mrs. Waddell assured her.

Cuddy frowned. "What happened?"

"The children were playing soccer at recess when apparently one of the boys got too rough and pushed her down. She's been treated by our nurse and is in her tutoring lessons right now. The boy has been disciplined, but I just wanted to notify you of the situation."

Cuddy nodded. "Thank you, I appreciate that. Are you sure she's ok?" Cuddy asked with concern.

"She's fine, Dr. Cuddy, I promise."

"Ok, thank you Mrs. Waddell, I really appreciate you letting me know."

"You're welcome, have a nice day."

Cuddy hung up, frowning at the news that Bella had gotten hurt on her second day at school. She hoped Bella would be ok and this incident wouldn't affect her attitude toward going to school. A few moments later as Cuddy continued to worry about how Bella was doing, her phone rang again.

"Dr. Cuddy."

"Lisa, it's Janine."

"Oh my god, Janine, what did you find out?" Cuddy asked.

"Well, I paid a visit to Mrs. Bedford in Trenton. She was extremely shocked that I came by to see her. I asked her what had happened back then and she told me that Bella and Mattie just up and left one day without any explanation. I asked why she thought they would do that and she didn't have an answer. She said they had reported them missing to the police, and from what she was able to stammer out I gathered that it had apparently 'slipped their minds' to report it to us, or they thought the police would. I tried contacting their caseworker at the time but was unable to reach him. He should have been notified and if he was he didn't do a damn thing about it. He's required to check on them regularly but his notes in their file are a disgrace." Janine explained sounding exasperated at the situation.

"She didn't give you any indication as to why they would just leave? When I asked Bella she told me that she was just following Mattie, but he must've suspected or knew something was going on for them not to stay there." Cuddy said.

"I don't know, Lisa. Unfortunately, children who are in foster care tend to run from the families they are with and the reasons vary. There could have been abuse in the home or it could have been that they thought they would've been better off on the streets. I can't really speak to why they left, and if Bella was only following her brother then it may never be known. I will investigate to see if the family have any complaints from other foster kids or caseworkers that have dealt with them."

"So does this mean Bella stays with me?" Cuddy asked with hope in her voice.

"As far as I'm concerned, Lisa, she's yours."

"Oh my god." Cuddy replied with relief as a smile came to her face at the thought that Bella would remain with her. "So what happens next?" She asked.

"I try to find out what happened and if there's anything that causes me to believe they were mistreated, I'll file a report. And at that point, the police will be involved."

"Has the family even asked how they're doing…I mean, did you tell them that Mattie is deceased?"

"She seemed happy that they had been found but didn't ask about them individually."

Cuddy shook her head. "It's like they didn't even care what happened to them." Cuddy commented before a sudden thought came to her mind. "Janine, I didn't explain this before and Bella doesn't know that I know. But her brother Mattie was murdered in New York City, that's why she's alone. Would charges be filed against the foster family?"

"Oh my god…uh, I guess that depends on why they ran, Lisa. If they did it on their own because of the grief of losing their parents, I don't see how the family could be at fault. However, if the kids ran because they were being mistreated, then yes…I guess they could be charged." Janine told her. "Do you know for sure what happened to Mattie?"

"No, except that he was shot and killed in front of Bella. She knows everything and she's repressed it. She has severe nightmares and anxiety when he's mentioned." Lisa replied softly.

"Then before anything can happen, I suppose we'd need to know why they left and what exactly happened to him. You may need to get Bella to tell you what happened, Lisa."

"I've tried to but she just won't talk about it, it's too painful for her."

"Has she seen a psychologist? They may be able to help her with this."

"She's seen someone, but her sessions were interrupted when she came to live with me. I think it's time she starts them back up though. She's talked to me a little but she's never told me what happened."

"I would definitely get her back in those sessions, Lisa, they could do wonders for her. I know she won't want to, but you're her mother…you have to make her."

Cuddy nodded, sighing softly. "I know, it's just hard for me to see the pain she goes through when she talks about Mattie and what she saw."

Janine sighed softly. "Look, I understand that you don't want your daughter to go through any pain, but everything she's repressing will keep growing until it spills out of her and that could be even more painful than talking about it now. If she lives with this for too long and it goes untreated…it could be devastating to her in her teenage years and into adulthood, I've seen it happen. You're a doctor, Lisa; if she were hurt physically you wouldn't hesitate to get her treated. It's the same thing with mental and emotional pain, it can't be ignored. Especially when it's as traumatic as seeing her brother's murder." Janine explained to her with genuine concern for Bella and sympathy for what she was going through and what Cuddy would have to deal with.

Cuddy sighed once more. "You're right." She replied. "You're right, Janine. Thank you for your help and insight into this. I really appreciate your opinion."

"You're welcome. I'll keep in touch, Lisa, just take care of Bella and enjoy her as your daughter…she's a special young lady."

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she is. Thank you, I'll talk to you soon."

Cuddy hung up the phone with a sigh. Janine _was_ right, Bella needs to start her sessions again, even if it's just once a week for now. She had hesitated resuming Bella's sessions because of her starting school and not wanting to overwhelm her, but she doesn't really have a choice in this…Cuddy couldn't ignore it any longer. With that decided, her thoughts shifted to what Janine had told her about Bella remaining with her. Cuddy smiled once more with overwhelming happiness. She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her and she could breathe again. Cuddy picked up the phone and dialed House's office.

"Is it time for our afternoon delight already?" He asked as a greeting.

"I have news."

"About the kid?" He asked in a more serious tone.

"Yeah."

"Wait there, I'm coming down."

"No, it's ok I'll just…"

"I'm coming down." He interrupted, hanging up before she could argue.

* * *

5 Minutes Later

House opened the door to Cuddy's office, not sure what she was about to tell him. Her voice had not given him any indication one way or the other, so he was slightly anxious right now, although he would never show it or tell her about it. Cuddy looked up at him as he entered, keeping her expression neutral. He sat down across from her and waited for her to start talking.

"Janine called me a little while ago and told me that she had spoken with the foster parents."

He nodded.

A small smile came to her face. "Bella's staying with me." She said, her smile growing as she looked at him happily, a laugh escaping her lips.

House's lips curved into a smile. He nodded, feeling happy for her. "Congratulations, Cuddy, I'm happy for you." He told her, his smile growing as hers did. She stood up and walked in front of her desk, sitting on the edge of it and as close to him as she could without looking suspicious if someone were to glance into her office. He looked up at her, leaning back in the chair.

"You want to make out on the couch to celebrate?" He offered, raising his eyebrows in question and nodding toward the couch.

Cuddy chuckled. "If I thought I could get away with it, I would."

House shrugged. "Close the blinds and lock the door."

"About a dozen people just saw you walk in here…I don't think so." She told him with a smirk, shaking her head. "But I'll be happy to make out with you tonight when Bella is asleep." She said in a flirty tone.

"You're such a tease, you tell me great news and we can't even have celebratory sex in your office."

"My hands are tied." She explained, indicating their location.

"I'm sorry did you say you want your hands tied?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as a smirk appeared on his face.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and stood up, moving behind her desk again. "I'm picking Bella up from school at 3:00, do you want to come with me? Bella would love to see you…I know she's missed you."

"You're giving me permission to leave work early? Sweet!" He answered with a nod.

"We're all coming back here afterwards, at which time you _will_ complete your clinic duty for the day since you probably haven't done a damn thing all day long." She told him.

"You're such a slave driver…I think I'd rather catch up with my favorite third grader instead." He responded, getting to his feet and making his way to her office door.

"She'll be doing her homework and you will be doing your clinic duty, House."

"Don't be mean, Cuddy, we've just been reunited." He snarked.

Cuddy chuckled and shook her head at him. "Get back to work and meet me in the parking garage at 2:30."

House opened the door and smirked at her as he took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs, "For the last time, Dr. Cuddy, your sexual advances toward me are not appropriate in the workplace!"

Cuddy's jaw dropped just before she pointed to the door and yelled, "Get out, House."

House smirked and walked out the door, winking at several nurses who had heard the shouting. "She wants me in the worst way." He stated, drawing eye rolls and a couple of laughs from them as he made his way to Wilson's office to tell him the news.

* * *

3:00 PM

Bella sat outside on the front steps of the school with Mrs. Decker, waiting for Lisa to come pick her up. Her lessons had gone well again today, but she had some trouble writing with the bandages on her hands. Her knees and hands were hurting again and she lifted one of the bandages on her knees to take a look at it. The one on her right knee was the worst because she had landed on it first when she fell. Her pants were ripped at the knees and stained with grass. A few seconds later, Bella looked up when she heard her name called.

"Bella!"

Bella stood up, seeing Simon running toward her, noticing he had a purple and red bruise just under his eye. "Simon!"

"Are you ok?" He asked somewhat shyly.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just got some scratches." She explained. "Does your eye hurt?"

Simon brought his hand up to it and shook his head. "It's ok." He reassured her.

"Did you get in too much trouble?"

"I got detention and I'm pretty sure I'll get grounded when I get home."

"Sorry, Simon, it's all my fault."

"No it ain't, he was the one that pushed you down. Samuel is a big bully, he shouldn't do that to you or anyone else. He deserved what he got."

Bella shrugged. "Well, thanks for stickin' up for me. Nobody ever did that for me before."

"It's ok." He grinned at her.

"Maya said she'll probably play at the park after school if you want to come too."

"I'll ask my Mom, but not if she grounds me."

"Oh yeah. How long will she ground you for?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, forever probably."

"Hey, kid." She suddenly heard from behind her. Bella turned around with a huge smile on her face, recognizing the voice immediately.

"Greg!!" She shouted with excitement as she threw her arms around his waist. "You came to pick me up?" She asked loosening her grip and tilting her head up to look at him.

"Your Mom's in the car." He answered, before noticing her bandages. "What the hell happened to you?"

"A boy knocked me down on the playground when we was playin' soccer." She explained.

Greg shifted his eyes to Simon. "I take it you're not the kid who shoved her." He replied.

"No, sir." Simon answered him.

"Greg, that's Simon, he's my friend." Bella told him, slipping her hand inside Greg's.

Greg nodded. "Nice shiner, kid." He commented, indicating his eye.

"Simon stuck up for me." Bella told him proudly.

Greg raised his eyebrows. "That right?"

"Yes, sir." Simon answered.

Greg nodded once more. "Make sure you put some ice on that…it'll bring the swelling down."

"Yes, sir." Simon replied.

"That all you know how to say?" Greg asked with a smirk.

Simon shook his head. "No, sir."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Let's go, kid, before Chatty Kathy here, talks my ear off." He told Bella, turning around and making his way to the car.

"Bye, Simon, hope you don't get grounded for too long." Bella waved at him, following Greg over to the car where Lisa sat inside waiting for them.

"Bye."

Bella looked up at Greg with a smile. "You and Lisa ain't fightin' no more?"

"Nope." He answered.

"Good." She replied happily.

When they reached the car, Greg opened her door and Bella got in, buckling her seatbelt. "Hi Lisa."

"Hey, Sweetie, how are your hands and knees?"

"It hurts a little."

"I'll take a look at it when we get back to the hospital. How were your lessons?"

"Good, Mrs. Decker gave me homework again." Bella told her.

"Yeah, get used to it, kid. Once it starts, it never stops." Greg interjected.

"Never?" Bella asked, furrowing her brow.

"Never." He repeated.

Lisa chuckled, pulling the car out of the parking lot. Bella watched her expression as she drove them to the hospital. She looked different today, than she did yesterday. Lisa looked happier and Bella figured it was because her and Greg weren't fighting anymore. She noticed Greg gently place his hand on her knee as they talked to each other. Bella wasn't really listening to them, she was just happy that things were back to normal. The last few days had sucked without Greg around. Not that she had hated it just being her and Lisa but when Greg was there, things seemed more complete. Almost like they all belonged together. Bella allowed a smile to come to her face as she thought about how everything in her life seemed to be working out after everything she's been through. She had a new Mom and a home; a really great friend she hoped would someday be her Dad. She was going to school again and she had friends there. Her Mom and Dad would be happy for her. 'Mattie would be happy too,' she thought. If only she could think about him without seeing him get shot. If only she could get rid of the nightmares she had and the horrible images she just couldn't get past, no matter how hard she tried. Bella turned her head to look out the window at the passing cars on the highway. 'Would it always be like this?' She wondered. Would she always see Mattie die, over and over again, in her mind? She hoped not. She longed for the day when she could remember Mattie with a smile instead of a frown. She hoped it would come soon, because she didn't know how much longer she could take it.

**A/N: And there you have it. Hope you liked it and stay tuned for the next chapter. Please leave me a review, thanks! :-D**


	34. Chapter 33

**Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I'm glad you guys liked it. I knew you would…it was never my intention to drag that whole thing out, that wasn't why I did it. I asked myself what it would accomplish in the story and so I wrote it for several reasons. One was because I needed Cuddy to realize how much she truly loved Bella, not that she ever questioned it, but she needed to come to the realization that Bella is **_**her**_** daughter, not anybody else's. And losing Bella would have a devastating effect on her and she would never be the same without her. I also wanted House to admit that he loves Bella and I wanted him to do it in a situation where he couldn't take it back…I wanted him to come right out and say it. What better way to do that than in the heat of an argument? It also brought House and Cuddy closer and she's now on board with House doing some detective work. Opening the door for some background on Bella and Mattie's previous living situation was also on my mind. Anyway, I nearly had an uprising on my hands when I wrote that bit, but I loved seeing everyone's reactions to it. Well, moving on…I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 33 **

6:25 PM

Cuddy and Bella walked into their home after a long day. Bella went to put her stuff away in her room as Cuddy tiredly laid her briefcase and purse on the kitchen table. After picking Bella up from school, they had gone back to the hospital where Cuddy and Bella went to her office and she had made sure that House went to the clinic. Bella had asked if House could look at her injuries, and she became his first clinic patient for the day. He had rolled his eyes and pretended to look annoyed at the very thought of having to check her out, but Bella had just giggled at him, knowing he was just messing with her. Cuddy could tell that House had missed seeing Bella and it warmed her heart to know that he loved her. He had told her that morning up on the roof during their argument that he loved Bella and all he wanted was to help her get over what had happened to her. She smiled at how much House had changed since Bella came into their lives. He was still a jerk at times, she knew that would never change, but he was less miserable and she would go as far as saying that he was happy. He'd roll his eyes and deny it if she ever told him he was a happier person these days.

As Cuddy made her way to her room to change out of her work clothes, Bella was coming out of her room.

"I need to look over your homework, Sweetie."

"Oh yeah." She stated and ran back into her room to grab her backpack. Cuddy continued into her room to change, knowing Bella would follow her. A few seconds later, Cuddy heard her running down the hall in her direction. She smiled, overwhelmingly happy that everything had worked out and that she wasn't going to lose Bella. She couldn't believe how emotionally drained she felt right now. In the last 48 hours, she had felt every range of emotion possible and she should feel ready to collapse. But the thought that she would get to keep her daughter gave her a burst of energy and happiness that she couldn't even describe.

Bella ran into her room and carefully hopped up on the bed with her bag in hand. She was cautious not to hurt her hands and knees as she did so. As Cuddy changed, Bella took her homework out of her bag and laid it on the bed for her to look at.

"I drew Mrs. Decker a picture at the top." She told her.

Cuddy looked down at her homework pages and smiled. "That was sweet of you, I'm sure she'll love it."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, she told me she has two dogs at her house and so I drew her dogs for her."

Cuddy's smile grew at that knowledge, thinking how truly considerate of other people Bella was. "Then I know she'll love it; it's beautiful, Bella."

Bella smiled up at her. "Thanks."

Cuddy sat down on the bed beside her after changing into jeans and a t-shirt, and carefully looking over how Bella had done on her homework. Mrs. Decker had started slowly with her lessons, allowing Bella to feel comfortable being in school again and Cuddy really appreciated that and knew that was one of the reasons Bella was enjoying school so far. She didn't seem to feel overwhelmed and for that she was thankful.

After looking over her work, she smiled down at Bella. "Good job, Sweetie."

"I got 'em all right?" Bella asked with a smile, looking down at her math problems.

"All except for one, do you want me to help you?" Cuddy asked.

Bella nodded.

Cuddy pointed out which one she'd missed and preceded to help her think through it. It didn't take long for Bella to get the answer correct after Cuddy had explained it.

"I'm proud of you." Cuddy told her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks, Lisa." Bella replied happily, putting away her homework.

Cuddy stood up from the bed. "I'm going to start dinner, do you want to help or do you want to go play?"

"Ummm…can I go to the park and play with Maya and Simon?"

"Sweetie, you can't go by yourself." Cuddy told her.

Bella's face fell in disappointment. "I wish Greg was here to take me. Can I call him?"

"He can't be here until 7:00 and I'll have dinner ready by then. You'll see your friends tomorrow, ok, Sweetie?"

Bella pouted and nodded her head. "I guess I'll help you then." She told her, shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you sure? You can play in the backyard or draw or watch TV if you want." Cuddy suggested, feeling awful for telling her she couldn't go play with her friends.

Bella shrugged.

"Look, Sweetie, why don't we have dinner in the park tomorrow night. That way you can play with your friends ok?" Cuddy suggested, wanting to compromise with her.

Bella looked up at her and smiled. "Really? Can Greg come too?"

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Sure."

"Ok! That will be lots of fun!" She responded happily, climbing off the bed.

Cuddy laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah."

Bella carefully took Cuddy's hand and looked up at her. "What's for dinner?"

"I don't know, what do you want?"

"Tacos."

Cuddy arched her eyebrows and nodded her head. "Ok, tacos it is."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

7:15 PM

House strolled in the door, late as usual, looking around for the girls. Bella came running out of the kitchen to greet him. "Greg! You're late…again!" She exclaimed, running up to him and giving him a hug.

"You shouldn't be surprised, kid, being late is my thing."

"We're having tacos for dinner." She responded, happily.

"Fiesta!" He exclaimed.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Nevermind. Where's your Mom?"

"Kitchen." She said, pointing in that direction.

They made their way into the kitchen, where Cuddy was dicing tomatoes. She turned her head when she heard him enter, giving him a smile. "Hey." She greeted him. He walked over to her, placing his hand at the small of her back and leaning in, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Hey."

"Greg, guess what?" Bella asked, as she sat down at the table.

He looked over at her and appeared to be thinking. "You…ran a mile in 5 minutes?" He guessed, drawing a scowl and then a giggle from her.

"No." She replied, laughing at him.

"You…decided to become an astronaut and be the first kid in space?" He guessed again.

Bella laughed and shook her head.

"You…invented a robot to take over all of my clinic hours?"

She shook her head, still laughing.

"Bummer…cuz that would be sweet!" He replied. "We could name it Dr. Bot."

Cuddy chuckled and Bella laughed harder, laying her head down on her forearm as she laughed. House smirked with amusement at her. "Fine, I give up." He said, throwing his hands up in the air, watching as Bella continued to laugh at him. He glanced at Cuddy, noticing her smile of amusement as she finished dicing the tomatoes.

Bella lifted her head and looked at him. "We're having dinner in the park tomorrow night." Bella told him excitedly between chuckles.

"Oh really? And who's idea was this?" He asked, squinting his eyes at her in suspicion.

"Lisa's." Bella answered, pointing her finger at Cuddy.

House looked down at Cuddy as she turned her head in his direction with a smile on her face. "Lisa's, huh?" He asked.

"Yep, and I get to play with my friends too."

House turned his head back over to Bella. "Your boyfriend, Simon, gonna be there?"

Cuddy and Bella both looked at him with scowls on their faces. Cuddy's was somewhat of a 'you're an idiot' scowl, while Bella's was one of disgust.

"Eww, Simon ain't my boyfriend!" She exclaimed.

"Good to know, cuz I'm pretty sure Cuddy wouldn't let you date until your 50." He replied.

Cuddy looked up at him as he stood beside her, a small smirk forming on her face. "I think 50 is a little extreme, don't you?" Cuddy responded.

"Nope, 50 is just about right." He answered.

"Simon ain't my boyfriend, just my friend." Bella repeated more insistently with an eye roll.

"Does he know that?" House asked her, squinting his eyes suspiciously.

Bella shrugged. "He didn't say he was boyfriend." She told him sincerely and with complete innocence.

"Good. If he asks, tell him no." House told her.

"House." Cuddy replied with a chuckle. "Stop, you're being ridiculous."

"Hey, I'm a man who was once an 8 year old boy…I know how they think."

"Most 8 year old boys are too busy playing video games to worry about pursuing girls." Cuddy told him, with a chuckle. "They haven't gotten there yet."

"Are you speaking from experience? Because I'm pretty sure I am…you better watch out for this Simon kid." House warned Cuddy.

Cuddy laughed, shaking her head at him. "Dinner's ready."

"Is he going to try to kiss me?!" Bella asked sounding completely appalled.

"If he does, punch him in the face." House replied.

"House! Don't tell her that!" Cuddy looked up at him in shock.

House rolled his eyes. "Oh I'm sorry, did you want lover boy smooching on your kid?"

"He's not _smooching_ anyone, they're just friends. Stop putting ideas in her head." Cuddy responded.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Cuddy sighed in annoyance at him, looking over at Bella, who had a worried furrow in her brow. "Bella, don't listen to him, Simon isn't going to try to kiss you, ok?"

Bella nodded, looking unconvinced.

Cuddy glared at House, shoving the bowl of diced tomatoes in his hands. "Go set that on the table."

House smirked at her as she turned around, grabbing the rest of the food to set out on the table. House glanced over at Bella, winking at her to try and reassure her that it was ok and that she shouldn't worry. He noticed her relax a bit as he turned and made his way into the dining room. House smirked again, thinking that Bella was so appalled by the idea of kissing a boy that she probably _would_ punch any boy that tried right in the face just like he told her. That thought made his smirk turn into a smile.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:00 PM

"Bella you need to go get your bath, Sweetie." Lisa said, peeking her head into Bella's room as she sat on the floor playing with Splat.

"But I don't want to, it's going to hurt my scratches when I take a bath." She complained, a furrow in her brow. Bella knew once the water hit her hands and knees, it was going to burn.

Lisa walked in and sat down on the bed looking down at her. She nodded, a look of concern on her face. "Do you want me to help you?" She asked.

Bella sighed. "Can't I skip my bath tonight, I don't want it to hurt in the water?"

"Bella, honey, you've been playing outside today, getting hot and sweaty, and you're dirty from falling earlier. You need to get cleaned up. I'll help you so it won't hurt as much ok?"

Bella didn't want to take a bath, but she knew she needed one. She nodded with a worried frown on her face, pouting her lips.

"Go fill the bath with water and I'll get the first aid kit for after your bath, ok?"

Bella nodded and made her way to the bathroom. She turned the water on, carefully checking the temperature of the water with her fingers before dropping the stopper in the drain to avoid getting her hands wet. She sat down on the lid of the toilet and stripped down to her panties, waiting for Lisa to come help her clean her wounds for her. Bella was glad that Lisa was a doctor, cuz she'd know how to do it without causing her too much pain…she hoped.

As Bella waited for the bath water to fill the tub, she saw Lisa walk in a moment later with the first aid kit. She set it down on the sink, opening it and pulling out the antibacterial ointment and bandages. She then moved the step stool over to Bella and sat on it, across from her.

"Let me see your hands, I'm going to take the bandages off." She said softly.

Bella held her hands out in front of her and watched as Lisa carefully removed the bandage on her right hand first, looking up at her to make sure it hadn't hurt when she removed them. Bella grinned, letting her know it hadn't hurt. The scratches were on the heel of her hands from where she had tried to break her fall and slid forward on the grass. After taking off the bandages, Lisa gently ran her finger around the perimeter of the wound on her right hand. It was sensitive around it and Bella flinched.

"Sorry, Sweetie, did it hurt too much when I did that?"

"Just a little, not too much."

Lisa nodded and reached over to turn the water off in the bathtub. She stood up and grabbed a washcloth off the shelf and sat back down on the step stool. Lisa leaned over and dunked it in the bath water, ringing it out. Bella watched as she folded it and gently applied the washcloth over her right hand. The washcloth was warm and it didn't feel too bad when she did that.

"That don't hurt." She said with a half-smile, looking up at Lisa.

Lisa smiled at her and repeated the process with her other hand. "Good. Do you think we could try putting some water and soap on it now?"

"But won't that burn?" Bella asked with trepidation.

"It might a little, but I promise I'll be careful, ok?"

Bella nodded, somewhat unsurely.

"Why don't you try getting in the bathtub?" Lisa suggested.

"Ok." She agreed, standing up and removing her panties. She carefully stepped over the tub wall and with Lisa's help holding onto her hands, she sat down in the water with her knees bent so she wouldn't get them wet. Lisa grabbed the bar of soap and lathered the washcloth. She adjusted the step stool so she was sitting beside the bathtub facing Bella. Bella watched her every move as she did this, scared of the pain she was about to feel.

"Why don't you tell me about your favorite thing you've learned at school so far?" Lisa asked softly, holding onto the washcloth.

"I don't know." She answered, glancing up at Lisa with concern over the pain that was coming.

"Do you like math, science, English? What's your favorite?"

"Uhmm, I like history." She responded.

Lisa placed the washcloth on her hand as she said that, but Bella didn't feel any pain.

"Really? What have you learned so far?" She asked as she gently dabbed her wound with the washcloth instead of rubbing it.

"Uh, we learned about the Native American Indians that lives on reservations. I like it because they make real pretty art."

"Like what?" Lisa asked with interest as she continued with her task.

"They make paintings and sculptures and jewelry and they make these tall wooden carvings…I forget what they're called."

"Totum poles?" Lisa asked, dunking the washcloth once more and gently applying it to Bella's hands again.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, totum poles, those are real cool."

Lisa smiled as she concentrated on not hurting Bella. "What else?"

"Uhm, I like when we get to do drawings in class too."

Lisa chuckled. "I would've thought that was your favorite."

"It is; I like both. I only like history cuz we learned about art." Bella shrugged.

Lisa laughed. "Sounds like we need to go back to the art museum, huh?"

Bella gasped. "Really? Can we? I want to go back and see those paintings we seen that one time."

"If they're still there, Sweetie. It's been awhile since we went, the exhibit may have changed."

"Oh…but can we still go?"

"Of course we can…maybe on Saturday."

Bella had been so excited about talking about the art museum that she hadn't noticed that Lisa had moved on to washing her knees. There hadn't been any pain as she had carefully and quickly cleaned them up. Lisa had started with her left knee, which wasn't as bad, but when she first put the washcloth on her right knee it had stung immediately. Bella hissed in pain, flinching away from Lisa.

"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly, looking regretful that she had hurt Bella.

"It's ok." Bella replied with pain in her voice.

Lisa sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful. We're almost done, ok?"

Bella nodded, watching as Lisa applied the washcloth once more. It stung again, but not as bad this time. Lisa was even more careful and washed around the perimeter first instead of placing it directly on her knee. When Lisa finished washing her wounds she asked if Bella wanted her to leave so she could finish her bath or if she wanted Lisa to help her. Bella had chosen to let Lisa help her because she was still afraid of putting her hands and knees down in the water. Lisa washed Bella's hair after washing her body as gently as she had before. At first Bella had felt weird about being naked in front of Lisa but she had quickly gotten over it, remembering that she was a doctor…and her mother. She liked that Lisa was so careful and gentle as she helped Bella with her bath. It reminded her of her Mom when she used to give her a bath.

About 20 minutes later, Bella was clean and feeling much better. Lisa helped her out of the tub and dried her off. They had been laughing and joking with each other, which made the process go by faster. Lisa applied the antibacterial ointment and bandages, just before Bella wrapped herself up in her towel once more and made her way to her room to get dressed in her pajamas. Once she was dressed she went to the living room to look for Greg. He was sitting on the couch watching something she didn't recognize, but sat down beside him.

"Wow, you smell, like a million times better than you did a half hour ago." He stated, sniffing the air.

"Well you still smell the same, maybe _you_ should take a bath." Bella retorted.

Greg chuckled at her quick wit. "Touche."

Just then, Lisa came into the living room. "Time for bed, baby."

"Aww, come on, can't I stay up a little longer like the cool kids?" Greg whined.

Bella giggled at him as she stood up. "No, you can't. Not until you learn to be cool." She replied.

Lisa laughed at Bella's response. "Well, I guess she told you, House."

"Damn, I got burned twice in under a minute. I'm losing my edge." He commented sadly. "I think it was the tacos." He added, patting his chest and pretending to burp.

Bella giggled again. "You're gross." She told him with amusement as she bent down to give him a goodnight hug and kiss. Greg hugged her, rubbing his hand over her back affectionately.

"Goodnight, kid."

"Night, Greg. I love you." Bella told him on her way out of the room.

"You too, kid." She heard him say softly.

Bella smiled at the knowledge that Greg loved her. If he loved her, maybe he'd want to be her Dad. She hoped so, because she really wanted him to. She didn't want anyone else, just him. Other than Lisa, he was her most favorite person in the world. She loved that he was always there for her, that's how Dad's are supposed to be and he was. Bella wondered if Greg didn't like his Dad because he wasn't ever there for him. That thought made her sad. She remembered him saying that his Dad was a mean bastard and that made her wonder if his Dad had ever hit him. She had seen a lot of things in New York City and some of those things included adults hitting little kids. Before her parents died, she had never seen that happen because her parents loved her and Mattie and they had never hit them.

As Bella got into bed, she furrowed her brow, recalling that Greg had once said that he was a mean bastard like his Dad was. She had never been afraid that Greg would hit her; he's never even been mad at her before, so why would he think that he was a mean bastard? Bella shrugged. She laid her head down on her pillow, pondering that thought as she waited to be tucked in for the night. Maybe it was a question she would feel comfortable asking him someday.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:30 PM

"This is nice." Cuddy murmured as she lay against the back of the couch next to House. "I missed you." She whispered, caressing his chest and placing a kiss onto his neck. House had his arm around her back with his hand low on her waist, holding her close to him. Cuddy laid her right leg over his, careful not to hurt his thigh. House stroked her arm that lay on his chest, slightly turning his head to place a kiss on her forehead. The TV was on with the sound low in the background, as they had just finished watching a movie a few minutes ago.

"I'm glad you finally came around." He stated with a smirk, shifting his head slightly, to see her reaction.

She lifted her head to look at him. His smirk grew into a smile and he started laughing at her expression. She glared at him and pinched his chest.

"Ow!" He shouted, through his laughter, rubbing at the spot where she'd pinched him.

"Shh, you'll wake Bella." She stated non-sympathetically as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"Damn, that hurt." He stated, still rubbing at his chest, as he continued to laugh.

"It was meant to." She replied.

"I'm pretty sure you left a mark, I bruise like a peach, you know." He said sarcastically. He looked down at her. "Don't be such a pouty baby, Cuddy, it's so not attractive. You're the one that was mad at me, remember?"

"Shut up or I'll pinch you again."

House chuckled at her, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. He stared into her eyes before shifting his eyes to her lips. "I take it back, I kind of like the pouty look on you." He told her, leaning his head down to place kiss on her lips. His eyes remained open as he waited for her to respond to his kiss. She parted her lips, giving into him and returning it. House let his eyes drift shut, moving his hand to cup her jaw, bringing her closer to him. He was about to deepen their kiss before she abruptly pulled back, looking into his eyes, a smile forming on her lips.

"You can't fix everything with a kiss." She said.

"It worked didn't it?" He replied smugly.

"This time."

He shrugged. "You're just mad because I have you wrapped around my little finger." He told her with a smug smirk on his lips.

She arched her eyebrows. "Oh really? Well you know what my hand will be wrapped around just before I squeeze the life out of them?" She threatened, slowly moving her hand down toward his crotch so that he got the idea.

He grabbed her hand and moved it back to his chest, holding onto it firmly. She chuckled at his actions.

"Hey, you keep your hand and your malicious thoughts right where they are and leave Little Greg and his buddies alone."

Cuddy laughed. "That's what I thought." She responded, gently patting his chest and laying her head down on his shoulder once more.

They lay there quietly for several minutes, enjoying the comfort of being together again. House noticed Cuddy shiver and he gently stroked her arm, trying to keep her warm.

"You cold?" He asked softly.

She nodded, a smile on her face. "A little." She whispered.

House reached over and grabbed the throw off the back of the couch, draping it over both of them.

"Thank you." She said, pressing her lips to his neck in a sweet kiss.

"You're welcome." He answered, wrapping his arms more tightly around her underneath the throw.

"Am I hurting your leg?"

"It's fine for now." He told her.

"I can move if you're uncomfortable, House. I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm fine." He replied softly.

"Ok."

They lay there in silence for a couple of minutes until Cuddy spoke up once more.

"House."

"Mm." He grunted in response.

"I have to get Bella back in therapy." She whispered.

He didn't respond right away, but nodded after a moment. "Yeah." He said in agreement.

"Do you think I've been a bad mother not to have made her go all this time?"

"No, Cuddy, I don't think that. You both needed time to adjust to this new life you've started together. I think the sessions would've stressed her out. She needed this time away from them."

Cuddy nodded in agreement. "I didn't want to overwhelm her with her just starting school either, but I think she needs to go back. She's starting to talk about Mattie now and I think the sessions will help her along with that."

House nodded.

"She's going to hate me for making her go." Cuddy added a moment later.

House shifted his head to look down at her with a scowl. "Better her hate you now for making her go, than hate you later because of all the anger she'll carry around with her if she doesn't get help, Cuddy." He told her.

Cuddy closed her eyes, a deep frown appearing on her forehead. "I don't want her to hate me at all."

House chuckled. "Kids always hate their parents for one thing or another in their lives, Cuddy; it's unavoidable. But this isn't going to be one of those times for her. She'll thank you for it later."

"I hope so." She whispered, opening her eyes to look up at him.

He reached up and brushed her hair away from her eyes. "I know it doesn't matter what I think, Cuddy, but you're doing the right thing."

Cuddy frowned at him. "Of course it matters what you think. Why would you say that?"

He shook his head. "I don't have any input in her life and the choices you make for her…she's not my kid."

Cuddy leaned away from him, propping her head up in her hand. "House, you may not be helping me raise her, but I care what you think. I know you don't think you would be a good father, but you have good instincts. You would be a _wonderful_ father, House. You sounded just like a concerned father earlier in the kitchen…worried about his little girl growing up too fast." She commented with a smile. "I watch you with her, you're…incredible and she adores you, House. I don't think you realize what an impact you have on her; how she looks up to you and always wants to know what Greg thinks." She told him sweetly, a smile coming to her lips. "I know you may not want to hear this, or be ready to hear this, but she looks at you as a father."

He stared at her disbelievingly. "Cuddy…." He began as he shook his head, only to be interrupted by her.

"I know. I know, House. I'm not asking for anything here, I'm just telling you the truth. I'll never ask anything of you where that is concerned…ever. So…if at some point you want more, you're going to need to tell me, ok?" She told him softly, making sure he understood. "If you don't want to be a father to Bella, I'm ok with that. But if you decide that it's something you want to pursue…I'm ok with that too." She added. "But I also want you to understand something…if you _do_ decide you want it…that's it. You aren't allowed to decide you're in and then when it's too difficult, you change your mind. I don't want Bella to go through that."

House looked into her eyes, processing her words. A moment later he asked softly, "Why are you telling me this, Cuddy?"

"Because I want you to know where I stand. I'm telling you this…because I want this to be your choice, House, not something that you felt pressured into. I want us to be honest with each other. We need to communicate with each other, House, if we want this relationship to last. And I _want_ this relationship to last." She stressed.

House nodded, breaking their eye contact.

"House." She said softly, cupping his cheek in her hand and placing a kiss on his other cheek.

He shifted his eyes back to her.

"I'm not pushing you to do anything you don't want to do." She stressed, before adding jokingly. "Except maybe clinic duty." She added, a smile coming to her face.

House smirked at her before nodding in understanding at what she had just told him. "I get it, Cuddy, I just can't give you any promises or guarantees right now." He told her softly. "I'm not sure what I want. I'm not sure I could be a father."

Cuddy nodded. "Just think about it, House. If you decide it's not what you want, I'm happy with the way things are now…nothing has to change. I just want to be with you." She said, leaning in to place a kiss on his lips.

When their lips parted, House brought his hand up to caress her cheek with his thumb. "Cuddy, you can't tell me you would never want more from me, somewhere down the line. I know you; at some point you're going to want a father for your kid. And when that day comes and I haven't stepped up, you're going to want someone who will."

"I won't, House, I want _you_."

House shook his head. "Someday, us being like this, our relationship the way it is now isn't going to be enough…for you or for Bella."

She frowned at his words. "What are you saying, House?" She asked with a bit of trepidation in her voice, afraid of what he was trying to tell her.

He sighed, shifting his eyes from hers, thinking about his answer. A moment later he looked back at her. "I'm saying I have some thinking to do, Cuddy, because I don't want to lose you. I've wasted too much time and ignored what I've wanted all these years." He said, brushing her curls behind her ear. "But there's still a part of me that's hesitant to move forward because…." He paused a moment, not able to voice what he wanted to say.

"You don't want to get hurt." Cuddy finished for him. "I know." She whispered.

He nodded.

"House, I can't tell you what's going to happen in the future with us; I wish I could, but you know that having a relationship isn't easy, you have to work at it. We've already been through some tough times and we've gotten through it, but there will be tougher times ahead of us and I know we can get through those too."

"_How_ do you know?" He asked.

"Because we love each other and because we love Bella and she deserves the best. And because the both of us are just stubborn enough to make this thing last." She told him softly with a smile, running her fingers gently over his forehead and down his cheeks.

"Sometimes love isn't enough, Cuddy. I've learned that the hard way."

She sighed softly, understanding the pain he'd gone through in his life that had allowed him to come to that conclusion. Cuddy nodded before shrugging her shoulder. "I think if you have enough of it…it is." She told him.

"Then I guess the question is …do we have enough of it?" House asked her softly, gazing into her eyes and gently combing his fingers through her hair.

She sighed, looking into his eyes. "I think we have over 20 years of it." She whispered.

His lips curved into a small smile, nodding in agreement with her. "See, I knew someday you'd finally admit you've been hot for me all these years." He replied.

A smile formed on her lips as she leaned in and softly kissed him. She pulled back, looking into his eyes before leaning in and kissing him once more. House moved his fingers into her hair, pulling her closer to him. His right hand snaked around her waist as he deepened their kiss, his tongue seeking hers out. As their tongues met, she shifted her position, draping her upper body over him. His hands moved over her back, holding her against him. Cuddy lifted her leg that lay over his right leg and draped it over his other one as well, straddling him. The throw that had been keeping her warm was no longer needed and she felt House grab it and toss it on the floor. His hands moved from her upper back down to her waist, seeking the hem of her shirt and attempting to pull it off. Cuddy stopped him, pulling back from their kiss, breathing heavily and looking into his eyes.

"Not here." She managed to say, through her labored breaths, their lips merely inches apart.

House nodded, but lifted his head to capture her lips once more. He moved his hands over her bare back, underneath her shirt. She returned his kiss, her hips beginning to move over his. She heard him moan into her mouth, causing him to pull her hips tighter against him. Cuddy pulled back once more, looking into his eyes.

"I want you." She whispered almost inaudibly.

"You have me." He responded.

She smiled, looking lovingly into his eyes, her fingers combing through his hair. He returned her smile; reaching for her bra to unclasp it and feeling it loosen as he did. She felt his fingers gently move the straps away; his hands then coming around and up her sides, and feeling his thumbs softly stroke the sides of her breasts. House captured her lips before shifting her upward on his body so he could rain soft, warm kisses on her neck. Her eyes remained closed against the sensations he was causing in her as he kissed her. She hummed in his ear, completely caught up in how he was making her feel. She had missed being this close with him; missed his touch, his lips, his smell. It had only been a few days but she couldn't help how she felt when she was with him this way. When they were like this together, he worshipped her body as if it were the most sacred thing to him. He adored and loved every inch of her, causing a chill to run up and down her spine. Every touch of his lips and hands a testament to his love for her. House's hands moved her up further over him, as he gently lifted the front of her shirt and her bra. She opened her eyes and placed her hands on the arm of the couch to balance herself as his lips finally made contact with her left breast, causing her head to fall forward with the sensation. Her shirt and his head obstructed her view of what he was doing to her; all she could do was feel and that turned her on even more. Cuddy felt his hands skim down her sides, to her hips and finally to her ass. Her breathing was becoming more labored and she moaned softly in his ear as she felt his tongue dance over and around her nipple. "god, House." She murmured softly. He moaned against her breast in response, his left hand coming up to cup her right breast. Cuddy closed her eyes, biting her bottom lip as her left hand slid down to run her fingers through his hair.

A moment later he released her left breast and softly kissed his way to her right one. Cuddy gently pulled away from him, moving down so she could look at him. She took a moment to breathe and focus in on him before she spoke. "Let's finish this in the bedroom." She whispered, her lips coming down on his, as her tongue snuck out for a quick taste before she pulled back once more.

He smiled up at her and nodded. "Don't want to get busted by the kid?"

"Not particularly." She answered, with a sly smile.

House chuckled as he watched her sit up and fix her bra, clasping it in the back and pulling her shirt down. He pouted.

She chuckled at his expression, carefully standing to her feet and holding her hands out to help him up. "Don't worry, I don't plan on wearing it for much longer."

He took her hands and stood up, towering over her and grabbing onto her hips, pulling her against him. "Good, it's a shame you have to cover up those beauties." He replied, dipping his head and pressing a kiss to her lips.

She chuckled, grabbing onto his hands at her hips and walking backward to the entryway of the living room as he followed her with a smile. She reached out to the light switch and bathed the room in darkness. House took a step closer to her and lifted his hand, cupping her jaw and bending down to kiss her softly, not letting go of the intimate mood they had created. His kiss was slow and sensual, telling of how their impending lovemaking would be. Cuddy melted at how gently and lovingly he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as he dropped his hand back onto her hip and around her back. After a moment, he released her lips and looked into her eyes. She felt his warm breaths on her lips as he tried to slow them down. He didn't speak; he just stared at her as if he were memorizing every soft line and curve of her face, his eyes dancing over her features.

"What?" She asked in a low whisper.

His eyes met hers and he shook his head. "You are so beautiful." He replied, just as softly.

At his words, she thought she was going to melt into a puddle of goo, right there. She had never expected to hear him say that to her, especially not like that, with such sincerity and love in his tone. She couldn't help it, she smiled a thousand watt smile at him. He shifted his eyes from hers and she could tell that he felt embarrassed for revealing that to her. She never knew it was possible for House to be embarrassed about anything, but there it was. Cuddy removed her arms from around his neck and placed her hands on each side of his face, causing him to look directly at her. "Thank you." She said, in a low, intimate whisper just before she kissed him softly. Cuddy pulled back and took his hand, leading the way to her bedroom.

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6:30 PM – Three Days Later

House, Cuddy and Bella were sitting outside on the deck, eating dinner as Bella told them about her day at school. It was Friday, and she had finished her first week of school. House had promised her he would grill her a hamburger in celebration of completing her first week. He smirked at her as she took a huge bite and chewed it happily. He shook his head, 'that kid loved her hamburgers.' He thought. He glanced over at Cuddy as she listened to Bella tell her about what she'd done that day in class. For 3 days, House had been thinking about what Cuddy had said to him about becoming Bella's father, and he was no closer to having an answer to the questions he kept asking himself. 'Is this what he really wants for the rest of his life?' Does he want to be a Dad? Could he picture Bella ever calling him that? He had no clue.

Cuddy glanced up at him, snapping him out of his thoughts. She momentarily frowned at the expression on his face, no doubt wondering what he was thinking. He shifted his eyes down to his plate and popped a French fry in his mouth. As he chewed his food, his cell phone rang in his pocket. He reached for it and glanced up at Cuddy before answering.

"Yeah."

"Dr. Greg House?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"Hi, this is Janine Cohen from the Department of Child and Family Services. Do you have a moment?"

House furrowed his brow and looked up at Cuddy, wondering why she was calling him and not her. Cuddy tilted her head in question at who was on the phone. House shook his head and glanced at Bella, her eyes on him. He stood up and made his way inside the house for privacy.

After he closed the door to the backyard he asked, "Why are you calling me and not Dr. Cuddy?"

"I'm calling in regards to the questions you had for me last week. Dr. Cuddy has given me permission to speak with you regarding her daughter."

"Speak to me about what?" He asked in confusion.

"About finding her brother's killer." She answered.

**Thanks for reading, everyone!! Stay tuned and don't forget to leave me a review!!**


	35. Chapter 34

**As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. I love hearing your thoughts on the story and the chapters.**

**Chapter 34**

"Cuddy told you to call me?" House asked.

"She told me I could answer the questions you called me about, yes." Janine answered.

He grinned, glad that Cuddy was now willing to help with this. "So what do you have to tell me?"

"Well, first of all I wanted to let you know that I retrieved Bella and Mattie's belongings from the foster home this week. The family had boxed it all up and stored it in their basement. There are several boxes as well as a few other items and I have them in my office if you would like to come by and pick them up." Janine told him.

House sighed and tilted his head up toward the ceiling in relief at that news and happy that one of his goals had been accomplished. "Look, I know it's the weekend but I'd like to have that stuff tomorrow, you think you could do that?"

"It's not a problem, Dr. House, I somehow knew that would be the case."

He nodded in response even though he knew she couldn't see it. "Thank you."

"In regard to the question about speaking with the foster family, I'm afraid that won't be possible. I'm currently investigating any reasons as to why the kids would have left the home and I understand that that was one of the questions you had for them, is that correct?"

"Yeah, I want to know why the hell they didn't look for those kids. One of them is dead because of them, and the other suffers from horrifying emotional trauma and those people didn't do a damn thing to help them while they could." House spoke into the phone in anger.

"I promise you that I will do my best to get the answers to your questions, Dr. House, and something will be done about it."

He sighed once more, trying to calm his anger.

"With regard to finding how Mattie died, I personally can't help you with that. But I know someone who can." Janine told him softly.

That caught House by surprise; he hadn't expected her to be able to get anything on Mattie after he left the foster home, it was outside her purview. He and Wilson had spoken to several different people, trying to get their hands on a police report, but no one could or would help them. "You know someone who can get me the police report?"

"I can't promise you a police report, Dr. House, because I don't know that there is one. I can tell you that my brother is a New York City cop and he could possibly help you find something on Mattie, if there's anything to find."

House genuinely smiled at that bit of information. "Holy shit." He mumbled. "When can I talk to him?"

"I'll give you his information tomorrow when you pick up Bella's belongings. I've already spoken with him, so he's expecting to hear from you."

House felt a sense of relief, knowing that he was finally getting somewhere. He had talked to so many people over the last week that had been no help to him and he was getting frustrated and angry that he kept hitting dead ends. He couldn't believe it; he might actually get some answers after all.

"Again, thank you."

"You're welcome, Dr. House, and good luck."

"Hey, why are you doing this?" He asked with curiosity.

Silence hung between them for a moment, until she finally answered. "It's my job to protect children and place them with families who will do the same. I take my job very seriously, Dr. House. Some kids make it in the foster system, but most of them don't and end up running away, trying to find anything to cling to, anyone to trust. Unfortunately, what they end up finding is trouble and end up trusting in the wrong people. Mattie and Bella were no different and the worst happened. If I have the chance to help one of my kids find closure or peace when such trauma could have been prevented, then I'm going to take it."

House listened as she told him her motives for helping, thinking that she sounded like someone he knew very well. He grinned. She and Wilson deserved each other; they were like the same person, willing to do anything to help anyone. House could easily hear those words coming out of Wilson's mouth.

"Ms. Cohen, are you seeing anyone?" House asked her bluntly.

"Excuse me?" She asked with shock.

"Dating, shagging, whatever you prefer. Are you?"

"I…That is none of your business, Dr. House." She told him sounding offended at his directness. "Good luck with you're investigation. Be at the DYFS offices at 10:30 AM." She added before hanging up on him.

House chuckled. "Oh this is going to fun." He mumbled to himself, thinking that he had another mission to complete along with moving forward on finding Mattie's killer. Wilson would thank him someday.

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7:15 PM

Cuddy stood at the sink in the kitchen placing the dishes from their dinner inside the dishwasher. Bella was outside playing in the yard and Cuddy had no idea where House was. He had disappeared after getting his phone call and she was left wondering where he had gone. She knew he hadn't left the house because his bike was still in the driveway and he would've come to tell her if had to go into the hospital. She had her back to the doorway of the kitchen when she felt House's arms come around her waist from behind. She startled in his arms, causing him to bury his face in her neck and laugh at her.

"Oh my god, you scared me, House!" She exclaimed, her heart beating a mile a minute. "Where the hell have you been?"

He tightened his arms around her and placed a kiss in her neck. "Making plans with Wilson." He mumbled, continuing to place soft kisses on her neck.

"You're going out tonight?" She asked curiously.

House leaned away from her but kept his arms around her. "That depends on what you want me to do."

Cuddy chuckled at him and turned her head so she could see his face. "Are you asking my permission?"

"Love muffin, the only thing I'll ever ask your permission for is to perform a crazy medical procedure on a patient…and even that's questionable." He told her.

Cuddy smiled and shook her head. "Then why does it depend on what I want you to do?"

House released her and turned to lean against the counter, facing her. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell her what he meant.

"Because you need to tell the kid that she has to go back into therapy and depending on how she takes that…which I suspect will not go over well, you need to tell her that we have her old belongings from the foster home." He told her with seriousness in his voice. "I…didn't know if you'd want me around for that." He added.

Cuddy stared at him in surprise, realizing what was going on. "Janine was the one on the phone earlier." She guessed.

House nodded.

"What did she have to say?"

He furrowed his brow. "She didn't tell you?"

She shook her head. "No, I just told her she could answer your questions about Bella and I asked if she could find any information that could help you find out about Mattie."

He nodded, a small smile coming to his face. "Thank you."

She smiled at him in return. "You're welcome."

"Her brother is a New York City cop, Cuddy. He might be willing to help me find Mattie."

Cuddy's jaw dropped in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm going to call him tomorrow to see if he'll help."

Cuddy nodded. "Do you think he will?"

"I don't know, you might have to show him your funbags if he doesn't. That'll change his mind."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, I'm sure you'd actually be ok with that."

"You're right, I'd have to kick his ass. Then we'd be right back where we started." He replied, before tilting his head to the side and adding, "Maybe he's gay, then Wilson could show him Little Wilson and we'd be golden."

Cuddy laughed at him. "I thought you wanted to set Wilson up with Janine?"

House shrugged. "What the hell do I care, Wilson just needs to get laid."

She rolled her eyes. "Does Wilson know you're trying to set him up?"

"With a gay cop from New York City? Hell, no."

"You're such an idiot." She replied, laughing and rolling her eyes as she turned around to continue what she was doing.

"Hey, I'm just being a good best friend here. Wilson will thank me after his night of passion with either Chesty or Teste."

Cuddy scowled at him. "There is something wrong with you."

"And you love me anyway, what does that say about you?"

"That I'm crazy." She replied.

"This, we already knew." He snarked. "So, do I have plans with Wilson or not?"

Cuddy sighed. "Do you…_want_ to be with me when I talk to her?" She wondered.

House averted his eyes.

"It's ok, House, you don't have to be here if you don't want to be." She reassured him. Cuddy didn't want to pressure him in any way when it concerned Bella.

House looked back at her. "It's not that I don't want to be here, Cuddy. I just don't want her to think we're ganging up on her. If you want me here…I'll stay." He told her.

"I want you here, if you want to be here, House."

He looked at her and gave her a half-nod in agreement. Cuddy's lips curved into a smile and she nodded as well, happy that he would be staying. This would be hard for her…and Bella, and she could really use his support.

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7:30 PM

Bella came into the kitchen from playing in the backyard to find Lisa in there finishing up the dishes. "Can I have something to drink?" She asked, walking in and sitting down at the table, watching Lisa wipe down the counters.

"You can have water or juice." She answered, looking over at Bella.

"Juice."

Lisa nodded and walked to the fridge, pulling out a box of juice and handing it to her. She sat down beside her at the table as Bella ripped the straw off the box and pulled it out of the wrapper. When she poked the straw through the hole, she took a sip and glanced up at Lisa. Bella noticed she had a weird expression on her face, like she was nervous about something.

"Did I do something wrong?" Bella asked.

Lisa furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No, why would you say that?"

Bella shrugged. "You got a weird look on your face."

Lisa smiled and nodded. "Sorry, it's just…I wanted to talk to you about something. Actually, House and I both wanted to talk to you about something."

Bella gasped with a smile on her face. "Are you guys getting married?" She asked, jumping up from her chair with excitement.

Lisa laughed and then furrowed her brow with amusement at Bella. "No, Sweetie, we're not getting married."

"Oh." Bella said with disappointment and sat down in her chair once more.

Lisa stood up and held her hand out for Bella to take. "Come on, bring your juice with you into the living room…we'll talk in there."

Bella took her hand and followed Lisa into the living room. Greg was already in there, sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked up at them as they entered the room. He took the remote and turned the volume down on the TV. Bella started to get a little apprehensive about what was going on. What did they want to say to her? Lisa led her over to the couch to sit down next to Greg. She looked up at him with a small frown of worry in her brow before she shifted her gaze back to Lisa. She watched as Lisa took a seat on the coffee table across from her.

Bella looked between them. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked, repeating the question she had asked Lisa in the kitchen, and held her juice box tightly in her hand. "I promise I didn't get up the tree when you wasn't looking."

"Sweetie, you're not in trouble for anything…you didn't do anything wrong." Lisa told her.

Bella looked at Lisa and nodded in understanding. She remained silent, waiting for them to tell her what was going on.

"Bella, I need you to do something for me. You…won't like it, but I think you need to do it, ok?"

"What?" She asked with trepidation.

"Hey, kid." Greg interjected, drawing Bella's attention from Lisa to him. "Do you trust your Mom and me?"

Bella nodded without hesitation.

"Good, then you know anything we ask you to do is to help you, right?"

Bella nodded once more.

"Sweetie…"

Bella looked back at Lisa.

"Starting next week…I'm taking you back to see Dr. Sloane. You need to start going to see her regularly again." Lisa said.

Bella began shaking her head. "I don't want to." She told Lisa with a bit of fear in her voice.

"I think you need to." Lisa replied softly.

Bella shook her head. "No, I didn't like it there…I don't want to go there again." She said, with more desperation in her voice.

"Bella, sweetheart, I think that if you talk to Dr. Sloane she'll be able to help your nightmares go away." She told her softly. Bella barely noticed when Lisa reached for her juice box and took it out of her hands, setting it on the coffee table next to her.

"No she won't, she can't take 'em away." Bella insisted, her forehead scrunching as her eyes began to tear up and her bottom lip quivered.

"How do you know, kid?" Greg asked softly.

"Because she don't know what I seen and nobody can take that away from me." She exclaimed with insistence, clinching her hand into a fist, and tears spilling down her cheeks.

Lisa leaned forward and gently placed her hands on Bella's upper arms, holding her steady as she looked into her eyes. "That's why you need to tell her, honey. She can help you."

Bella shook her head. "No, I don't want to go." She repeated, her voice breaking.

Lisa leaned back and glanced at Greg as Bella sniffled and wiped her eyes as she continued to cry. "I'm afraid you don't have choice." Lisa told her.

At her words, Bella broke down, her tears soaking her face anew as she slumped her shoulders in defeat and let out sob, crying out of fear and frustration. She did not want to go talk to that woman…she couldn't help her; nobody could. Bella shook her head. "You can't make me go, you can't." Bella told Lisa through her sobs.

"I can. I can, Sweetie, and you'll go because I want your nightmares to go away. I want you to be able to feel better and I want you to be happy the rest of your life. You do not deserve to go through this, Bella. You need someone to talk to about this."

"I won't go…I ain't goin'." Bella mumbled, shaking her head as she cried.

"Bella, it's just once a week, but you are going." Lisa told her, placing her hand on Bella's knee.

Bella shrugged her knee away from her and stood up in anger. "I ain't talkin' to her. You can make me go, but you can't make me talk to her." Bella shouted. "I thought you loved me, but I guess you don't, cuz this is mean, Lisa. I thought you loved me." Bella exclaimed through her tears.

"I do, Bella, I love y-…"

"No, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't make me go see that woman."

"Hey." Greg interrupted firmly. Bella looked over at him. "What makes you think it's ok for you talk to your Mom that way?" He asked, leaning forward and looking her directly in the eyes, letting her know he meant business. Bella's face crumbled at his words and the firmness in his tone. "If you're going to yell at anyone, you yell at me, got it? This was my idea, so watch your tone."

Bella hung her head and cried, wiping her tears away with futility as more followed. She stood there sobbing and Bella felt Lisa's hand reach out for hers. Bella snatched her hand away and ran out of the living room toward her bedroom.

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A moment after Bella ran out of the room, they heard her bedroom door slam shut. Cuddy turned her head to look back House, he watched as a frown appeared on her forehead and her eyes began to tear up. She leaned forward onto her knees, propping her head in her hands. House reached for her and wrapped his arms around her, her arms coming around his neck as she softly cried on his shoulder.

"You knew she'd react this way, Cuddy." He said softly into her ear.

Cuddy nodded her head, sniffling and turning her head into his neck. "I know." She replied through her tears. "It was just harder than I thought it would be." She told him, softly.

"Yeah." He agreed.

"Thank you for staying and for saying what you did. You didn't have to tell her it was your idea." Cuddy told him, placing a kiss on his neck.

"Sure." He responded, rubbing her back in comforting strokes.

Cuddy sniffed and pulled back, wiping her tears off of her cheeks. "I should go talk to her." She said, taking a quick glance at House before moving to stand up.

House reached out and grabbed her arm. "Cuddy let her cool off…give her some time."

She hesitated a moment but then nodded and moved to sit beside House on the couch. He leaned back, pulling her with him and watched as she curled into him, bringing her arms around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder.

"She thinks I don't love her." Cuddy whispered.

"No she doesn't, Cuddy. She's pissed at you, of course she's going to say something to hurt you."

Cuddy sighed. "I hate having to do this to her, House. But I'm doing the right thing, aren't I?"

"You know you are." He replied, cupping her cheek in his hand and tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes. "You're a great Mom to her, Cuddy, don't question that just because you do something she doesn't like and she reacts to it. If you do, then her teenage years are going to drive you into the psych ward." He told her with amusement.

Cuddy smirked at him. "You're right. I just…I want her to be happy and I know that she has to go through this in order for that to happen. I just hate being the bad guy."

"Actually, Cuddy, you should be used to it by now…I give you tons of practice." He stated.

Cuddy chuckled. "That's true." She said, placing a kiss on his cheek. "House."

"Yeah." He answered softly as he caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"Thank you for being here with me."

"No place I'd rather be." He replied in a whisper.

Cuddy smiled and brought her hand up to his that was gently caressing her cheek. She tilted her head and placed a kiss on the palm of his hand.

"C'mere." He whispered, moving to lay down on the couch and pulling her with him. She adjusted herself to lie beside him, her left arm going around his waist as she laid her head on his shoulder. House combed his fingers through her hair and they both lay there quietly.

House thought about tomorrow and going to pick up Bella and Mattie's belongings. He was anxious to see what are in those boxes, no doubt clothes and various personal affects. He wondered if there was a picture of Mattie or her parents. 'Probably.' House thought. It would be crazy for them not to have that stuff in their possession after losing their parents.

"Cuddy." House said, softly.

"Yeah."

"Do you think we should tell her about the boxes?"

"Oh god, I forgot about that." She responded. Looking up at him, she furrowed her brow. "You don't think we should tell her?"

"I think we should…I think it might help her to see her old stuff."

Cuddy nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should go talk to her."

House looked at her with amusement. "You're just dying to go in there, aren't you?"

Cuddy opened her mouth to refute him, but he looked at her pointedly and chuckled. "You can't lie to me, Cuddy."

"Shut up, I just want to make sure she's ok."

House smirked at her before gently tracing his fingers over her jaw line and looking into her eyes. "Then go check on your kid, Mommy." He told her.

"You want to come with me?" She asked softly.

"No, you go."

She nodded and kissed his cheek before carefully moving to get up. House watched her walk out of the living room, hearing her knock on Bella's bedroom door a moment later. He turned his head to look up at the ceiling, thinking that what had just happened a few minutes ago was very 'familial'. He shook his head. If he had thought a few months ago that he would be here with Cuddy, in her home, in a relationship with her as well as thinking of being a father to her 8-year-old kid…he would've said he was crazy. Well, crazier than normal for him anyway. But if he was honest with himself, he had changed. 'People don't change.' He reminded himself. 'Then maybe you had it in you all along.' He heard a voice in his head suddenly say, having no idea where it had come from. "This is insane." He mumbled to himself. "I can't be a Dad." He added, thinking back to his fucked up childhood with his father. 'I can't put my kid through that.' He thought to himself. 'She's gone through enough.' House suddenly furrowed his brow at that last thought. "Did I just call her my kid?" He mumbled aloud into the room.

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Cuddy opened the door to Bella's bedroom, after not getting an answer to her knock a moment ago, and took a peek inside. She expected her to be on her bed, but when she looked in she didn't see her. Cuddy's eyes shifted around the room, trying to locate Bella, but didn't see her anywhere. She furrowed her brow and walked into the room.

"Bella?" She quietly called out.

Cuddy didn't get an answer so she walked further inside. She finally located her, curled up into a ball in the far corner of her room where she'd set up her little 'sanctuary,' she called it; she often sat in there to draw. She had several pillows against the wall in the corner and had set up a make shift tent. Bella lay inside, leaning against the pillows, fast asleep. She was hugging that box that she had found in the basement several weeks ago and had asked if she could keep. Cuddy didn't know what was in it but she carefully removed it from her arms and was tempted to look inside, but quickly changed her mind, wanting to respect Bella's privacy. Cuddy could see her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes and knew she had cried herself to sleep. She sighed sadly, knowing she was the cause of it, but also knowing she had no other choice. She set the box aside and lay down beside Bella, curling her body into hers and gently placing her arms around her daughter. Cuddy gently combed her fingers through Bella's hair, careful not wake her, and just stared at her as she slept.

Cuddy loved her so much and she couldn't stand what her nightmares and memories did to her, and that was what motivated her to take action and take her to counseling. She needed it so badly; she needed to talk about her past so maybe someday she could feel peace in her life again and move on. Cuddy placed a kiss on Bella's forehead and settled in next to her, intending to stay with her for only a few minutes. But it didn't take long for Cuddy's eyes to grow heavy and for sleep to claim her.

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8:15 AM – Saturday

Bella slowly opened her eyes, feeling the sun shining onto her face; warming her cheeks and making her feel hot. She looked up and saw Lisa lying beside her, her arm slung around her waist, holding her protectively. Bella noticed that her box was no longer in her arms, so she lifted her head and looked around for it. She saw it lying on the floor beside her and Bella panicked for a moment, wondering if Lisa had looked inside the box. She sat up quietly and picked up the box, peeking inside to see if anything had been moved around.

"I didn't look inside." She heard Lisa say softly behind her.

Bella turned around to face her, closing the box and hugging it to her chest.

"I promise I didn't." She said.

Bella nodded, believing her.

"Are you ok?" Lisa asked her softly.

Bella shrugged, still feeling upset about last night's argument.

Lisa sat up, a sad expression on her face. She nodded, looking down at her hands in her lap. "Bella, I'm not going to apologize to you for making you go see Dr. Sloane because I'm doing this to help you. You can be mad at me all you like, but I just want you to know that I love you _so_ much and House loves you too, and all we want is for you to be happy."

Bella didn't respond; she sat there watching as Lisa spoke to her. She knew Lisa loved her; Bella had just accused her of not loving her last night because she was mad. Bella had not expected Lisa to tell her she had to go see Dr. Sloane again, and it had pissed her off because Lisa knew how she felt about talking to her. Bella was afraid of going back to her sessions because she didn't want to talk about Mattie. Every time she thought about him she seemed to have a nightmare and she thought about him a lot. She'd had a few nights reprieve from her nightmares and she was glad about that. Being in school helped her to not think about him so much.

Lisa moved to stand up and Bella realized she hadn't said anything this morning and had not acknowledged what Lisa had just told her.

"You really didn't look inside?" Bella asked her as Lisa was halfway standing.

Lisa straightened and looked down at Bella. "No, I didn't look inside, Sweetie."

Bella nodded again and moved the box away from her chest. She looked down at it for a moment before handing it up to Lisa, offering it to her with both hands.

Lisa gave her a look of surprise and slowly sat back down, resuming her place beside Bella. They both sat Indian style in front of each other and Lisa clasped her hands in her lap, looking at Bella. "You want me to look?" She asked softly.

Bella nodded.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to show me if you really don't want me to see it, Sweetheart."

Bella shrugged. "It's ok."

Lisa nodded, gently taking the box out of Bella's hands. She slowly twisted the latch and lifted the lid, peeking inside. Bella watched as a frown of confusion etched her brow, lifting the contents out of the box and looking at them one by one. She pulled out the photos, looking through them with a smile, and stopping on the one of her and Bella that they'd taken together. She ran her finger over Bella's face on the photo.

"I love this picture." She commented softly.

Bella nodded in agreement. "It's my favorite." She replied.

Lisa smiled at her and continued looking through each photo. When she finished looking through them, she came upon the money she had inside the box. Lisa gave her a small smile. "You saved it."

Bella nodded. "I kept it in case I might need it." She told her softly, looking down at her hands.

Lisa frowned. "Might need it for what?"

Bella didn't answer right away, hesitating to tell Lisa why she had saved the money. "If something bad happens." She mumbled finally.

"To me." She stated.

Bella nodded.

"Oh honey, I told you that you don't ever have to worry about that. You will never ever be alone again, ok? If something were to ever happen to me, I would make sure that you were taken care of, understand?"

Bella looked up at her. "My Mom and Dad didn't." She replied sadly. "They died and didn't even make sure we was safe." Bella told her, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Why would they leave us alone?" Bella asked, heartbroken that her parents had never made sure they would be taken care of.

Lisa looked at her and shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know why, Bella, I wish I did. I wish I had all the answers for you. But I know that they loved you, ok? Never question that. Your Mom and Dad _loved_ you." She told her firmly, making sure she understood. "People don't always prepare for the terrible things that could happen and I am so sorry that you had to go through everything you did. But I will never let you be alone again, ok?"

Bella nodded. She knew her parents loved her and Mattie…it wasn't their fault what happened to them. But she wished that it had never happened and that Mattie was still alive.

Lisa sighed. "What made you get this out last night?" Lisa asked softly, indicating the box in her hands.

Bella averted her eyes from Lisa's, looking down at her hands as she played with the edge of one of her pillows that lay all around them. She shrugged. "I was mad at you and I threw it away in the trash." She told her, feeling ashamed of what she had done. A tear slipped out of her eye and she continued to fidget with the pillow in front of her. "But then I felt bad and got it out. I didn't really want to throw it away, I was just mad." She explained.

Bella lifted her right hand and wiped at her eyes. She felt Lisa's hand on her shoulder, gently comforting her. Bella glanced up at her, seeing her smile tenderly at her. It made Bella feel better, seeing Lisa smile, knowing that she understood. It made her feel like everything would be ok and that nothing bad would ever happen again. Bella slowly got up and moved into Lisa's arms, sitting down on her lap. Lisa set the box aside and wrapped her arms tightly around Bella.

"Sorry I yelled at you last night. I didn't mean what I said, I know you love me." Bella mumbled, as she laid her head on Lisa's shoulder.

"I forgive you, Sweetie. You know that House and I just want the best for you, right?"

Bella nodded. She was so afraid of going to therapy and she so desperately _didn't_ want to go. Her tears returned, spilling down her cheeks once more, and letting a sob escape her lips. "I don't want to go." She cried, burying her face in Lisa's neck and holding tightly to her shirt.

Lisa cradled her against her chest, holding onto her tightly. "I know." She whispered. "It's just once a week for an hour, ok? That's all." Lisa told her.

Bella continued crying. "I don't want to talk about Mattie. She'll make me talk about Mattie." She sobbed.

"No she won't, Sweetie. You talk about what you want to talk about, ok? That's how it works." Lisa said to her softly.

"No, she told me I had to talk about him. I don't want to talk about him." Bella cried with frustration that Lisa didn't seem to be listening to her.

Lisa leaned her head back and tilted Bella's chin up to look at her. "Bella…if it's ok with Dr. Sloane, will it help if I'm in there with you?"

Bella looked at her with a bit of surprise. She thought about it a moment and then nodded her head, sniffling and taking in a shaky breath. Lisa nodded in response and kissed Bella's forehead. "I'll call her, ok? These sessions are supposed to help you, not scare you or make you uncomfortable. You don't need to be afraid, ok? I'll be with you."

Bella nodded, relaxing a little. "Ok."

Lisa kissed her forehead once more before hugging her tightly to her chest, comforting her. Bella relaxed further into Lisa's arms, feeling her hand gently wipe her tears away. Bella sniffled and they sat in silence on her bedroom floor for several minutes. Her tears dried up and she still felt afraid of going to the therapy sessions but knowing that Lisa would be with her in there, helped to calm some of her fears. A few minutes later, she felt Lisa shift her arms into a more comfortable position and Bella looked up at her. Lisa looked into Bella's eyes and gave her a smile.

"You ok?" She asked softly and Bella nodded her head. "Are you hungry, do you want breakfast?"

Bella shrugged. "I'm not really hungry."

"I bet you'd be hungry if I told you I was making pancakes." Lisa told her with amusement in her voice.

Bella smiled and snickered at her, causing Lisa's smile to grow. "Weeeell, if you insist." Bella replied.

Lisa laughed at her response, reaching up to tickle her. Bella squirmed and giggled, reaching up to tickle Lisa. Lisa grabbed Bella's hand that was tickling her and held it up, tickling under her arm as she laughed and squealed. Bella tried to get away from her but she was laughing too hard. Lisa stopped tickling and Bella rolled off of her lap and onto the floor, still giggling. Lisa laughed at her and moved to stand up. She held her hands out to Bella to help her up and Bella held her arms up, watching as Lisa bent down to take her hands, pulling her to her feet.

"Come on, let's go find House." Lisa said, placing her arm around Bella's shoulder.

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9:00 AM

Cuddy walked into her bedroom, seeing House still asleep in bed. She and Bella had peeked in on him earlier, finding him in here but decided not to wake him until breakfast was ready. Now, as Bella was setting the table, she had decided it was time for House to get up. She knew he had made plans to go pick up Bella's old stuff, but she didn't know when or where he was going.

Cuddy gently climbed on the bed as House slept with his back to her. She wrapped her arms around him and placed soft kisses over his neck and face. He began to stir, a small frown appearing on his brow. She smiled and whispered in his ear.

"Morning, House." She said, kissing his ear.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"Bella and I made pancakes, are you hungry?" She whispered before kissing a trail down his neck.

"Are you trying to get me to eat breakfast or have sex with you? Because I'm not really clear on that at the moment." He mumbled.

Cuddy chuckled. "Well, since Bella is in the kitchen, we'll have to save the sex for later." She replied, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Then stop kissing me, woman, unless you plan on making Little Greg happy."

"Wish I could but Bella's waiting, guess you'll have to take care of that yourself." She told him with a smirk.

House turned his head to glare at her. "Evil woman." He stated.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you tonight." She whispered saucily in his ear before placing a kiss on his lips.

"Why can't you do both?" He asked, turning around and wrapping his arm tightly around her waist, pulling her on top of him.

Cuddy braced herself with her arms on each side of his head as she looked down at him. "Stop it, Bella could come in here any minute." She whispered.

"We're not doing anything." He replied with a smirk, moving his hands down her back and over her ass, giving it a squeeze.

"House." She said in warning.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Fine, you at least owe me a make out session, since I didn't get any last night because of all the drama."

"Not now." She replied, shaking her head. "Breakfast." She told him, leaning down and kissing his lips before moving off of him.

House laid his head down on the pillow, rolling his eyes. Cuddy smiled at him and turned to leave the room.

"Hey." House called out to her. She turned around. "Did you tell the kid?"

She looked down the hallway to see if Bella was nearby but didn't see her. She glanced back at House and shook her head. "No. I had to calm her down this morning about therapy. I don't know what to do…should we wait until you have her stuff before telling her?"

"I don't know." He replied, sitting up and rubbing his hand over the scruff on his cheeks. "Does she seem ok?"

"Yeah, now she's fine."

House nodded and sighed, appearing to think about what to do. He threw the comforter off of his body and sat on the edge of the bed. Cuddy knew he needed to give his leg time to 'wake up,' so she waited for him. She made her way over to him and sat down beside him, watching him rub his leg over his pajama pants. He leaned over and grabbed his Vicodin bottle, shaking two pills onto the palm of his hand.

"Want some water?" She asked softly, knowing he would refuse, but asking anyway.

"No." He told her, downing the pills dry.

She nodded. "What time are you leaving?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Meeting Wilson at my place in an hour to pick up my car."

Cuddy nodded once more in acknowledgement before she heard a soft knock at the bedroom door. She turned around to see Bella standing in the doorway. House turned his head as well, having heard her knock. "Come in, Sweetie." She told her, waving her over to them. Bella walked in slowly, seemingly unsure of how to act. Probably because of what had happened last night; she didn't know if House would be mad at her. She came over to stand beside Cuddy, placing her small hand on Cuddy's thigh, and looking up at House.

"Hey kiddo…I hear you made me breakfast." House said with a smirk.

Bella's face broke out into a smile and she seemed to relax after that. "I just helped." She replied, with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Good thing, too, Cuddy woulda burned it." He snarked.

Cuddy reached out and smacked him, causing Bella to giggle at them. House smirked mischievously before standing to his feet and grabbing his cane. "So pancakes, huh?" He asked Bella.

"Yep." She replied with a head nod.

"Hope you made tons, cuz there might not be any left for you two." He told her, making his way out of the bedroom.

"What are you, a pig?" Bella asked, following him out.

Cuddy followed behind them, smiling at their banter.

"Oink, oink." House replied.

She heard Bella giggle, causing Cuddy's smile to grow. She was glad that Bella felt better today and that she didn't seem to be mad anymore. Cuddy just hoped that what House was about to do would bring some happiness or sense of relief to her. She didn't know how she was going to react. Would she be happy to have her stuff? Would she be mad that they had tracked it down? Would she be sad to see it all again? I guess they were going to find out.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:30 AM

House and Wilson arrived at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families offices on time. Wilson had made sure of that, yelling at him to hurry the hell up as he packed a bag to take over to Cuddy's and took some of the crap out of his car to make room for the boxes. He and Cuddy had decided shortly before he left that he would call her when they were headed back so she could prepare Bella for what was coming. If she didn't want the stuff, Cuddy would call him and let him know not to bring it over; to leave it at his place. Neither one of them knew how she would react, so they wanted to play it safe.

"Ok, Jimmy, when we get in there don't start drooling over Miss DYFS until after we've cleared the building with the boxes. We wouldn't want her to think you're an escaped mental patient and slam the door in our faces."

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Shut up, House, I'm not interested in dating her. I told you that already, so leave it alone."

"Hey, that's what I told Cuddy, but now she's the one trying to set you two up."

Wilson looked over at him as they got out of the car. "No she isn't."

"Hand to God, Wilson."

"You're such a liar, House. She's got other things to worry about than playing matchmaker."

"I don't care if you don't believe me…tell her to leave you alone."

Wilson frowned, no doubt wondering if he was telling the truth or not.

They walked up to the front of the building, seeing an extremely attractive blonde woman waiting at the front steps.

"Sure you're not interested, Wilson?" House mumbled to him.

"Shut up." He responded. House smirked, knowing he had changed his mind about wanting to go out with her.

"Dr. House?" She asked, as they approached.

"Yep, that's Dr. Wilson." He replied.

"Nice to meet you both."

"Thank you for allowing us to do this, Ms…." Wilson said, offering his hand to shake and waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Cohen. But please call me Janine." She replied, shaking his hand. "And you're welcome, it's no trouble at all."

She turned around and unlocked the door. House looked over at Wilson and wiggled his eyebrows, causing Wilson to roll his eyes. Once they were inside, she turned around to address them. "The boxes are just over there. There are about 6 of them and what looks like a couple of musical instruments…a guitar and maybe a violin." She stated, pointing to the corner of the office.

"I'll take those, Wilson can get the boxes." House commented with a smirk.

"Thanks." Wilson responded with sarcasm, making his way over to start taking them out to the car. Janine glanced at House and gave him a tight smile. "I can help him, I didn't know about…." She paused, indicating his leg.

"Oh this?" He asked, holding up his cane and pointing at his leg. "Oh it's nothing, I only carry this baby around so people will feel sorry for me, and plus it works well so I don't have to help out when my girlfriend asks, you know?" He told her with a smirk and chuckle before cupping his hand around his mouth and whispering. "In case you're wondering, no, it doesn't affect my performance in the bedroom."

"I wasn't wondering." She stated, with a scowl on her face, moving away from him to go help Wilson.

House smiled and made his way over to grab the guitar and violin, taking them out to the car as Wilson carried one of the boxes. About 20 minutes later, Wilson and Janine were able to get all of the boxes in his car. Although one of them came close to not fitting in there and they had to lower the backseat, which they should have done to begin with. House had mercilessly pointed that out to him until Wilson told him to shove it.

When they were finished, Janine locked up the office and handed House her business card. "My brother's number is on the back, he told me he'd take your call and listen to what you have to say but didn't make any promises." She told him.

House nodded. "Thank you." He told her sincerely.

She noticed his sincerity and gave him a small smile in acknowledgement. "You're welcome, Dr. House. I hope you find what you're looking for and if you wouldn't mind letting me know the outcome, I would appreciate it."

House nodded. "I'll have Wilson call you." He told her with a wink, before turning around and making his way back to his car. He sat in the driver's seat waiting for Wilson as he talked to Janine. A few moments later, Wilson got into the passenger's seat and looked at him.

"So did you ask her out?" House asked him.

Wilson glared at him. "No, I was explaining to her that you're actually a decent human being but that you just like being a jackass."

"I thought everyone knew that."

"No, House, believe it or not, some people just think you're a bastard. Not me though, I know better. Don't worry."

"Oh what a relief." House replied with a smirk. "I was about to start crying because I thought you didn't like me."

Wilson shook his head. "Give me your phone, I'll call Cuddy and let her know we're on our way."

"Use your own phone, my minutes are precious to me."

Wilson scoffed as he took his phone out of his pocket. "House, if I were to check your call history, half of those calls would be to Cuddy and the other half would be to me."

"Not true, I call Cuddy way more than I call you because of all the phone sex we have." He replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

"That's the kind of information I don't need to know about you two, House."

"Well, you're my bestie, so you get to hear all the dirty details." He smirked. "Like the other night, when I was on top of Cuddy…"

"Ugh, whoa whoa, stop it right there." He exclaimed in disgust, waving his hands in front of him. "Damn it, why do you have put that in my head, you asshole." Wilson asked, glaring at him and shaking his head.

House laughed.

Wilson handed him the phone. "You're calling her, I can't talk to her after that."

House pulled out of the parking space and looked over at him. "I'm driving…safety first, James."

Wilson sighed and shook his head, dialing Cuddy's number.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bella was playing outside in the yard when she heard Lisa's cell phone ringing up on the deck. She had gone inside the house a few minutes ago but said she'd be right back. Bella didn't know if she should answer it or not but she went over to the table where the phone lay and looked to see who it was. It was James, Lisa probably wouldn't mind if she answered it.

"Hello." She said into the phone.

"Bella?" James asked.

"Yep. Hi, James. Are you coming over?" She asked excitedly.

"Uh, maybe. Is your Mom there?"

"Yeah, but she's in the house so she didn't hear the phone."

"Oh, I see, well do you mind if I talk to her for a few minutes?"

"Nope, I'll go find her." Bella told him, running inside the house.

"Lisa!!" She called out.

"I'm in here, Sweetie." Lisa answered from the laundry room.

Bella found her taking the towels out of the drier and placing them in the laundry basket to fold. "James wants to talk to you." She told her, handing her the phone.

"Oh, thank you, honey. Can you fold these towels for me while I talk to him?"

Bella nodded, watching Lisa leave the room. She took the basket off the drier and set it on the floor so she could reach it better. She began folding the towels and placing them on top of the drier, wondering if James was going to come over or not. She hoped so, she hasn't seen him since last week and she missed him. After a few minutes, Lisa came back into the room with the same look on her face as last night just before she told her she had to go see Dr. Sloane again. Bella stopped folding the towel in her hand and frowned up at Lisa.

"You're gonna tell me something I won't like, aren't you?"

"I don't know. I do have something to tell you, but I'm not sure if you'll think it's good news or bad news."

Bella furrowed her brow not understanding what she meant by that. But she suspected that it meant she wasn't going to like what she heard.

Lisa sighed and set her phone down on the washer. "House…tracked down the foster family you and Mattie used to live with and this morning he and Wilson went to pick up your old stuff. We weren't sure if you even wanted it, and if you don't, he doesn't have to bring it over. But if you do…he should be here in a few minutes."

Bella looked up at her in shock. That was the last thing she ever expected Lisa to tell her. She couldn't believe it…she hadn't thought about that stuff in years. Those boxes had all of her stuff in it that she took with her after her Mom and Dad died. And Mattie's stuff was there too. Bella felt her eyes begin to tear up as she looked up at Lisa. Lisa looked at her with trepidation and a bit of sadness. Bella didn't know what to do, she didn't know if she ever wanted to see that stuff again so she could be reminded, once again, of everything she's lost. Bella's tears spilled over her face just before she dropped the towel she was holding and ran out of the laundry room, unable to cope with the thought of seeing the stuff she used to care about, but now, didn't mean much to her. Not only that but she didn't know if she could handle looking at Mattie's stuff either.

**TBC…thanks for reading and don't forget to review me.**


	36. Chapter 35

**Apologies, everyone. I so wanted to get this chapter posted last week but, it just didn't happen. RL got in my way again. But I finally did it, and here it is. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 35**

Cuddy hung her head after Bella left the room. What the hell was she thinking? This was too much for Bella right now. How could she spring this on her after telling her she had to go back into therapy? 'Good job, Lisa…you idiot.' She thought. Sighing, Cuddy dialed House's number.

"Yeah." He answered.

"House…she didn't take it well, I don't think you should bring them over."

She heard a soft sigh on the other end. "Is she ok?"

"I don't know, I don't think so." She told him softly. "How could I do this to her, House? First I tell her she has to go to therapy, which I know she hates and then I bring her past back up and throw it right in her face. God, I'm such an idiot."

"Stop beating yourself up, Cuddy, we both knew this could happen. And anyway, it's my fault, not yours." He replied. "Look, I'll take the stuff to my place, if she decides she wants it I'll just go back and get it."

Cuddy nodded in agreement. "Ok, thank you, House. And…I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Cuddy."

Cuddy shook her head, knowing it was impossible to stop worrying about it. "Tell Wilson I said thank you for helping." She responded.

"Yeah."

"I have to go… I should go talk to Bella."

"I'm sorry, Cuddy." He mumbled softly into the phone.

"It'll be ok, House. You don't worry either…I'll talk to her."

Cuddy heard him hang up. She knew he would beat himself up for this, just like she was, but it was done and they couldn't change it. All Cuddy could do was make sure that Bella would be ok now. She left the laundry room and made her way to Bella's bedroom. When she stood outside Bella's room, she softly knocked on the door. Not receiving an answer, she knocked once more.

"Bella, can I come in, Sweetie?"

"Mmhm." She answered in a muffled voice through the door.

Cuddy opened the door and stepped inside her room. Bella was sitting on the edge of her bed, her cheeks wet with tears and her eyes red from crying. She held Splat in her arms, holding him tightly to her chest. Cuddy walked over to her and sat down beside her, placing her arm around Bella's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Cuddy told her in a whisper. "I shouldn't have brought this up right now, I know it's hard enough having to go back to your therapy sessions. This is too much, too soon and I am so sorry."

Bella sniffled, squeezing her eyes shut at the rush of tears spilling out of her eyes. She opened them and wiped at her eyes, staring across the room. "How did you know where it was?" She asked in a pained voice. "I never told you…how did you know?"

Cuddy stroked Bella's back before lowering her hand and turning her body to face Bella. "You're caseworker, Janine, she helped us get your stuff back. House and I thought it might help you to have it back."

"Help me what?" She asked. "Remember everything I lost and what happened to me? I already remember it, my old stuff ain't gonna change nothin'."

Cuddy nodded. "I know. I know you can never forget what happened to you." She sighed, her emotions building over how Bella must be feeling right now. "God, I can't even imagine going through what you have, Bella." She told her sadly as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I admire you every day for having a smile on your face, and for being able to hear your beautiful laughter, when I know all the things you've been through plague you every day of your life. I wish I could take it away from you; you have no idea how much I wish I could do that." Cuddy wiped the tears from her eyes and took in a deep, calming breath. "We didn't get your stuff to remind you of what you lost, Sweetie. We got it so that you could remember your Mom and Dad and Mattie the way that you want to remember them and the way that they should be remembered. We did it so that you could remember the good times that you had with them. The times that made you laugh and be the happy little girl I know you can be and deserve to be." Cuddy brushed Bella's hair behind her ear. "I understand if you don't want your stuff, Sweetheart, and we're not making you keep it. If you want us to get rid of it, we will. Just think about it, ok? That's all I'm asking."

Bella nodded as she continued to stare across the room, scratching Splat behind his ears as she held onto him tightly. Cuddy moved to stand up when she heard Bella's voice.

"Lisa."

"Yeah, baby." She responded softly, sitting back down.

"I don't want to look at it today. But I want to keep it." She told her, tilting her head up to look at her.

Cuddy nodded and gave her a small reassuring smile. "Ok, whenever you're ready."

Bella nodded.

Cuddy placed a soft kiss on her forehead and hugged her tightly. "I love you so much."

Bella leaned into her. "I love you too." She mumbled.

Cuddy released Bella from her hug, looking down at her. "Are you going to be ok? Do you want me to stay with you or do you want to be alone?"

Bella shrugged. "I think I'll draw for a little bit."

"Ok. Remember, I promised we could go to the art museum, if you still want to go." Cuddy told her.

Bella looked up at her, a hint of a smile coming to her face. "Really?"

"Of course, Sweetie, we can go this afternoon."

"Ok."

"I'll come get you for lunch and then we'll get ready and go."

Bella nodded.

Cuddy stood up and made her way out of the room, closing Bella's door behind her. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. She felt awful for making Bella feel this way. She hoped taking Bella to the art museum would distract her for a few hours so she wouldn't be constantly thinking about everything that's happened in the last 24 hours. She's had a rough day already and all she wanted was to allow her to forget for a few hours. The laundry forgotten, she made her way to her bathroom to take a long bath, needing to relax after all of the emotions she's felt this morning. She hoped the rest of the day would turn out better than it started, because she had a feeling tonight would be a rough night. Cuddy sighed, knowing that she should expect Bella to have a nightmare tonight after all that has been brought forward into her mind.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

30 Minutes Ago

House hung up the phone with disappointment as he changed direction and drove them toward his apartment.

"She didn't want them?" Wilson asked with similar disappointment and concern.

House shook his head. "She didn't take it well, but I don't think she'll want to get rid of it."

Wilson nodded. "I'm sorry, House. I know you just wanted to help her."

"It's not me I'm worried about, Wilson. I shouldn't have done this to her…it's too much for her to handle right now. I just made things worse…as usual."

Wilson chuckled.

House looked over at him with a scowl. "You think this is funny?"

Wilson shook his head and chuckled again. "No, what I think is funny is that you claim you don't love this little girl, but here you are, selflessly doing everything you can to help her and then beating yourself up over something you had no control over. Are you sure you're Greg House and not some nicer House clone replaced by the aliens that abducted the real House?"

"Are you sure _you_ weren't abducted by aliens and replaced with a more annoying clone of yourself?"

Wilson chuckled once more, ignoring him. "Don't kick my ass for saying this…but I'm proud of you House."

"Oh shut up." He rolled his eyes, causing Wilson to chuckle again.

They arrived at House's apartment several minutes later and Wilson unloaded the boxes, setting them down inside the living room. House brought in the instruments, sitting down on the couch and taking the guitar out of its case.

"What are you doing?" Wilson asked with alarm in his voice. "You're not going to look through all of this, are you?"

"Get your tightie whities out of your ass, I'm just tuning it."

House took the guitar, looking it over and noticing it was a relatively cheap guitar, as guitars go, considering some of them run up into the thousands. It was nice but it wasn't impressive; the kid probably saved up his money to buy it or it was a gift, House surmised. He could tell Mattie treasured it because it was well taken care of; not a scratch on it, except that you could tell it had been played a lot. He began strumming the guitar and making sure each chord was tuned. It seemed to have been untouched since Mattie last played it. House wondered how good he had been at the two instruments he possessed and which one he preferred, the guitar or violin. Maybe Bella could answer that for him…someday. When he had made sure it was tuned, he began playing. It sounded pretty good. House wondered why Mattie hadn't taken his instruments with him when he and Bella ran away; he obviously loved them, why would he have left them behind? Although he was sure that Bella would someday be glad that he had.

Wilson watched him play and House glanced up at him. "She'll be ok, House." He told him encouragingly.

He nodded and stopped the movements of his fingers over the chords. "I know. Cuddy says thanks." He replied.

Wilson nodded, a small smile on his face. "No problem. I've got to go but call me if you need me to help you take them over to Cuddy's."

House nodded.

Wilson stood up and made his way to the door. Before leaving, he turned around and looked at House. "Hey House, you're doing good. I really am proud of you." He told him, turning around and exiting his apartment before House could reply.

House stared at his door for a moment after Wilson walked out of it. He didn't know what he had done that was so good; he probably screwed the kid up even more than he already had before. He lowered his gaze to the guitar in his hands and set it aside, leaning back on his couch. He wondered how Bella was feeling right now. Cuddy had only told him that she didn't take it well. What does that mean? She's pissed? She's crying her eyes out? He didn't know. It sort of made him wonder if he should hold off on finding Mattie's killer. But then again, maybe she needs to know that the person that did it is behind bars, allowing her to have the closure she needs. He knew she wouldn't fully get that closure until she talked about it, though. House did not envy Bella having to go to a shrink. He knows she needs it, but if it were him, he couldn't do it. That was one of the reasons he admired her; her courage. She was just a kid, but she was one of the bravest people he knew. He needed to find who did this to her and Mattie. He couldn't rest until he knew.

House took his cell phone and the business card Janine had given him, out of his pocket. He dialed the number on the back and listened as it rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Yeah, this is Max." He heard on the other end of the phone.

"This is Dr. Greg House, am I speaking with Officer Maxwell Cohen?"

"Yeah, Dr. House, my sister said you'd be calling. I just didn't think it'd be so soon."

"I have questions and I need answers, Mr. Cohen, and apparently you're the only one who's willing to help me with that. I wasn't going to waste anymore time."

"Alright then, what can I do for you, Doctor?"

"I'm looking for a 14 year old boy who was killed in New York City last year. His name was Matthew Porter but he was brought into the medical examiner as a John Doe. He was killed by a gunshot wound to the head and was shot in the abdomen as well. Those are the only details I have on him at this time, but I may be able to produce a photo in the future."

"Dr. House, do you know how many John Doe's come in to M.E.'s office?"

"I'm only looking for one, Cohen. Can you help me or not?" House replied.

"Look, Dr. House, you're looking for a needle in a haystack, but…I can speak with someone in the M.E.'s office to see if they can help you find anything on this kid, but it's going to take some time, the M.E.'s office is a busy place."

"I know that, I just want him found and I want his killer brought to justice, I don't care how long it takes."

"I understand that and I'll help you out as much as I can, but it would help to have as much information as possible. I understand he was a runaway, do you know if he was placed on a missing persons list?"

"I'm not sure."

"Alright, I'll do a search for him in our database and if nothing comes up there I'll contact a buddy of mine in the FBI to see if he can find anything on the kid. In the meantime, there are missing person's websites out there that law enforcement sometimes uses to widen the search for them…you could check a few of those out as well."

House nodded in agreement. "I'll do that."

"Good luck, Dr. House. I'll give you a call back this week and let you know what I found out."

"Thank you." He replied, a satisfied smirk on his face. This was going to work; he was going to find Mattie. And when he did, he was going to find the bastard that put a bullet in his head, thereby destroying Bella's life in the process, and put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"_B. B, wake up." _

_Bella slowly opened her eyes, seeing Mattie looming above her, shaking her shoulder. She frowned up at him as her blurry eyes cleared and her sleep-fogged brain slowly woke up. _

"_Mattie?" She replied aloud._

"_Shhhh. Bella, get up, we're leaving this place." He whispered._

_Bella scowled at him. "We are? Where are we going?" She whispered back in response._

"_I'm taking you away from here. Mom and Dad wouldn't want us to stay here with these people, so we're leaving."_

"_But Mattie, where are we supposed to go?"_

"_You don't worry about that, B, I got it all planned out. I'm gonna take care of you. But you gotta hurry and grab some stuff to take with you. Not much, just a couple of things, got it?"_

"_But we're just leaving everything, Mattie? What about my clothes and my drawing books and stuff?"_

"_B, that stuff don't matter where we're goin'. It's gonna be too much to carry, you can't bring it. Now, hurry up."_

_Bella sat up in bed and grabbed some clothes out of her drawer to change into. Once she was dressed, she grabbed a backpack and put her sketchbook and some pencils inside, along with some clothes. She turned her head to see Mattie pack a few of his belongings in his backpack as well. She saw him put their family photo in his pants pocket. That picture never left their presence; they always had it with them. Bella sat down on the floor and put her tennis shoes on before looking up at Mattie and watching him slip his jacket on._

"_You ready, B?"_

_Bella nodded, a worried furrow in her brow as she stood up. "Mattie, are you sure we should leave?"_

_Mattie nodded with certainty. "Trust me, B, this is for the best."_

"_You ain't taking your guitar and violin?" She asked with surprise._

"_Can't take 'em both and I can't pick between 'em." He told her with sadness and a shrug of his shoulders._

"_Take the violin, it's smaller." She suggested._

"_I can't pick, B, its better if I just leave 'em."_

"_That's stupid, you'll miss 'em if you don't take just one, Mattie."_

"_Just leave it, Bella, I made up my mind."_

_Bella rolled her eyes, but grabbed a hold of Mattie's hand, following him as they quietly snuck out of the house. They made it out and quickly ran down the street for several blocks to the nearest bus stop. Mattie pulled out some money from his pocket as they waited for the bus._

"_Where did you get that, Mattie?" Bella asked with surprise._

"_Took it from the Bedfords."_

_Bella's jaw dropped. "You stole it?"_

"_B, I had to. How else are we going to get out of here?"_

"_But Mattie, you know Mom and Dad wouldn't want us to steal."_

"_I know that, B, but we don't got a choice anymore and Mom and Dad ain't here."_

_Bella's eyes began to tear up, feeling them silently roll down her cheeks. She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. Mattie put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I said that, ok? But it's just you and me now, we got to take care of each other and you got to understand that we're going to have to steal for a while, until we can get our own money."_

_Bella nodded. "I never stole nothin' before, Mattie."_

"_I know, B, don't worry I'll do it so you don't have to. I promise I'll take care of you, ok? You're my little sister and it's my job to take care of you. Mom and Dad would want that."_

"_Ok, Mattie." She told him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand._

_A long time later, a bus finally came and they got on, paid their fare and sat down in two of the many empty seats on the bus. The bus driver looked at them skeptically, but didn't say anything. They looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. Bella took a hold of Mattie's hand and held onto it tightly. She was scared to be doing this but she trusted her brother. He would never let anything bad happen to her._

_When they got to the bus station, Mattie purchased two tickets for New York City. She heard him make up a story that the attendant seemed to have believed, handing him the tickets. Bella looked up at him and furrowed her brow. She didn't even know where that was and how long it would take to get there. She knew their Dad had traveled there a lot before, and Mattie had gone with him a few times, but Bella never had. Mattie led her to the seats so they could wait for their bus. She looked up at Mattie. "I'm scared, Mattie." She told him softly._

"_I know, B. I got you, ok? Trust me and do what I tell you."_

_Bella nodded and leaned her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the people around them, and the announcements being made as they called for the buses that were departing and arriving. Bella opened her eyes and saw a man sitting across from them, staring intently at her. He smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile; it scared her. Bella averted her eyes, only to look back at him a moment later and noticed that he was still staring at her. She lifted her head and looked up at Mattie, he wasn't paying attention as he watched people walking about the bus station. _

"_Mattie, I want to go back." She whispered._

_Mattie looked down at her and frowned. "B, we can't, it's too late now."_

"_That man keeps staring at me." She told him with fear in her voice. "I want to go back."_

_Mattie lifted his head to look at the man staring at her. He glared at him and placed his arm around her shoulders. "What are you staring at, you fucking pervert?" He asked the man. The man's sinister smile fell from his face before he got up and moved away from them, mumbling that he better watch his mouth or he could get hurt. Mattie loosened his grip around Bella and she looked up at him with relief._

"_Thanks, Mattie."_

"_I told you I'd take care of you."_

_Bella nodded and laid her head back down on his shoulder. A moment later, she looked back up at him. "Mattie…you said the F-word."_

_Mattie glanced down at her and started laughing, causing her to smile up at him and giggle._

"_It worked, didn't it?" He asked through his laughter._

_Bella nodded as she giggled at him. Their laughter faded after a moment and Bella leaned against Mattie once more. After several minutes of silence between them, Mattie nudged her head with his shoulder. "Are you hungry, B? I got some change so we can get something out of the machine."_

_Bella looked up and nodded. They both went over to the vending machines located down a small isolated corridor in the corner of the bus station. Mattie got her a Pop Tart and chocolate milk. As she was trying to get her Pop Tart open, she felt someone grab her arm with force, pulling her toward him and down the corridor in the other direction from the station lobby. She screamed. "Mattie!"_

_Mattie turned around and rushed after the man that had been smiling at her. "Mattie, help!"_

_Bella kicked and screamed as loud as she could. She saw Mattie running after the man that was dragging her away with him. She screamed loudly and turned her head, biting the man's hand. He yelled out and let go of her arm. "Mattie!" She screamed, watching him run toward her as the man continued to pull her with him, holding tightly to her other arm. "Help!" _

"Mattie, help me!" Bella screamed out into her bedroom. "Mattie!" She screamed once more. Bella sat up in bed and opened her eyes, looking around and slowly recognizing her surroundings. She began crying and startled when her bedroom door opened and Lisa came rushing in, sitting beside her on the bed.

"Bella, I'm here, Sweetie. It's ok, you're ok." She told Bella, pulling her into her arms.

Bella threw her arms around Lisa's neck and cried. Lisa pulled Bella onto her lap and hugged her tighter to her chest. "It's ok." She whispered in her ear. Bella took in a shaky breath and sniffed, letting out another cry, squeezing her eyes closed. Lisa continued to comfort her, soothing her and whispering that everything would be ok. It took several minutes for Bella to calm down as it usually did; her nightmare had seemed so real, like Mattie was right there with her. She opened her eyes and looked around her room, not seeing him. She started crying softly, the thought of Mattie never being there for her again, like he was back then, devastating her anew. She felt Lisa's arms hold on to her more tightly, whispering to her soothingly.

That night, in the bus station, Mattie had caught up with her and the man and kicked him right in the balls just before Mattie shoved him to the ground. Security had come running toward them to help her as the man lay on the ground curled up in the fetal position and groaning loudly. She and Mattie didn't wait for them, though. Mattie told her they had to go before they could ask where their parents were. Mattie had saved her that night and he had taken great care of her everyday since, until he had gotten killed. She missed him so much.

Bella pulled away from Lisa and laid her head on her shoulder, sniffling as she softly cried for her brother. "I miss him." She choked out into the silence of the room. "I miss him." She said once more as she cried.

"I know, baby. I'm so sorry he's not here with you." Lisa replied softly as she gently rocked her from side to side in her arms and placed a kiss on top of her head. Bella clung to Lisa as she cried, sad that her brother wasn't there anymore but that she had someone else there to protect her and take care of her; someone else that had saved her. Bella took in a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut before she reopened them and looked up at Lisa with blurry eyes. Lisa frowned, sympathizing with her as she gently wiped Bella's tears away with her fingers. Bella noticed that Lisa had been crying as well. Lisa gave her a reassuring smile and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Bella looked at her with sadness and she sighed softly. "I want to look at my stuff tomorrow." She told Lisa in a whisper.

Lisa looked surprised and slowly nodded her head. "Ok, Sweetheart." She answered as a small smile came to her lips.

"Will you stay with me?"

"Always." She replied, bringing a smile to Bella's face.

Bella lay down on her bed, scooting over so Lisa could lie next to her. She cuddled up to Lisa as she wound her arms around Bella's waist. Bella settled in, sighing peacefully, reassured that Lisa was there for her.

"Lisa." Bella whispered.

"Mmhm?"

"I love you. Thank you for saving my life." She told her.

Lisa shifted her body and looked down at Bella in surprise at her words, tears brimming on her eyelids. She nodded as a few tears spilled over and replied, "I love you too." She whispered with emotion in her voice.

Bella brought her arms around Lisa's waist and curled into her. As she lay there, she felt safe again and her eyes became heavy, sleep claiming her quickly.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

7:35 AM – Sunday

Cuddy woke up in Bella's bedroom for the second night in a row. Bella was curled up to her, snoring softly. She dipped her head and placed a soft kiss onto Bella's forehead. Bella shifted closer to Cuddy in her sleep and mumbled something unintelligible. Cuddy smiled down at her and brushed her fingers through Bella's hair. Cuddy had been expecting her nightmare last night so she hadn't been sleeping well in her own bed. House had been sleeping soundly until Bella screamed and they had both startled at the sound of it. Bella had sounded like she was being attacked in her dream and Cuddy had practically flown down the hallway and into her bedroom. House had peeked his head in on her as Cuddy comforted her, but didn't approach, letting Cuddy handle it. She had been screaming for Mattie last night and it broke Cuddy's heart at the desperation in her voice.

Cuddy sighed softly and shifted onto her back, the position she was laying in was beginning to hurt her neck. Bella mumbled softly once more and turned her body away from Cuddy, still sleeping soundly. Cuddy closed her eyes for a moment until she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She opened her eyes and turned her head toward the door in time to see House peek his head in as he had done last night. Seeing that Cuddy was awake, he gently opened the door and stepped through it.

"How bad?" He asked in a whisper.

Cuddy sat up in bed, carefully swinging her legs over the side and standing up. As she made her way over to him, she nodded. "Bad." She responded.

House nodded in response. "_You_ ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." She answered, stopping in front of him and looking into his eyes. "What are you doing up?"

He shrugged his right shoulder and hung his head. "Couldn't sleep." He responded simply.

The corner of her mouth lifted into a hint of a smile and she nodded, knowing there was more to that. "Why not?"

He glanced up, looking into her eyes. "Just couldn't."

She took a step closer to him. "You….were worried about Bella and when you saw I hadn't come back to bed, you knew she wasn't ok and you became more worried about her and you had to get up and check on us." She stated, smirking at him and winding her arms around his waist, tilting her head up to see his expression.

He narrowed his eyes and set his cane against the door jam, bringing his arms around her as a smirk appeared on his face. "_Or_, I just wanted morning sex."

She chuckled at him. "No, you didn't. If you had wanted morning sex you would've just said so…not get that cute frown in your forehead when you're worried about something."

He scowled. "Cute frown? How the hell is a frown cute?"

She shrugged. "It's your 'I'm-worried-but-I-don't-want-to-show-it-so-I'll-lie-about-what's-really-bothering-me' look. She told him, arching her eyebrows in amusement.

"That's a really long and completely untrue name for my facial expression."

Cuddy laughed softly, trying not to wake Bella. She leaned her head down and placed a kiss on his t-shirt clad chest, stroking her hands over his back. "I love that look…it shows you care, even if you don't say anything."

"What does this look say?" He asked, looking at her pointedly, boring his eyes into hers and arching one of his eyebrows.

"That…you're constipated?" She asked with amusement.

"Funny. No, that was my 'get-your-ass-back-in-bed-so-I-can-have-sex-with-you' look." He responded smartly.

She scowled at him and looked behind her to make sure Bella was still asleep. "Shhh, House. Don't say stuff like that in front of Bella, I don't want her hearing about….that." She told him.

House laughed and moved his hand down to her ass. "She's asleep, Cuddy."

"Well, you could've woken her up with your _lack of whispering_." She chided in a whisper.

He rolled his eyes and gave her butt a pinch, nodding toward the bedroom. "Come on." He whispered in an exaggerated tone. "Little Greg hasn't had any action in forever."

Cuddy laughed. "It hasn't been that long."

"A few days to us, is like _years_ to Little Greg."

Cuddy rolled her eyes as she chuckled at him. House leaned down and whispered in her ear. "And besides, you said you'd make it up to me and you never did…you owe me."

"I owe you sex?" She asked, whispering to him as their faces were mere inches apart.

"Why are you pretending to be insulted when really you want it as much as I do?" He responded before his lips enticingly brushed over hers.

"Because I have to make you work for it." She said, flashing him a brilliant, sarcastic smile.

He narrowed his eyes. "Get your evil ass in bed so I can shag your brains out." He ordered in a whisper soft voice.

Cuddy chuckled and turned her head to glance at Bella, making sure she was still sleeping as soundly as she had been before. She felt House's lips on her neck as she had her head turned toward Bella, his hands moving to the small of her back pressing her into him as he tilted his pelvis. Cuddy smiled as he kissed her neck, turning her head back to him, his lips coming down on hers in an instant. After a moment, she pulled back from the kiss they were sharing and placed her hands on his chest, gently pushing him backward into the hallway and closing Bella's door.

He grinned down at her and pulled her close once more. "My cane is still in there."

"Get it later." She told him saucily. "How does a shower sound?" She asked, pulling his t-shirt up and exposing his abdomen to her just before pulling it up further and slipping it over his head. Cuddy turned them around in the hallway so she was walking backwards toward her bedroom with House following her closely, his hands having come down on her hips.

"Wet." He replied with an approving smile, dipping his head to kiss her.

She backed away from him so he couldn't reach her and pulled her tank top over her head with a smile on her face before turning around and walking into her bedroom, dropping their shirts on the bed and making her way into her master bathroom as he followed her, grinning like a fool.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:30 AM

House sat on the couch with his reading glasses on, looking over an article in the Journal of American Medical Association magazine when he caught a glimpse of Bella standing in the doorway of the living room. He lowered the magazine and looked over at her. She smiled sleepily at him, having just woken up.

"Hey, sleepyhead, how's it goin'?" He asked.

"Ok." Bella replied in a sleepy tone as she walked into the room and sat beside him, laying her head on his shoulder.

House's lips curved into a smile, glad that she didn't seem to be mad at him about yesterday. "You're not mad at me?" He asked curiously.

She looked up at him with confusion at first but realization set in and she shook her head. "No, you was just trying to help me."

He nodded with relief. "Did I?" He inquired softly.

Bella shrugged, lowering her gaze to her hands in her lap. "I don't know yet." She told him, her voice barely audible.

"Listen kid, I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it first, I didn't mean to make you feel bad yesterday." He told her, lifting his arm she had been leaning on and gently placing it around her shoulders.

She tilted her head back, looking up at him with a small smile. "It's ok…I was mad but Lisa helped me understand why you did it. I think I'm ready to see my stuff today, but I don't know if I can look at Mattie's stuff yet." She told him.

House nodded, glad that she was able to take that first step. "It's at my place. I'll go get it when your Mom gets back."

She gave him a small nod. "Where is she?"

"She went to the grocery store."

"Oh."

"You hungry?" He asked.

Bella nodded. "Can I have a Pop Tart?"

"You don't need to ask, kid, just get it." He told her, playfully nudging her shoulder.

She smiled up at him, snickering softly. "Ok." She replied, standing up, before turning around, leaning over and winding her arms around his neck. She placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you." She told him.

Surprised by her affection toward him, he gently wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug. "You too, kid." He responded softly, before seeing her release his neck and happily trotting out of the living room.

House furrowed his brow. He had never met a more affectionate kid in his life. She never missed a chance to let him know that she loved him and he wondered if that was a result of having lost her parents and her brother or if she had always been like that. He thought it was so strange because that wasn't the way he grew up. Sure, his mother would tell him that she loved him but she wasn't affectionate to that degree. She would hug him and kiss him on occasion but only because he'd allowed it. He didn't want his mother fussing over him all the time…it wasn't cool. And as for his father, he had zero affection for him. His father never hugged him, certainly never kissed him, and House couldn't remember him ever telling him that he loved him.

This kid was…strange. Not weird…just strange, because of how she allowed everyone to see how she was feeling. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and didn't give a damn what anyone thought about it. House was the opposite. Well, he didn't care what people thought about him except when it came to how he felt about something that really mattered to him. He had his emotions hidden well and it was a rare occasion when he allowed anyone to see them, and even then, he tried to hide them. He had been a miserable bastard for so long that that was all he knew. And he was pretty sure he could thank his father for that. But the way this kid was with him…hugging him, kissing him, and letting him know that she loved him, was making him feel like maybe he was worth more than his father ever gave him credit for. She was quickly and unexpectedly making him believe that maybe he could give this fatherhood thing a shot. She had lost a good father it seems, and he knew he could never live up to him or replace him by any means. But she seemed to want House in her life in that way and perhaps she knew something he didn't in that regard. She had so much faith in him and it scared the shit out of him. He still had his reservations in regard to being a father, but every day that passed would bring him closer to reconsidering how he felt about that issue. The other night he had even thought of her as his kid. But his biggest fear in this was that he would screw her up irreparably as his own father had done to him. She'd gone through so much pain in her life already and she would always carry that with her, so he couldn't bring himself to be the cause of any more pain in her life by filling the role she so desperately wanted him to and then not living up to what she had thought or expected of him. Cuddy had that same faith in him and she always has. He couldn't disappoint her either, when the inevitable happened, and he screwed up. He had been lucky so far in their relationship and hadn't messed up too badly…but there was still time for that. What if he did decide to be Bella's father and then something happened between he and Cuddy and they broke up? Wouldn't that be the same as losing a parent? He couldn't do that to Bella. He didn't want her losing another parent, even if it wasn't in death but in separation.

House shook his head and sighed, tossing the magazine he'd been reading down on the coffee table and placing his glasses on top of it. He stood up, deciding he'd go pour himself another cup of coffee and ask the kid if she wanted to go outside for a while and play. The clouds were moving in and it looked like rain, so he thought she might want to go play while she could. Cuddy would be back any moment and when she returned he'd call Wilson to help him bring over Bella's boxes. Today was going to be another rough day for Bella when he returned with them; she deserved to at least have fun part of the day today.

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1:27 PM

Bella was outside, sitting under her climbing tree, drawing and waiting for Greg and James to return with her boxes from her old life. They had been gone for a while and she wondered what was taking them so long. After Lisa got back from the grocery store, she had helped her put everything away and Greg had told Lisa what he planned to do. She had readily agreed since Bella had told her this was what she wanted but Lisa had still turned to her, asking Bella if she was sure she was ready for this. Bella assured her that she was, at least she had told herself that she was. Looking through her own belongings would be hard enough, so she had told them she only wanted to see her boxes. Greg had suggested they bring everything and store Mattie's stuff in the basement until she was ready to look through them. She had been reluctant to agree to that because knowing that his stuff would be in the same house as her would be hard. Greg didn't push it though, seeing her discomfort at his suggestion and reassured her he'd leave them at his place until she was ready. Bella had breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in thanks.

Now, as she sat there waiting nervously and attempting to draw the dandelion in front of her but having trouble concentrating, she tried to remember what she had in those boxes. Bella knew she had some drawing books, materials and sketchpads, as well as some clothes, but other than that she couldn't recall what else was in there. None of that stuff was important to her anymore, with the exception of her drawings; those she would like to have. She knew the clothes wouldn't fit her anymore and even if they did, she wouldn't want them.

Bella heard the back door open, glancing up to see Lisa coming outside. This was it. Greg and James were here with her boxes. She took in a deep breath, exhaling through her nose and watched as Lisa approached her.

"They're here?" Bella asked.

Lisa nodded. "Yeah." She replied softly. "Are you _sure_, Bella?" She asked once more.

Bella nodded, standing to her feet and hugging her sketchbook to her chest as if it would provide her with the strength she needed right now.

Lisa nodded as well. "Ok." She said softly, holding out her hand for Bella to take. "The boxes are in your room already."

"Ok." Bella responded, taking Lisa's hand in hers and following her inside. Bella held on to Lisa's hand tightly as she made her way to her bedroom. Bella took in another deep breath, blinking her eyes, and watching everything as if it were moving in slow motion. She couldn't believe this was happening. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had seen this stuff. It wasn't a part of her life anymore…the new life that she had now with Lisa and Greg.

As they walked through the dining room, she saw Greg and James standing in the foyer watching her approach them. She tried to smile, but she wasn't sure it actually reached her lips. She shifted her eyes to Greg, who was watching her with his head slightly lowered and holding tightly to his cane, nodding his head at her. James looked at her with compassion and empathy, giving her a small smile and a wink of encouragement. They both made her feel better, and she turned the corner into the hallway with Lisa by her side, squaring her shoulders and taking in another deep breath, calming her nerves. Lisa stopped outside her bedroom just before they entered and looked down at her. Bella could see the boxes out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her attention on Lisa.

"I'm here for you…but if you'd rather be alone I-."

"No." Bella quickly replied. "I don't want to be by myself, I want you to be with me."

Lisa nodded. "Alright." She responded softly, leading Bella inside.

Bella turned her head, finally laying her eyes on the boxes that she hadn't seen in almost two years. Bella's grip on Lisa's hand tightened and she stopped her forward movement into her room, causing Lisa to turn around. Bella stared at the boxes, her name written on the sides. They looked slightly different, dirtier and slightly water stained, but they were still the same boxes. They were sitting on top of a sheet, no doubt so they wouldn't ruin the floors in Bella's room. Bella felt Lisa gently take her sketchbook out of her hand and set it on top of her dresser, as she continued to stare at them. Lisa then brushed a strand of Bella's hair behind her ear and leaned down to speak softly to her. "Take your time, Sweetie, it's ok."

Bella nodded, blinking slowly after staring at the boxes for too long. She kept her eyes on the boxes though, a slight furrow forming in her brow. "The last time I seen this stuff…Mattie was alive." She told Lisa softly.

"I know." Lisa whispered. "You don't have to do this today, Sweetheart. If this is too much for you, we can take them downstairs to the basement."

Lisa's gentle words brought tears to Bella's eyes, a few slipping down her cheeks. Bella shook her head. "I want to look, but…"

"Take your time." She repeated softly. "We can stand here all day if that's what you need to do."

Bella nodded, reaching up and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling softly. After another moment, she took a small step forward, still gripping Lisa's hand tightly. Bella felt Lisa let go of her hand only to replace it with her other hand and gently put her arm around Bella's shoulders. Bella's free hand grabbed onto Lisa's arm that had come around her shoulders, holding on for dear life as if she would fall if she didn't. She took another step and another and another, until she was standing directly in front of them. Bella slowly let go of Lisa's arm and sank down to the floor onto her knees with Lisa following. She ran her fingers over the lid of one of the boxes. Bella gripped one of the flaps and yanked it open. The other three flaps on the cardboard box came open as well, revealing what was inside. Her clothes. Instead of tears coming to her eyes, her lips curved into a small smile. Most of the clothes she used to wear were in this box. Bella released Lisa's other hand and began slowly sifting through the clothes. There were several pairs of jeans, t-shirts, skirts, dresses, pajamas, socks, underwear, and a few of her shoes as well. She looked up at Lisa and grinned. "These were my clothes." She told her unnecessarily.

Lisa smiled at her and nodded. "How do you feel about seeing them again?" She asked softly.

Bella shrugged. "Not like I thought I would." She replied as she turned her head and continued to look through them. "I thought I'd be sad, but I'm not."

Lisa stroked Bella's back. "I'm glad." She told her.

Bella nodded in agreement. "Me too." She replied, pulling a shirt out of the box. "I used to hate this shirt…and I think I still do." She commented, scrunching her face at it and throwing it back in the box and picking up another item of clothing.

Lisa laughed and leaned over to place a kiss on her cheek. "I'm so glad your ok, Sweetie. I was so worried about you." She told her in a relieved tone.

Bella looked up at her gratefully. "Thanks for bein' here with me."

"You're welcome." She whispered with a smile.

Bella smiled and turned her head to continue looking through the box. After a moment, she heard a throat clearing behind her and she turned her head, seeing James and Greg standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She grinned at them. "Look, my old clothes." She said.

"Mind if we come in?" James asked.

Bella shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind at all. She turned back around, focusing on the box once more and heard them enter her bedroom. Lisa still sat beside her on the floor and James came over to sit down on her bed as Greg pulled the seat to her vanity over next to Lisa and sat down. Bella pulled out some more of her clothes, having forgotten that she had owned most of them at one time in her life. She still didn't want to keep them, but she was having fun looking through them. She pulled out a pair of pants with paint stains all over them and the word 'Loser' painted on big letters on one of the legs. She gaped at them and looked over at Lisa, holding them up so she could see it. "Mattie did that." She told her. "I forgot about these." Bella looked down at them once more. "I was so mad when he did that." She continued, remembering when she first found them this way. She shrugged. "I got him back though." She replied.

"What'd you do?" Greg asked.

Bella turned around with a small smile. "I wrote 'buttface' with a Sharpie on his guitar."

Greg, Lisa and James laughed at that and Greg held his fist out to her for a fist-bump. "That's my girl." He replied.

She obliged, bumping his fist with hers and giggling. A moment later she frowned. "I think I got grounded for that, though."

"And he didn't?" Greg asked her.

She shrugged. "Not as long as me…he just wrote on my already stained jeans…I wrote on his guitar that he'd saved up money for." She told him. "But he never did nothing like that again."

They laughed once more at her tale of sibling rivalry.

"Taught him not to mess with you, huh?" Greg replied. "Good work, sista."

Bella giggled again. She didn't feel weird talking about Mattie with them like this. It actually made her feel better. She would definitely be keeping these jeans, though. Bella set them aside and looked up at Lisa. "I want to look through that one now." She told her, pointing at the box next to her.

Lisa nodded and slid it over to her as Greg reached over and slid the open box out of the way. Before she could open the next box, she heard James speak up. "Bella, is it ok that we're in here for this?"

She looked up at him, nodding with assurance that she was fine with it. Bella flipped open the lid and looked inside. Her eyes immediately fell on the jewelry box within. She gasped, her eyes wide in shock, having forgotten all about it. She practically dove in and grabbed hold of it, pulling it out of the box. It was dusty so she wiped it with her hand and blew the dust away, staring at it intently.

"Are you ok, Sweetie?" Lisa asked softly, rubbing her hand over Bella's back soothingly.

Bella nodded, but kept her eyes on the jewelry box. How could she have forgotten about this? She ran her hand gently over the top of the box. "This was my Mom's." She said softly, unable to take her eyes off of it. "My Dad got it for her for Christmas one year."

"Does it play music?" James asked.

She opened her mouth to answer, but Greg beat her to it.

"She was deaf, you moron, of course it doesn't play music." Well, Bella wasn't going to put it like that, but Greg was right, it didn't play music.

"House." Lisa admonished.

"What? It's true." He responded in his defense.

"Right…sorry." James replied, shaking his head at his idiocy.

Bella gave him a half smile and chuckled. "It's ok."

Bella moved to sit down in Lisa's lap, holding the box securely with both hands. Lisa wrapped her arms around Bella's waist, helping her adjust her position on her lap. Lisa placed a kiss to her temple and brushed her hair away from her face as Bella continued to stare at it. After a moment, and with shaky hands, she gently lifted the lid. Inside she saw her Mom's jewelry. Most of it wasn't even real except for a few pieces. One of them was a pearl necklace that her Dad had given her Mom for their anniversary one year. It had been one of her favorite pieces of jewelry that her Dad had given her throughout the years. Next, she spotted a small plastic ziplock bag with her parent's wedding bands that had been taken from them when they died and given to her and Mattie. Bella set the jewelry box down on the floor in front of her and reached for it, opening the bag and flipping it over, dropping them into her hand. She gently ran her finger over them, picking up her Dad's wedding band with her thumb and forefinger. There was an engraving on the inside that read: '_With All My Love'_. Next, Bella picked up her Mom's wedding and engagement bands. Within the wedding band, the inscription read: _'I Am Yours'_.

Bella's bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes became watery with tears as she closed her hand around the bands, holding onto them tightly. Unable to hold in her emotions any longer, a sob of grief escaped her lips and her shoulders began to shake as she cried.

"Oh honey." Lisa whispered sadly, tightening her arms around her, quietly soothing her. "Cry, Sweetie, cry as much as you need to for them." She whispered in Bella's ear.

Bella turned around in Lisa's arms and threw her arms around her neck, laying her head on her shoulder, still gripping her parent's rings in her hand as tightly as she could. She sobbed in her arms as Lisa gently rocked her from side to side. As Bella cried, she momentarily felt a hand on her head, fingers brushing through her hair very gently and lovingly. She had no idea whose hands they were, she assumed they were Lisa's, but they were soothing and comforting; and then they were gone.

Bella's cries turned into hiccups and soft whimpers after several minutes of sobbing uncontrollably, grieving for her dead parents. She lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking around the room and noticing that Greg and James were no longer there. She took in a shaky breath and laid her head back down on Lisa's shoulder. Lisa gently stroked her back, continuing to comfort her and placed a kiss on her forehead. After a few more minutes, Bella removed her arms from around Lisa's neck and leaned back on her lap, opening her hand to reveal the rings once more. She stared at them for a moment before she spoke softly. "I miss them."

Lisa nodded and stroked her hands over Bella's back. "I know. I'm sorry you lost them, Sweetie." She replied.

Bella nodded.

"They're beautiful." Lisa commented, indicating the rings in Bella's hand with a small nod.

"Yeah." Bella replied. "What should I do with them?" She asked after a moment.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Keep 'em someplace safe so they don't get lost."

"We can have them cleaned and get some ring boxes to put them in and keep them safe." She suggested.

"I don't want to get 'em cleaned, I want 'em to be just like this cuz the last place they was, was around their fingers. I don't care that they're dirty." Bella told her in a small voice as she ran her finger over all three rings. "But I like the idea to put 'em in a ring box."

Lisa nodded. "Ok, then that's what we'll do."

Bella shifted around to pick up the jewelry box once more, and gently placed the rings within. She sniffed, sweeping her hand across her eyes and wiping the remaining tears away. Bella looked at Lisa's shirt, it was soaked with Bella's tears. "I got your shirt all wet." She mumbled.

Lisa looked down at her shirt and gave Bella a smile. "It's ok." She told her softly, sweeping Bella's hair out of her eyes. "It'll dry."

Bella nodded and looked down at the jewelry box once more, her eyes shifting to different sets of jewelry lying inside of it; earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces. Bella's eyes fell on a necklace with an oval-shaped locket on it. Bella reached for it and gently opened it. There were two pictures inside: one of her as a baby and one of Mattie as a baby. She smiled and looked up at Lisa, showing it to her. "Look."

Lisa glanced down at the locket Bella held on her hands, her lips slowly forming into a smile. "Oh my god, is that you?"

Bella nodded, pointing at the picture of her. "That one is me and that is one Mattie."

"Oh Bella, you were such a beautiful baby." She told her, a brilliant smile overtaking her entire face. "You both were." She added, gently running her finger over the small pictures.

Bella smiled at how much Lisa liked the photos of her and Mattie. "Thanks." She responded shyly. "Will you put it on me?" She asked, holding it up and handing it to Lisa.

"Sure."

Lisa took the necklace and gently placed it around Bella's neck and clasped it. Bella grinned happily and placed her hand over it as it hung low on her chest.

"It looks good on you." Lisa told her.

Bella smiled up at her. "It does?"

She nodded in response. "It's beautiful."

"Can I wear it to school?"

"You can wear it anywhere you like, but take good care of it, ok?"

"I will. I won't let nothing happen to it." She told Lisa with a shake of her head.

Lisa smiled and winked at her. "I know you won't."

Bella sighed and set the jewelry box down on the floor next to the jeans she had set aside earlier. She looked up at Lisa once more. "I don't want to keep none of my clothes."

She frowned. "Are you sure, Sweetie?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, they don't fit and even if they did, I don't want to remember my old life every time I wear 'em."

"That makes sense. Ok, Sweetie, we can donate them. I bet there's a little girl out there who could benefit from having them."

Bella agreed. "A little girl who don't have a Mom and Dad to take care of her no more like I didn't for awhile."

"That's right."

"Ok, that sounds like a good idea."

"What about the rest of it?" Lisa asked, combing her fingers through Bella's hair.

"I don't know, I guess I'll finish looking through it first." Bella replied, moving off of Lisa's lap and kneeling in front of the second box. Peering inside, she noticed that most of it was toys and stuff that she didn't really want anymore. However, there were some books that she wanted to keep; they were the books that her Mom and Dad used to read to her before bed. She had also found a doll that her Dad had given her for her 4th birthday. Bella took them out and set them aside with the jewelry box and jeans, making herself a pile of the stuff she would hang on to. When Bella finished with that box, she moved on to the third. This was the box that had her art supplies and paintings in it. There were sketchbooks, artist's pencils and paintbrushes, paints as well as the canvases that she'd painted, and 'How To' books on drawing and painting. This box she would keep, but the rest she informed Lisa that she wanted to get rid of them. They could donate the toys just like they would the clothes.

"Are you sure you don't want your toys, Bella? We can store them in the basement in case you decide there's something you want to keep later." Lisa replied.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I won't ever play with 'em." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I ain't that little girl no more." She stated somberly.

Lisa looked at her with a sad expression and nodded her head. "Ok." She replied softly.

Bella closed up the two boxes she was going to get rid of and Lisa helped her move them out of the middle of her room, into the corner so they could be taken away later. She went over to the third box with her paintings and sketchbooks and began removing them and laying them across her bed, displaying them. She remembered painting most of the canvases and thought it would be cool to hang them in her room. As she looked down at them, she remembered her conversation with Greg this morning about if having her stuff would help her or not. Yesterday when Lisa had first told her about them, she didn't see any reason to look through them and be reminded of her past, but now she could honestly tell Greg that he had helped her by bringing her these things from her old life. She felt like she could talk about her parents with some happiness and remember them fondly instead of remembering what she'd lost. And talking about Mattie with fond memories of the stuff they used to do to each other helped her remember him with happiness as well. She still thought it would be too hard for her to look through Mattie's boxes right now, but maybe someday soon. Maybe she'd be able to look through his stuff and have the fond memories outshine the horrible ones she had come to know so well. Maybe there was hope that she'd get through this after all.

**Review me! Thanks.**


	37. Chapter 36

**Here's the next Chapter, hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter everyone!**

**Chapter 36**

3:55 PM – Thursday – 4 Days Later

Cuddy and Bella sat in the waiting area of Dr. Sloane's office, waiting for Bella's appointment. Cuddy could tell Bella was nervous; she had been quiet ever since Cuddy had picked her up from school and Bella hadn't released her grip on Cuddy's hand since they had arrived there. Her entire body was tense and she was leaning against Cuddy's shoulder and nearly burying her face into her arm. Cuddy leaned her head down to speak softly into her ear. "Relax, Sweetie, ok? I'm right here with you and I'm not leaving you alone."

"I want to go home." She whispered with apprehension in her voice.

Cuddy tilted Bella's chin up with her finger, looking into her eyes. "Bella, is it Dr. Sloane you're afraid of talking to or just being here at all?" Cuddy asked softly.

"I don't want her to ask me about Mattie."

Cuddy sighed with relief that she wasn't reacting to being here and talking to Dr. Sloane but feeling afraid of what she would need to talk about, which was natural. "She won't ask you about Mattie until _you_ are ready to talk about him, ok? I promise." She told her with reassurance, after having had a conversation with Dr. Sloane about that very topic earlier in the week when she'd called to talk to her about sitting in on Bella's sessions with her. Naturally, Dr. Sloane hadn't loved the idea, but she agreed that Bella would feel more comfortable talking if she had someone she trusted with her.

"She said I had to talk about him." Bella mumbled.

Cuddy sighed sadly. "You trust me, right?"

"Yes." She replied without hesitation.

"Then you know I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know." She whispered, lowering her head and looking down at her hand as it tightly gripped Cuddy's hand.

Cuddy placed a kiss to the crown of her head and brought her arm around Bella's shoulder.

After a couple more minutes of waiting, Dr. Sloane's office door opened and one of her patients walked out, followed by Dr. Sloane. She spoke with her assistant for a moment before heading back into her office. Cuddy looked over at the patient who had just come out of the office. He was a boy about Bella's age and she watched him as he walked over to his Dad, who had been sitting in the waiting area a few chairs down from Cuddy and Bella. Cuddy noticed the boy had been crying and that he looked sad. She averted her eyes quickly, not wanting to get caught staring at them and wanting to give the boy his privacy.

"Dr. Cuddy, Bella." Dr. Sloane's assistant called to them with a smile. "Dr. Sloane is ready to see you." She told them.

Cuddy smiled and nodded, briefly looking down at Bella before moving to stand up, holding on to Bella's hand, and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Bella followed her quietly, walking next to her and keeping her eyes on her feet. Walking inside the office, her assistant quickly left and closed the door behind her. Dr. Sloane stood from behind her desk with a smile and walked over to greet them. "Dr. Cuddy, it's nice to finally meet you." She said, stretching her hand out to shake Cuddy's.

"You too, Dr. Sloane." Cuddy replied, shaking her hand.

"Hello, Bella. It's nice to see you again. I'm so happy you came back, I know we sort of got off on the wrong foot last time, but I think your being here will be beneficial for you in the long run. I hope we can be friends."

Cuddy looked down at Bella, seeing her slowly nod her head.

"Wonderful." Dr. Sloane replied at seeing Bella's response. "Why don't you two have a seat?" She offered politely.

Cuddy and Bella sat down on the couch as Dr. Sloane went over to a small refrigerator she had in the corner of her office. She turned around and addressed Bella.

"Bella, if it's ok with your Mom, would like some juice or a soft drink?"

Bella looked up at Cuddy for permission. Cuddy nodded her head with a wink and a smile. "Your choice." She told her, giving her permission to choose either one. Cuddy normally would have told her she could have the juice, but since it was hard for Bella to be here and she wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible, she let her choose, already knowing what her choice would be.

"Coke, please." Bella replied shyly.

Dr. Sloane nodded and took a small can of Coke out of the fridge and made her way over to Bella with it, handing it to her. Bella released Cuddy's hand and took the Coke, popping the tab open and taking a small sip. "Dr. Cuddy, can I get you one as well, or I have coffee or water if you prefer."

"No, thank you, I'm fine. And please call me Lisa."

Dr. Sloane nodded, making her way over to her chair. She sat down and grabbed the small digital recorder that was lying on the table, pressing the record button. "Alright, let's get started. As you can see, these sessions are recorded but I am the only one who will ever hear them. Bella, I want to assure you that you are in control of what is discussed in here. I want to apologize for what happened the last time, I realize that I pushed you too hard and it won't happen again, ok?"

Bella nodded. "Ok." She responded quietly.

"Great. Now, I've allowed your Mom to sit in on your sessions, however I would like to mention that I consider this temporary. I understand that you're nervous because of what happened the last time, but I think that once you've had a chance to talk a little bit and get comfortable here, it would be more helpful to you if you were in here alone. Does that sound fair?" She asked softly.

Bella looked up at Cuddy with a worried expression before turning back to Dr. Sloane and shrugging her shoulders.

"I promise, we'll take it slow." Dr. Sloane assured her.

Bella nodded.

Dr. Sloane nodded as well, seeing that they had an understanding. "So, I understand there have been a lot of changes since the last time I saw you. Do you want to tell me about them?"

Bella sat quietly for a moment before glancing up at Cuddy and shifting her eyes back to Dr. Sloane. "Lisa is my Mom now." She told her in a small voice.

Dr. Sloane smiled at her, nodding. "That's wonderful. How are things going?" She asked.

"Good." Bella replied, not expounding on her answer.

"What's good about it?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side as she waited for Bella to answer.

Bella shrugged. "Everything."

Cuddy sat there silently, watching as Dr. Sloane tried to get Bella to talk and seeing that Bella wasn't making it easy on her. She knew Bella was still very nervous, recognizing it in her voice and posture. Cuddy gently laid her hand on Bella's back, hoping it offered her some sense of comfort and strength.

"Ok, what's your favorite part of having Lisa as your Mom?" Dr. Sloane asked.

Bella was silent, seemingly thinking about her answer. "Uhm…she helps me."

"How does she help you?"

"She helps me to feel happy."

"So she's a good Mom to you?"

Bella allowed a smile to form on her face, glancing up at Cuddy and nodding before looking back at Dr. Sloane. "She's the best." Bella replied.

Cuddy suddenly felt the sting of tears in the back of her eyes at Bella's reply, a smile coming to her face.

Dr. Sloane smiled at Bella, nodding her head. "That's wonderful, Bella." She replied. "What else has happened since we last spoke?"

Bella took a small sip of her Coke. Cuddy noticed Bella beginning to relax a bit.

"Uhm, I go to school now." Bella told her.

"How is school going?"

"Good."

"Have you made any friends?"

"Yes."

"That makes things easier, doesn't it?"

Bella nodded.

"Do you want to talk about your friends?"

Bella shrugged. "I guess." She replied indifferently.

Dr. Sloane smiled at her. "Ok. Tell me about how you met your friends."

"At the playground and now I'm in Simon's class at school, but Maya is in a different class."

"So you met them before you started school?"

Bella nodded.

"Tell me about Simon. Is he a good friend?"

Bella nodded once more. "Yes. He stuck up for me when I was pushed at recess when we was playing soccer."

Dr. Sloane frowned. "Why were you pushed?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, cuz I had the ball and soccer is a rough game." She explained.

"So you didn't get angry when you were pushed down?"

Bella shook her head. "Not really, but Simon seen Samuel push me and he didn't like it, I guess."

"It sounds like Simon was looking out for you, and I think you're right, he is a good friend."

Bella nodded in agreement.

"What about Maya, is she a good friend as well?"

"Yes. Her and Ellie stayed with me when I was hurt and couldn't play no more."

"Ellie is another friend?"

"Yeah, she's in Maya's class and we play together on the playground."

"Well, it's great that you have so many friends that look out for you." Dr. Sloane commented. "How is your school work going?"

Bella shrugged. "Ok, I guess. I don't like math, but Lisa helps me and she's real good at it." She replied, glancing up at Cuddy for a moment before turning her attention back to Dr. Sloane.

Cuddy grinned and rubbed Bella's back in appreciation of her compliment.

"That's great. So what's your favorite subject?"

"Art." She replied without hesitation, causing Cuddy and Dr. Sloane to chuckle at her immediate response.

"That's right, I remember you're quite the artist. Do you still draw in your sketchbook?"

Bella nodded.

"Can I ask what you're working on?"

"I ain't working on my Mom's face no more, is that what you were wondering?" Bella asked.

Dr. Sloane smiled at her, giving her a short nod. "It is." She confirmed. "May I ask why?"

Bella hung her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Because I ain't." She mumbled.

"It's ok if you don't want to talk about it." Dr. Sloane assured her.

Bella raised her head and looking at Dr. Sloane once more. She shrugged before continuing. "I don't remember what she looked like no more. You told me I'd remember someday but I don't." She replied sadly.

"I still believe that…it will just take some time, but it will come back to you."

"I doubt it." Bella responded with defeat in her voice, setting her can of Coke down on the table beside her and scooting back on the sofa, leaning into Cuddy.

Cuddy placed her arm around Bella and hugged her tightly.

"That's a lovely necklace." Dr. Sloane commented, changing the subject. "Where did you get it?"

Bella placed her hand protectively over the locket that she had been wearing every day since she found it in her mother's jewelry box. Bella hesitated in answering her question as she looked up at Cuddy briefly before she lowered her gaze to her lap. "I found it." She told her softly.

"Where?" Dr. Sloane asked with equal gentleness in her voice, recognizing that the necklace was significant to Bella.

"Greg brought me my stuff from my old life…it was my Mom's necklace."

"I see…who's Greg?" She asked softly.

Bella looked up at Cuddy for permission to answer. She nodded and placed a kiss to the crown of her head. Bella shifted her eyes back to Dr. Sloane. "Greg is Lisa's…." She hesitated finishing her sentence, no doubt afraid of whether she should say who he was to Cuddy.

"Boyfriend." Cuddy finished for her.

"Alright…may I ask why the hesitation?" Dr. Sloane asked them.

"Because he's an employee of mine, Dr. Sloane, and I prefer to keep our relationship private for the time being. Bella knows this and she was just looking out for Greg and I."

"I see. Bella, I want you to know that anything discussed in here, goes no further than this room, ok? I'm obligated to keep everything we talk about between us, unless…something you tell me is meant to harm yourself or someone else."

Bella nodded in understanding. "Ok."

"So…Greg brought you your mother's belongings. He sounds like a nice man."

Cuddy and Bella both looked at each other with a smile. Bella chuckled and glanced back at Dr. Sloane. "Greg is nice, but he likes to pretend to everybody that he ain't."

"Oh really? Why is that?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know, he said his Dad was a mean bastard, maybe that's why?"

"I see." Dr. Sloane replied, a small smile on her face at Bella's use of a swear word in front of Cuddy. Cuddy grinned as well, letting that one slide, due to the circumstances. "He's never mean to _you_, is he?" She then asked.

Cuddy frowned at her question, knowing that House would _never_ harm Bella, but understanding why she would ask.

Bella straightened her back and leaned forward slightly, gaping at Dr. Sloane for asking her that question. "No way!" She told her with an offensive tone to her voice. Cuddy bit back her smile, proud of Bella for 'standing up' for House. "He loves me." Bella told her with certainty, leaning back once more and relaxing her posture.

Dr. Sloane nodded with a smile. "Good." She responded before shifting her position in her chair, crossing her right leg over her left at the knee. "I want to ask you about something you said a moment ago. You told me that Greg brought you your stuff from your 'old life'…is that how you see your past?" She asked softly.

Cuddy glanced down at Bella, wondering how or if she would respond to that. Bella sat quietly for a moment and Cuddy thought she was going to ignore the question.

"I guess." She responded finally.

"Why?"

"Because." Bella answered with a shrug. "I ain't who I used to be."

Dr. Sloane tilted her head questioningly. "Why would you say that?"

Bella took in a deep breath and laid her hand on Cuddy's thigh, running her finger over the fabric of her skirt. "I was different with my old family than with my new family."

"How so?"

Bella shrugged and continued running her finger over Cuddy's skirt. "I just am." She mumbled.

"You had a happy life before your parents died and now that's different?"

Bella glanced up at Dr. Sloane and shook her head. "No. I was happy with Mom and Dad and Mattie, and now I'm happy with Lisa and Greg…but I'm sad too. I wasn't sad then."

"You've been through a lot…it's natural to carry the loss and experiences you've had with you for the rest of your life, but you can't let them overwhelm you; you can't let them run your life." Dr. Sloane told her gently. "We learn from our experiences and I think the fact that you have survived what you have, says that you will get through the things that have hurt you so terribly in your life." She added. "Don't you think so?"

Bella shrugged.

"Are you still having nightmares, Bella?"

She hung her head and nodded. Cuddy placed her left hand over Bella's hand on her thigh, gently caressing her thumb over wrist, hoping to comfort her. Bella turned her hand over in Cuddy's and grasped it tightly, obviously needing what Cuddy was offering.

"Do you want to talk about them?"

Bella shook her head.

"Ok." She told Bella softly. Dr. Sloane glanced at the clock before turning her attention back to Bella. "Well, our time is up but I'd like you to do something for me Bella. I'd like you to think about the things that used to make you happy and the things that make you happy now. You can write them down if you wish, but you don't have to. We can talk about them next time, ok?"

Bella nodded and looked up at Dr. Sloane. She moved to stand up, no doubt eager to get out of there. Cuddy was proud of how well Bella did today and she was optimistic about her future sessions, knowing that they would do her good. They walked to the door hand in hand as Cuddy turned around to shake Dr. Sloane's hand.

"Thank you, we'll see you next week, Dr. Sloane. Again, I appreciate you letting me sit in with her."

"You're welcome, Lisa, she did very well today. Goodbye, Bella, I'll see you next week."

Bella nodded. "Bye." She replied, slightly pulling Cuddy toward the door.

As they made their way down to the car, Cuddy squeezed Bella's hand. "Are you ok, Bella?"

Bella nodded her head but didn't respond to her question. Cuddy sighed, wondering what was bothering her. A few minutes later, they were in the car and ready to head home, but before Cuddy started the car, she turned to Bella. "I'm proud of you…you did really well in there." Cuddy reassured her.

"Thanks." Bella replied.

Cuddy frowned at her. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"

"Nothing, I just want to go home."

Cuddy nodded, not wanting to push her to talk anymore today. "Ok." She answered, starting the car and pulling out of the garage. As they drove toward home, Cuddy felt Bella's gaze on her. She turned her head and smiled at her. "What is it?" She asked softly.

"I am happy with you, you know?"

Cuddy furrowed her brow slightly; somewhat surprised that Bella would think Cuddy didn't know that already. "I know, honey, you never gave me any reason to think otherwise." She assured her. "I'm happy with you too."

Bella smiled and nodded in understanding.

Cuddy reached over and gave Bella's hand a reassuring squeeze, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove them home.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

5:45 PM

House stood in the kitchen of Cuddy's home preparing dinner for the evening. He had never cooked for anyone like this before and House knew that today was Bella's shrink appointment and he wanted to do something for her in case it went bad and she had a rough time there. And if everything had gone fine then they would have dinner as usual.

He was putting the final touches on the salad, when he heard the front door open.

"We're home." Cuddy called out.

He heard Bella's footsteps as she ran to her bedroom, and House frowned, wondering if that was good sign or a bad sign. Next, he heard Cuddy's heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she made her way into the kitchen. He looked up when she appeared at the doorway with a furrow in her brow just before a smile came over her face.

"You're cooking? I didn't know you could cook." She said with surprise in her voice as she made her way over to him and cupped his jaw in her hand, leaning up to place a kiss on his lips. He looked down at her with a smirk on his face.

"I'm just full of surprises. Don't tell Wilson I can cook though, he'll murder me and leave you without your stud muffin."

Cuddy chuckled. "My lips are sealed…God knows I need my stud muffin." She replied, and placed another kiss on his lips. "What'd you make?"

Lasagna…how's the kid?" He asked, swiftly changing the subject and wondering if he should prepare himself for anything.

Cuddy smiled. "She did incredibly well, House. I'm so proud of her. She was nervous and scared, but once Dr. Sloane got her to talk a little bit, she loosened up. I think she's ok, she just needs a little time to herself." She told him, sliding her hand down to his chest and dropping it at her side.

House nodded with relief that she hadn't come home crying or pissed off. "Good." He replied. "What about you?" He asked nodding his head at her.

Cuddy nodded. "I'm ok." She replied softly.

House gave her a small smile. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes." He told her.

"Ok. I'm going to go change." She told him, giving his hand a departing squeeze before she turned and left the kitchen.

House put the finishing touches on dinner and set the table. This felt really strange to him. He hadn't set a table since he was kid and living in his mother's house. He felt oddly domestic right now. As he was making his way back into the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Bella standing in the doorway of the dining room, staring at him. He gave her a small smile.

"Hey, kiddo."

She smiled in return. "Hi. You cooked dinner?"

"Why is everyone surprised that I can cook?" He asked, making his way into the kitchen to grab the silverware.

Bella giggled and shrugged her shoulders, following him. "Cuz you never cook."

"Details." He replied, handing her the forks and knives. "Here, go set these on the table." He told her, with a wink and nod toward the dining room.

Bella took them and made her way into the dining room. A moment later he heard Cuddy's voice as she spoke with Bella. "Hey, Sweetie." She greeted, placing a kiss on her forehead as Bella set the table.

"Greg cooked." He heard Bella tell Cuddy.

"I know." She responded. "Tell him it's good even if it isn't." Cuddy told her in a tone that he was clearly meant to hear.

"I heard that!" He called out in response. He heard them chuckle at him as he took the lasagnas out of the oven and set them on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Cuddy came in with a teasing smile on her face. She caught site of both lasagnas and arched her eyebrows in surprise.

"You made two? House, we won't eat all of that."

"You should've thought of that before you became a vegetarian." He snarked.

Her jaw dropped in genuine surprise. "You made me a vegetarian lasagna?"

House rolled his eyes. "It was the logical thing to do, don't get all teary eyed."

She smiled at him and shook her head. "You are full of surprises." She told him, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his lips. "Thank you, House."

"Yeah, you're welcome…you owe me big time and I know just how you can repay me." He responded, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"How?" He heard Bella ask from behind them.

Cuddy whirled around to face her in surprise at her sudden appearance in the room. "Uh…"

"A massage." House replied quickly with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy turned her head toward him and glared, silently warning him to keep his mouth shut.

"Oh." She said, seemingly satisfied with that answer. "Can I have a massage too?"

House opened his mouth to respond, but Cuddy clamped her hand over his mouth. "Of course I'll give you a massage, Sweetie."

House chuckled, moving her hand away from his mouth. "Just so you know, I'm not interested in the kind of massage you're gonna give her." He told Cuddy, pointing in Bella's direction.

"If you don't shut up, you won't be getting it at all." She replied, looking at him pointedly.

House narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to retort but Bella beat him to the punch when she calmly asked, "Are you talking about sex?"

House laughed as he watched Cuddy's jaw drop in horror at Bella's question, no doubt afraid of what she'd picked up on just now. Bella frowned, looking slightly confused, as if she didn't know if she had just said a bad word and was about to get in trouble or if she'd said something funny. Cuddy glared at House ready to blame him for Bella's question, but he wasn't about to take blame for that one. He stopped laughing long enough to ask Bella. "Where did you hear about that, kid?"

Bella looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Everywhere."

"From me?" House asked.

Bella shook her head. "No, at school and on TV."

Cuddy glanced at Bella and frowned. "Sweetie, what have you been watching?" She asked warily.

"Nothing, I was just flipping channels." She answered.

"Who told you about sex at school?" House asked, taking a step closer to her, suddenly becoming serious at the prospect of her hearing about things she was too young to know about.

"Uhm, this boy at school said his sister got pregnant cuz she had sex."

Cuddy shook her head. "Oh god."

"You stay away from that boy…and his sister." House told her, not wanting her to be influenced by them in any way.

"Why?" She asked with confusion.

"Because I told you to." He responded, grabbing the lasagna and taking it out to the dining table. He turned to head back into the kitchen, seeing that both Cuddy and Bella hadn't moved from where they had been standing.

"Greg?"

"Yeah."

"Is that girl going to have a baby?"

He looked at Cuddy briefly before shifting his eyes back to Bella. "Yeah." He told her, keeping a complicated situation to a one-word answer; not wanting to go into all of the ways that question _could_ be answered.

"Oh."

Cuddy placed her arm around Bella's shoulder. "Come on, let's go wash our hands for dinner." She told Bella, steering her out of the room as she glanced up at House with a small smile, gently squeezing his hand on the way out. He sighed and shook his head, turning to see them walk out of the kitchen. He never imagined he'd have a conversation like that in his life; trying to protect Cuddy's kid from learning about sex at her age. He sounded like her father a moment ago, and Cuddy hadn't stepped in, letting him handle the situation. He wasn't sure how to take that. Should he be pissed that she hadn't handled it herself? Or should he be glad that she had trusted him enough to handle talking to her daughter about that stuff. He didn't actually feel pissed that she'd let him handle it; it actually felt nice to be trusted like that. Cuddy clearly trusted him with her daughter, even enough to teach her about life, knowing how screwed up his was. House allowed a small smile to appear on his face as he grabbed the salad off the counter, making his way into the dining room and setting it on the table. He wasn't trying to act like Bella's father but situations kept arising when he felt like he was acting like one, and even then not doing it intentionally. He couldn't say he hated it though, because he actually didn't mind teaching Bella and being one of the people she ran to for help or advice. The only problem was that he wasn't the best person to be giving anyone advice, much less a kid.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

15 minutes later

Bella sat across from Greg at the dinner table, eating the lasagna he had made. Greg was a real good cook and he made the best lasagna ever; the cheese was her favorite. She hadn't touched her salad because she was enjoying the lasagna so much. She took a bite, the tomato sauce dripping off of her fork and landing on her chin before falling onto her shirt. She glanced up at Lisa quickly, scrunching her face. Lisa looked at her with amusement on her face. "Woops." Bella said.

"It's ok…here." She said, handing her a napkin as the corner of her mouth curved into a smile.

"How did you miss that big mouth?" Greg asked her with a smirk.

Bella glared at him playfully as she wiped her chin and shirt, causing Greg to chuckle at her. After a moment, she looked up and resumed her meal. She took another bite, this time without incident.

"House, this lasagna is amazing. Why didn't you tell me you could cook like this?" Lisa asked him.

"Because you'd want me to do it all the time, but you can forget it." He told her.

Lisa rolled her eyes and took a bite of the lasagna.

"Who taught you to cook?" Bella asked him.

"No one. I'm just naturally talented in the kitchen…as well as other rooms in the house." He told her, winking at Lisa, who in turn glared at him.

Bella looked at him in confusion and decided not to comment. "Nuh uh…someone had to teach you how to cook. Did your Mom teach you?"

Greg shook his head. "No. I told you, I taught myself."

Bella gave up, not wanting to argue about it and instead changed the subject. "Does your Mom live in this town?" She asked Greg.

"No."

"Where does she live?"

"Far away." He answered.

"Can I meet her?"

"No."

"House." Lisa chided.

Greg glanced at Lisa, furrowing his brow. "What?"

"Wouldn't your Mom want to meet Bella?" She asked curiously.

He frowned and shook his head in confusion. "Why would my Mom want to meet your kid?" He asked. "If anyone's Mom should meet her, it should be yours, Cuddy. Does she even know she has a grandkid?"

Lisa frowned at Greg before glancing at Bella. Bella looked at Lisa curiously.

"N-not yet." She replied. "Everything happened so fast…and there was a lot going on. I'm sorry, Sweetie."

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "That's ok." She said with a smile at Lisa, wanting to reassure her. "I never had a Grandma _before_." She added, not seeing the big deal since she's never had anyone in her life like that.

Lisa nodded. "Well, maybe it's time you had one. I'll call her tomorrow."

Bella nodded. "Ok." She replied, taking another bite of her lasagna. She guessed it was kind of exciting but she didn't really know how she was supposed to act with a grandma…she didn't even know what grandma's were supposed to do for her. "Will I like having a Grandma?" She asked with a furrow in her brow.

"You'll love it, kid. Grandmas are good because they spoil their grandkids. Trust me, all you have to do is look at them a certain way and you get whatever you want." Greg told her.

"House…don't-."

"What, tell her the truth? Tell me Cuddy, how spoiled were you with your Grandma?"

Lisa glared at him and looked away. "Shut up."

Greg chuckled and nodded. "See?"

"Were you spoiled, Greg?"

"My Oma _couldn't_ say no to these baby blues." He replied smugly.

Lisa chuckled at him, shaking her head.

"What's Oma?" Bella asked with confusion.

"It's Dutch for Grandma." Greg told her.

"Oh." She replied with a smile. "That's cool." She glanced over at Lisa. "Can I call her that?"

Lisa smiled. "I guess so…if it's ok with her."

Bella smiled, becoming more excited about having a grandma now.

They continued eating dinner, talking about random things, from the idiot patients in the clinic that Greg saw today to the movie she wanted to go see at the theater. Afterwards, Bella and Lisa cleaned up the dishes since Greg had cooked. As Lisa handed her the dishes one at a time, Bella placed them in the dishwasher. As she did this, she was thinking about her day today. Bella had had a pretty good day even though she had been extremely scared to go to her therapy session. It actually hadn't been that bad and she thought she'd be ok with going now, especially knowing that she wouldn't have to talk about Mattie if she didn't want to. She didn't mind talking about her parents, but she couldn't handle talking about Mattie to Dr. Sloane.

After the dishes were done, Bella had taken her bath and spent some time drawing in her sketchbook, before it was time for bed. Throughout the evening, she had been thinking about what they had been talking about at the dinner table regarding Lisa's Mom. Bella had asked if she could call her Oma, but she felt kind of bad for asking that now that she thought about it, because Bella didn't even call Lisa Mom. It just didn't seem fair to call a woman she'd never met and wouldn't know very well by such a familiar name, when she knew Lisa and couldn't even bring herself to call her Mom, yet, even though she wanted to. Bella sat in bed waiting for Lisa to come tuck her in and when she came in a moment later and sat down on her bed, Bella looked up at her with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked her.

"I'm sorry." Bella told her.

Lisa furrowed her brow in confusion. "What for, Sweetie?"

"Because I asked to call my grandma Oma and I don't even know her, but I know you and I can't even call you Mom. I don't want to call her Oma now." She explained to Lisa.

Lisa frowned, a look of understanding on her face. "Bella, honey, that doesn't matter to me. I know who I am to you and I know that you'll get to that point someday when you can call me that. I am in no rush to hear it, ok? I know what you've been through and I know how hard it is for you to deal with everything. It won't hurt me if you feel you want to call her Oma, Sweetie, I promise."

Bella shook her head. "It don't feel right."

"Why not…you were excited about it earlier."

Bella shrugged. "It don't feel right." She repeated, shaking her head.

Lisa nodded. "It's up to you, Sweetie." She told Bella, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep and if you need me, come and get me, ok?" Bella nodded, knowing she was talking about the nightmares she'd been having all week. For the last few nights, they hadn't been as bad, only waking her with a start instead of her screaming out in fear. She had gone into Lisa's room and cuddled up with her and Greg one night after she'd had one and couldn't go back to sleep. Bella laid her head down on her pillow as Lisa covered her up.

"Good night, Sweetie."

"Night, I love you." Bella replied.

"I love you too."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:00 AM – Friday

Cuddy sat behind her desk with a pen in her left hand as she signed the charts that were ever present in her inbox. Regina, the clinic nurse that was pretty much an assistant to her, knocked on her door and peeked her head in.

"Dr. Cuddy, you got a minute?"

She looked up and nodded her head, waving her in. "Sure, come on in."

Regina walked in carrying some yellow envelopes in her hand and stopped in front of Cuddy's desk, handing them to her.

"These came for you today. This year's conference credentials and information packets." She told her.

Cuddy frowned and took them from her. "Oh god, I completely forgot!" She said, opening them and looking inside.

"It's next weekend." Regina reminded her.

Cuddy sighed and nodded her head. "Thank you, Regina."

Regina turned around, leaving her office as Cuddy looked though the paperwork. She would have to figure out what to do with Bella while she was gone the weekend of the conference. As she continued perusing the information, her office door burst open, startling her.

She sighed. "Damn it, House, do you have to do that?" She asked with irritation.

"Of course I do. Do you always have to ask if I have to do it when you already know that I have to do it?"

"Shut up. What do you want?"

"Came to see how much you missed me and offer my services to service you."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this today, House."

"If you knew what I've been fantasizing about doing to you, you'd have time, believe me." He told her, leering at her as he walked around the desk and sitting on the corner of it. He looked down at what she held in her hand and shifted his eyes to hers.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to that."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too." She retorted before rolling her eyes. "Damn it, now you've got me doing it."

House smirked at her. "Forget it, I haven't been to a conference in years, what makes you think I'd go to one now?"

"Because I'm your boss and I'm telling you that you're going."

"Yeah, because that's worked so well for you." He responded, rolling his eyes. "Not going."

"House, don't make this hard for me, just please for once do what I tell you."

"Uh…I'm pretty sure I did exactly what you told me to do last night as I made you moan into your pillow and I didn't complain once about it. Do the words 'harder, faster' ring any bells?"

Cuddy glared at him and leaned back in her chair defeated; there was no way she'd be able to get him to go, he was too damn stubborn. A sudden thought popped into her head then. "Fine, you don't have to go…but, I need you to keep Bella for me that weekend."

"Done." He replied without hesitation.

Cuddy smiled and gave him a short nod. "Good, now go away, I have work to do."

"Oh come on, let's at least make out for awhile. You know you want to."

Cuddy smiled up at him sweetly. "Leave."

"Meanie." He snarked, before standing up and making his way to her office door.

Her smile grew as he walked out of her office, limping toward the clinic. Bella would be so excited that it was just going to be her and House for an entire weekend. House was doing so well with her and Cuddy was proud of him. She'd never tell him that but she loved seeing them together. Lately he had been stepping a bit further into the father role in Bella's life and Cuddy didn't mind it at all. He was so protective of her, just like fathers are with their daughters; he was amazing. She wondered if he was doing it intentionally, trying in his own way to tell her that he wanted this. She wasn't sure but she wasn't going to say anything to him. Cuddy told him that she would never ask that of him, he would have to be the one to tell her that he wanted in. She couldn't believe how happy she felt in her life these days. She had everything she's always wanted; a career and job that she loved, a child that she loved even more and the love of a man whom she loved with all of her heart in return. Life was perfect right now.

Cuddy sighed, pushing aside her happy thoughts for the moment and resuming her work. She signed a few more charts when she realized that she hadn't called her mother today like she had told Bella she would. She looked at the time and picked up the phone, dialing her mother's number.

"Hello."

"Hi Mom."

"Lisa! How are you, dear?"

"I'm great, Mom. How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm doing alright. The hospital must be keeping you busy, I haven't heard from you in awhile."

"I have been busy but I should've called you because I have some news." Cuddy told her with a smile.

"Oh really? What is it?" She asked, and Cuddy could tell there was excitement in her voice. She knew she was probably thinking Cuddy was going to tell her she was getting married.

"Uhm…a few weeks ago I adopted a little girl, Mom. You're a grandma." She told her Mom with a smile, wondering how she would react.

"Oh Lisa! That's wonderful! How old is she? What's her name?"

Cuddy chuckled at her Mom's excitement. "She's 8-years-old and her name is Bella."

"Oh, she's older than I imagined, I thought you would've adopted a baby. Isn't that what you've always wanted?" She asked with confusion.

"Mom, Bella is perfect. She's so much more than I could've ever imagined in a daughter and I love her so much."

"That's just wonderful, honey, I am so happy for you." Her Mom told her softly. "How are you faring as a mother, is it everything you've imagine it would be?"

Cuddy chuckled. "It's definitely a challenge, but it's worth every minute. Bella has had a rough life the last couple of years and she's suffered emotional trauma, but I can't imagine my life without her, Mom."

"What happened to her?" She asked with concern.

"Her parents died when she was six and…she lost her brother as well about a year later. But she's the strongest and bravest little girl I've ever met and she's made a lot of progress in the time that I've known her. We're working toward healing her emotional scars and she's doing great." Cuddy answered.

"Oh that poor girl, that is just awful, Lisa." She commented sadly. "Well, I'm glad you two found each other and I would love to come and meet my new granddaughter, she sounds like a wonderful little girl."

"She wants to meet you too, Mom." Cuddy replied. "I have a medical conference next weekend but we'd love it if you could come in two weeks and spend that weekend with us if you don't have any other plans."

"I don't but even if I did I'd cancel them, I'm just so happy that you finally have what you've always wanted, Sweetheart, and I can't wait to see you both."

Cuddy smiled, nodding her head. "Great, we can't wait to see you too."

"Goodbye, honey, I love you. And give that granddaughter of mine a hug."

Cuddy chuckled. "I will. I love you too, Mom, see you soon."

Cuddy hung up the phone; happy that she'd called her Mom and that her Mom was happy that Cuddy had adopted Bella. Next week was going to be a busy one for Cuddy as she got everything prepared for the conference and made sure that her hospital would be left in good hands while she was gone. She didn't have a problem leaving the hospital in someone else's hands because she's done that before. What Cuddy wasn't looking forward to was leaving Bella for an entire weekend. Ever since she'd met Bella, she hasn't spent more than a day away from her and she knew that she would miss her terribly. Cuddy wasn't concerned or worried about leaving her with House, she trusted him implicitly with her care, but she would have a hard time concentrating at the conference because she would be wondering how Bella was doing the entire time. Cuddy knew she would be ok; she just couldn't help worrying about her. At least she had a week to prepare herself.

**Thanks for reading, please review me!**


	38. Chapter 37

**Hey guys, soooo sorry for the lack of update last week. There have been some things come up in RL that have prevented me from finishing my chapter and updating. I still plan on continuing the story and I'm going to try to keep posting on a regular basis but I can't make any promises. RL can be a bitch sometimes and I hope you guys will understand if I miss an update. I'll try to keep posting every week since that seems to be the earliest I can get a chapter completed. But I will definitely post sooner if a miracle happens and I finish a chapter faster than I anticipated. Thanks for your understanding and as always for reading and reviewing.**

**Chapter 37**

4:00 PM – Friday – One Week Later

Cuddy set her suitcase by the front door, ready for it to be taken out to the cab when it arrived. She had a flight to Chicago at 7:15 PM and she needed to be leaving soon for the airport. The cab would arrive at any moment and she felt like she was leaving something behind that she would need. She was also nervous. She had been nervous all week long but now she felt it full force, knowing she would be leaving Bella soon. Cuddy took in a deep breath and turned to make her way back into her bedroom to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. As she was taking a look around, she heard a car horn outside; the cab was here. Cuddy walked out of her room, almost running into Bella in the hallway as she came out of her room, having heard the horn as well.

"Is it time?" Bella asked sadly.

"Yes, honey, I have to go." She replied, making her way to the door.

Bella followed her, slipping her hand inside of Cuddy's. "House!" Cuddy yelled out for him, having no idea where he was at the moment. "I have to go."

"You think if you said any louder, they could hear you in Chicago, that way they would know to expect you?" He responded sarcastically, as he came up behind her.

Cuddy sighed. "I have to go." She repeated, ignoring his quip.

"Yes I think I heard you the first time just before my eardrum exploded."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be an ass. Could you please take my suitcase outside to the cab?"

House smirked and nodded his head. He opened the door with the suitcase in his left hand and extended the handle so he could roll it down the driveway. Cuddy grabbed her carry-on and her purse and stepped out the door with Bella following her.

"When will you be back?" Bella asked, grabbing onto her hand once more as they walked down the driveway.

"I'll be back on Sunday, ok. I want you to have fun with House while I'm gone and don't let him get into too much trouble." She told Bella, garnering a chuckle from her.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my eye on him." She responded as they reached the curb where the cab was parked on the street and the cabbie was placing her suitcase in the trunk. Cuddy chuckled at Bella and handed the cabbie her carry-on, turning to face Bella once more. She leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek before giving her a hug.

"I'll miss you." She told Bella softly.

"Me too. But don't worry, I'll be ok." Bella responded, hugging her tightly around her waist.

Cuddy smiled at her reassurance. "I know you will…I'm just going to miss you so much."

Bella nodded in agreement before Cuddy released her and cupped her head in her hands, looking into her beautiful little face and feeling the sting of tears in back of her eyes. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." Bella responded.

Cuddy finally let go of Bella and turned around to face House as he stood quietly watching her say goodbye to Bella. She took a step closer to him and wound her arms around his neck in a hug, feeling his arms come around her waist. "I know you'll take good care of her, House. Thank you for doing this."

"Anything to get out of going to that conference." He replied sarcastically.

Cuddy chuckled, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'll miss you." She whispered in his ear.

"Cuddy it's just two days, not a year. We'll be fine."

She leaned back, looking into his eyes. "I know that, House, I'm just…."

"Nervous about leaving the kid, I know, Cuddy. She will be fine." He reiterated, leaning in and placing a tender kiss on her lips.

She nodded her head, as her lips separated from his and she removed her arms from his neck, taking a step away from him. She glanced once more toward Bella, who had been sitting on the grass in the yard a few feet away. Cuddy waved at her and opened the cab door, seeing Bella wave back.

"Hey." House called out, walking up to her. She turned around to face him and watched as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek before he whispered in her ear, "I love you." He told her.

Cuddy's face broke out into a brilliant smile as he said the three words he hardly ever said to her. Not that she didn't think he loved her, but because it was hard for him to express himself like that all of the time. The fact that he _didn't_ say them all the time, made it even more special when he did. And she knew he said them now because he knew she was anxious and he wanted to make her feel better. It worked. "I love you too." She whispered in return.

House gave her a small smile and a nod, gesturing for her to get in the cab. After she had gotten in, he closed the door for her and stepped away from the car. As the cab pulled away she turned her head and saw Bella run a little ways down the sidewalk waving her hand. Cuddy smiled, and waved back until they were out of site.

"That's a nice family you got there, ma'am." She heard the cabbie comment.

"Thank you. Yes…they're the best." She answered with a smile, using the description Bella used for her all the time. Cuddy sighed and felt some of her anxiety dissipate, knowing that House would take care of her daughter.

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House and Bella walked through the front door after the cab had pulled away taking Cuddy out of sight down the street. House closed the door behind him and watched as Bella made her way into the living room. He followed her and stood at the entryway, seeing her plop down on the couch with a sigh.

"I miss her already." She told House, sadly.

He smirked at her. "She's been gone for two minutes, kid."

She shrugged. "I know, but I still miss her."

"She'll be back before you know it." House told her reassuringly. "Now…follow me."

"Where are we going?" She asked with a slight frown in her brow.

"Kitchen."

"Why?"

"Dinner."

"Oh." She replied, standing up as House turned around and made his way into the kitchen. Bella followed him, taking his hand in hers as she looked up at him. "What are we having?"

"How does a picnic in the park sound, kiddo?"

She gasped and started jumping up and down in excitement. "Really?" She screeched.

House smirked at her and nodded his head. "Sure, kid."

"Yay! Can we have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"

"Yep."

Bella's excitement made him smirk and shake his head, as she let go of his hand and went about gathering everything for the sandwiches. They packed a small cooler with drinks, chips and cookies and began making their way to the park down the road. They took their time, as House carried the cooler in his hand and held his cane in his other. Bella skipped ahead of him a little ways but stopped when she got too far away, waiting for him to catch up. House cursed his leg at times like this, wishing he didn't have this damn handicap. His leg wasn't bothering him right now, but it would be soon. He always tried not to show Bella how much his leg hurt sometimes, not wanting her to feel sorry for him or feel like she needed to treat him differently because of it. He never took his pills in front of her and he wasn't even sure she knew he took any at all, thankfully.

They arrived at the park a few minutes later and found an empty picnic table. House set the cooler down and Bella helped him pull out the food, setting everything out on the table. Once they were settled, they ate and Bella told him what she had done at school that day. She told him about a girl in her class who had made a solar oven out of aluminum foil and a pizza box for science class and how they had baked chocolate chip cookies in the sun. House arched his eyebrows in surprise that it had worked, wondering how long it had taken.

"I think about 3 hours." Bella told him with a giggle. "But it was totally worth it because they was really good." She added happily.

House nodded in response. They finished eating and Bella ran off to play on the playground. House took his iPod out of his pocket and listened to music as Bella played with her friends. He kept a close eye on her, making sure that she didn't fall and break any bones. Cuddy would kick his ass and never trust him again if that happened. As he watched Bella he thought about the research he had done this week regarding Mattie. He had found a few websites dedicated to finding lost and missing children as well as some dedicated to finding John Doe's. He had had no luck finding him and it was getting frustrating. He hadn't heard anything from Officer Cohen and it made him wonder if the guy was actually doing anything to find Mattie at all.

Bella had still been having nightmares almost every night. Some hadn't been that bad but others, Cuddy had said were as terrifying to Bella as ever. She would wake up screaming, causing both House and Cuddy to startle awake and Cuddy would run into Bella's room. On those nights Cuddy would stay with her as she fell asleep again. On other nights, Bella would just come into their room and crawl in bed next to them and fall asleep. House didn't mind her doing this but he was concerned about how this was affecting her mentally. She never talked about her nightmares and he could tell it was taking a toll on her physically as well. She was more tired and run down than a kid her age should be and it was starting to worry him. She seemed ok on the outside most days, but on others she had trouble remembering things and she didn't eat as much as she should. Her immune system was taking a beating and it concerned him because she could become susceptible to illnesses. House sighed. If this wasn't addressed soon, it was only going to get worse. Her therapy sessions helped, but he didn't think they were helping fast enough. She needed to talk about Mattie. House had no doubt that that was what was causing her distress and if _she_ didn't bring him up soon…House would.

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3 Hours Later

Bella had just gotten out of the bathtub and gotten dressed in her pajamas. She had had fun at the park today, especially since she got to play for longer than she ever had before. Greg had let her stay until it was almost dark before they left. She missed Lisa but she was able to distract herself at the park from thinking about her being gone and that had helped; but now she missed her again. Bella walked into Lisa's bedroom. The lights were off and it was empty. Bella sighed, wanting Lisa to come back home. She turned around and made her way into the living room where she knew Greg was as she heard the television.

As she walked in she saw him lying on the couch, rubbing his bad leg and she noticed that he stopped when he saw her come in. She frowned slightly but didn't comment as she sat down on the coffee table in front of him, blocking his view of the television. "Can we spend the night at your house?" She asked him.

Greg furrowed his brow. "Hey, you mind?" He asked, gesturing for her to move over so he could see the TV. "And why would you want to spend the night at my place?"

Bella shrugged as she scooted over a bit so he could see once more. "I miss Lisa and maybe if I'm someplace else I won't miss her as bad."

He shifted his eyes to look at her. "It doesn't work that way, kid, you're still going to miss her no matter where you are."

"Please?" She begged. "I promise I won't touch nothin'."

Greg chuckled. "That's not the problem. I don't care if you touch my stuff."

"Then why not?"

"Well for one thing, I brought my bike and I'm not about to take you back to my place on it. I'm pretty sure if your Mom found out I'd done that, she'd kick my ass out of here and never let me back in."

Bella rolled her eyes. "No she wouldn't." Bella responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Are you afraid of Lisa or somethin'?"

Greg laughed at her and rolled his eyes. "While she can screech like a hyena and make a grown man piss his pants with that death glare of hers…no, I am not afraid of Lisa Cuddy."

Bella giggled at him and sat up, clasping her hands in front of her and pouting her bottom lip. "Pleeeeaase? We could take Lisa's car, it's still here." Bella begged once more.

"You need to work on your begging routine, kid, cuz that's just pathetic. Does this work on Cuddy?" Greg asked her suspiciously.

Bella straightened up and dropped her act. "No…but it works on James, he's easy." Bella replied with a smirk.

Greg laughed at her and nodded his head. "Fine, we can go to my place, but only because you have mad manipulation skills with Jimmy, but you need to seriously improve your skills with me."

Bella smiled from ear to ear and jumped up from the coffee table with excitement. "No I don't, I got you to give in, didn't I?" She replied, running out of the room to go pack her stuff, not waiting around for Greg to change his mind after what she'd just done to him.

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30 Minutes Later

House's cell phone rang just as he and Bella stepped into his apartment. "Hey, it's about time you got there." He greeted, knowing it was Cuddy on the other end. House set down Bella's overnight bag on the floor next to the door and watched her turn around as he answered the phone.

"Yeah my flight was delayed a bit. How's everything going?" She asked with a slightly nervous tone in her voice.

"Fine, your kid is still breathing and no bones are broken. I'm fine too, by the way, if you even care."

"Of course I care. Can I talk to Bella?"

House rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, I totally feel the love, Cuddy." He snarked before handing the phone to Bella.

She happily took it and excitedly greeted Cuddy. "Hi, Lisa! I miss you."

House couldn't hear Cuddy's response but he noticed Bella's smile grow as she listened. "Yes, Greg is taking good care of me. Guess what?"

House smirked as he sat down on the couch listening to Bella's side of the conversation and watched as she came over to sit down next to him. "We're spending the night at Greg's house, like a sleepover." She told Cuddy happily.

Bella shrugged. "Because I wanted to and he said we could. Isn't that ok?" She asked with a little worry just before she sighed with relief at Cuddy's answer. "We will. Greg said we could watch a movie and order pizza." She told Cuddy with excitement.

House got up from the couch and made his way into the spare bedroom where he had moved Mattie's boxes a few days ago as they had been taking up space in his living room. He carefully moved them into the closet and got a sheet out, draping it over them, afraid that if Bella saw them she'd freak out. He wondered if she'd forgotten they were here; probably not, how could she forget about that? House hoped she wouldn't snoop around and find them in there. He knew she was already having a hard time with Cuddy being gone and he didn't want to add to that. He wanted her to have a good time this weekend. When he finished with that he set about placing linens on the small futon he had in that room, deciding she could stay in here instead of sleeping on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but he thought Bella would enjoy it nonetheless. This bedroom was never used and House figured that maybe he could let her have it if she wanted it. He was surprised at that thought, rolling his eyes as he finished up his task. Why the hell did he keep thinking about this shit? It's not like her spending the night at his place is going to become a habit. 'She's not his kid, damn it!' He thought. 'She's Cuddy's kid.' He reminded himself. He needed to stop thinking that way; he was not father material and any thought otherwise made him a fool. Cuddy and Bella both had too much faith in him regarding that matter, but he knew himself better than that. When Cuddy had asked him to keep Bella he hadn't hesitated, but only because he _really_ didn't want to go that conference and keeping the kid would be a piece of cake. A fleeting thought had entered his mind later that day that maybe Cuddy had wanted him to keep her for the weekend so that he could have some sort of 'daddy epiphany' and all of a sudden want to be Bella's father, but he knew her better than that. She wouldn't try to trap him into anything. Cuddy was manipulative, but not when it came to stuff like this.

House sighed and sat down on the futon, took his pill bottle out of his pocket and popped a couple of Vicodin in his mouth and rubbed his leg. He stood up after a moment and made his way to the bedroom door, determined to stop thinking of himself as the kid's Dad…it was a stupid idea and would never happen. He wouldn't let it.

As he was walking out of the bedroom he heard Bella call out to him. "Greg, Lisa wants to talk to you!"

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15 Minutes Ago

Cuddy sat on the edge of her bed with her cell phone up to her ear and a smile on her face as she heard Bella's sweet voice greeting her over the phone. "Hi Lisa! I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. Is House behaving himself?"

"Yes, Greg is taking good care of me. Guess what?"

"What, Sweetie?" She asked softly, happy that Bella seemed to be doing all right.

"We're spending the night at Greg's house, like a sleepover."

Cuddy furrowed her brow, wondering why they had gone back to House's apartment, knowing that Mattie's boxes were there and hoping that House had made sure that they were out of sight, not wanting Bella to get upset because of them; especially since Cuddy wasn't there to help her if she did get upset. "You are? How come?" She asked tentatively.

"Because I wanted to and he said we could. Isn't that ok?"

Cuddy sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. "Of course it's ok, Sweetheart. You two have fun, ok?"

"We will. Greg said we could watch a movie and order pizza." Cuddy's smile grew at the excitement in Bella's voice.

"That's wonderful, Sweetie, I'm glad you're having fun." She replied.

"Yeah, but I still miss you and wish you was here." Bella told her sweetly.

"Me too, but I'll be home soon, ok?"

"I know." She replied. "Are you going to bring me a surprise like you said?" Bella asked excitedly.

Cuddy laughed and nodded her head. "Yes, I'm bringing you a surprise. I knew that was the only reason you wanted me to come back soon." She teased her.

Bella giggled. "Nuh uh." She responded.

Cuddy laughed once more. "So what did you do today?"

"Greg took me to the park and we had a picnic and I played on the playground with Simon and Maya and we stayed until the sun went down." She told Cuddy with excitement.

"You did? I bet it was a beautiful sunset."

"Yep."

"Good." She replied with a smile. "I love you, Sweetie, and I can't wait to see you."

"Me too. Have fun at your conference."

"I will. Let me talk to House, ok?"

"Ok."

She heard Bella call out for House and heard him take the phone a moment later. "Hey, hot Momma, what's up?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "House, please tell me Mattie's stuff isn't sitting out in your living room."

"It's taken care of, Cuddy, don't worry you're sweet ass over it." He snarked.

She sighed into the phone, knowing he was trying not to let Bella know what they were talking about. "Thank you." She replied softly. Silence hung between them for a moment. "How's your leg?" She asked him with concern. "Bella said that you took her to the park for a picnic."

"It's fine."

"House, I know it's not fine, tell me the truth." Cuddy answered softly, knowing he was in more pain than usual because of the walk they had taken to and from the park that evening.

"It's fine, Cuddy, don't worry about it."

She sighed, standing up from the bed she'd been sitting on and making her way to the window, looking out at the Chicago skyline. "Did you take your pills?"

"You know I did." He replied smartly.

"House, what's your problem, I'm just concerned for you. You don't have to act like an ass."

"I always act like an ass, Cuddy, why does that surprise you?"

Cuddy frowned and closed her eyes, shaking her head at his stubbornness. "Fine." She responded curtly and turned around to pace her hotel room. "I hope you can get some sleep. I have an early session in the morning so I won't call, but if you need me, I'll have my cell with me."

She heard him sigh, but he didn't respond right away. Cuddy thought she heard a door close in the background but she wasn't sure.

"Look, I'm sorry, Cuddy. I just don't want the kid to know how much my leg hurts all the time. I don't want her to feel bad that I took her to the park and it hurt the hell out my damn leg to walk that far, ok?" He told her with irritation in his tone. "She doesn't need the guilt and I don't need the pity."

"She won't pity you, House. No one who knows what happened to you, pities you. She doesn't see you the way you think she does. She doesn't see a man with a limp; she sees a friend and a father figure whom she idolizes, House. Bella probably doesn't even think about it. She loves you for who you are…just like I do." She told him softly but firmly, wanting him to understand the truth in her words. "I know your legs hurts, and I'm so sorry because it's partly my fault and you've lived with a limp because of it, and you can't do some of the things that you wish you could do. You think you have these limitations, but I don't see limitations when I look at you. I see a man whom I love with all of my heart who can do anything. I see my closest and oldest friend in the world who has been through so much, and manages to frustrate the hell out of me one second and make me laugh in the next, and I still love him." She continued softly. "So stop thinking that everyone pities you when they don't." She finished, hearing silence on the other end.

"Did you just call me old?" House replied and she could hear the smirk in his tone even though she couldn't see it on his face but knowing it was there.

She smiled and went over to the bed and laid her head down on the pillow, feeling more relaxed at hearing him joke. "I called us both old." She chuckled.

"Speak for yourself, old lady."

She arched her eyebrows and smiled. "I may be an old lady, but at least I have a better ass than you do, old man."

"Well, I won't argue with that." He replied.

She chuckled and softly sighed into the phone.

"Are you picturing me naked right now?" House asked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "No." She told him.

"But you are now that I mentioned it." He stated.

"No, I'm not."

"Liar. What are you wearing?" He asked.

"The same clothes you saw me in earlier today." She responded.

"Cuddy, you're horrible at this phone sex thing. The proper response was 'nothing.' He told her and she could practically hear his eye roll.

"I'm not having phone sex with you…especially when my daughter is close by to hear everything you say and do."

"I'm in my bedroom…the kid is occupying herself elsewhere."

"I'm still not having phone sex with you."

"Your nickname is no longer 'Partypants' got it? Now it's, 'PartyPOOPER." He told her. "You crapped all over the party, Cuddy."

"Don't worry, I'll get my nickname back when I get home." She replied saucily into the phone.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Goodnight, House." She answered around a chuckle.

"Goodnight, Love muffin."

Cuddy smiled and hung up the phone. She tiredly closed her eyes for a moment before getting up and readying herself for bed. It was still somewhat early, but she'd had a long day and all she wanted right now was a shower and sleep because she knew that tomorrow was going to be an even longer day.

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10:58 PM

"Raise." House said, placing a poker chip in the center of the table along with the rest of the chips that lay there.

House had decided to host an impromptu poker game. He had called Wilson over, and halfway through the movie that he'd promised Bella they'd watch together, he talked Wilson into playing. Bella had wanted to play as well and after much begging and pleading, he'd given in, telling her that if Cuddy ever found out, she was on her own. They needed another player and Bella had suggested they call Chase. House decided it would be ok to take Chase's money and told Wilson to call him up to get his Aussie ass over here to play, and to bring some food and beer…and juice for the kid as well. That was an hour ago. Now, they were sitting around the card table that House had set up in the living room. Bella had a nice little stack of chips in her corner after House had spotted her some cash to get started. He was still impressed with her ability to play poker. She had a few tells but the kid had an amazing poker face. House smirked every time she stared blankly at Chase, knowing that he had become sort of freaked out by it.

Bella made her bet after House had and stared over at Wilson and Chase, waiting for them to do the same or fold. She took a potato chip from the bowl beside her and stuffed in her mouth. Chase looked over at her and shivered slightly at her penetrating stare. "You're freaking me out, kid."

Bella didn't respond, but continued staring, the corner of her lip curving up at Chase's response.

"Just hurry the hell up, Kangaroo Jack, the kid has to go to bed soon." House replied.

"Fine, raise you 50." He said, placing his bet on the table.

"Oooo, that must mean you have a good hand." House replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as Chase rolled his eyes at him.

It was Wilson's turn and he looked around the table. "Call."

"Big surprise, James." House commented. "Like we didn't know _that_ was coming."

"Shut up, House." Wilson told him and grabbed the deck of cards. "How many?"

House smirked and held up one finger. Wilson dealt him one card and glanced at Bella.

"Two." She replied, handing Wilson her cards and receiving two in return.

It was Chase's turn as he asked for one card as well. Wilson took three cards for himself, "Dealer takes 3." He stated.

They resumed the game with House raising the bet once more. They played until Wilson had folded, leaving Bella, House and Chase in the game. After another round of betting, they revealed their cards with Bella having won the game. She smiled from ear to ear and got up onto her knees in her chair to reach for the chips in the center of the table.

"I can't believe she won." Chase whined. "I had a full house!" He exclaimed.

Bella grinned at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I bluffed you. It was fair."

Wilson laughed, glancing over at House, who was glaring at Bella. "You cheated." He accused her.

Bella looked over at him as she stacked her chips. "I did not!" She exclaimed. "You're just pissed because I beat you…again."

Chase and Wilson looked at one another with surprise and chuckled. "Again?" Chase asked, wanting an explanation.

Bella looked over at him, nodding her head. "Yep, I beat him and now he's just being a big baby about it."

Chase laughed and looked over at House as he continued to glare at Bella. "I want a re-match." He stated.

"Ok." She replied challengingly. "But I didn't cheat…I'm just _that _good." She told him smugly.

Wilson and Chase both arched their eyebrows at her. "She's been hanging around House for too long." Chase commented to Wilson. He nodded in agreement.

"Yep, like father, like daughter." He mumbled, causing Chase to look at House in surprise.

House turned his head toward Wilson, his glare deepening. "You better shut the hell up, Wilson, unless you want my cane shoved up your ass." He told him in a dangerous tone.

Wilson held his hands up in apology and glanced at Bella. House turned his head to look at her, wanting to see her reaction. Her expression was unreadable; she stared at them with her arms crossed in front of her.

"So are we playing of what?" She shrugged her shoulders in question.

House couldn't tell if she felt hurt by what he'd said or not, but he nodded and handed her the cards to deal. About an hour later, House had managed to win some of his money back and Wilson and Chase were left with almost nothing after Bella had practically cleaned them out. Ultimately though, House had won the game. As they sat around the table talking, Bella stacked her chips as House grabbed the box with the all the cash.

"Where did you learn to play poker like that?" Chase asked Bella.

She glanced up at him and shrugged her shoulders. "New York City." She mumbled.

"Really?" He asked suspiciously.

Bella shifted her eyes to House before lowering them to the chips on the table. "I used to live there."

"Ah…well, I know one thing for sure." He stated. "You are the best bluffer I have ever seen." He finished with a head nod.

Bella looked up at him with a smile. "Thanks, Mattie taught me." She replied, her words spilling out of her mouth without any thought that Chase had no idea who Mattie was. House looked over at her in surprise that she'd mentioned him, and took a quick glance at Wilson before shifting his eyes back to Bella.

"Who's Mattie?" Chase asked with confusion and interest.

Silence filled the room as Bella lowered her gaze back down to the chips in front of her. She shook her head. "Nobody." She answered.

House handed her the cash she'd won. "Here, kid, go put this in your room and don't lose it." He told her softly.

Bella took the money and nodded her head, making her way out of the room.

"And for the love of God, do not tell Cuddy why you have $350 in your possession." He hollered after her as she left the room.

Silence filled the room for a moment as House handed out the winnings.

"Who's Mattie?" Chase asked softly, no doubt picking up on the awkwardness in the room.

"Her dead brother." House answered, looking at him pointedly. "Don't mention it again." He told Chase.

Chase nodded his understanding. "Is she ok?" He asked quietly.

House shook his head. "No."

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2:48 AM

Bella awoke with a sharp pain in her stomach. She sat up and placed her hand on her belly and squeezed her eyes closed. She moaned at the horrible sensation and she lay back down, curling herself into a ball with her arms around her middle breathing deeply, trying to make the pain go away. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up, the pain was so bad. She sat up quickly and grabbed the waist basket beside the nightstand, spilling the contents of her stomach into it. She threw up until it seemed everything that had been in her stomach was now out of it. Bella had eaten a lot of junk food earlier when they were playing poker and her belly had hurt a little but she didn't feel like she had to throw up. With her head over the trashcan, she threw up once more and out of the corner of her eye she saw Greg appear and kneel down next to her.

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2 Minutes Ago

House was in a light sleep on his bed when he suddenly heard vomiting sounds coming from the bedroom across the hall. He furrowed his brow and sat up, lifting the covers off of his body and getting out of bed. He grabbed his cane and slowly made his way into the spare bedroom. When he opened the door he saw Bella hunched over the trashcan vomiting. He took the remaining steps inside the room to her side and carefully knelt down beside her. "Hey." He whispered with concern in his voice. He rubbed her back as she threw up what was left inside her stomach. She glanced up at him when she was finished and started crying.

"I'm sorry." She cried softly.

"Don't worry about it, kid, that's what happens when you eat too much junk."

"My tummy hurts." She told him around a sob as she sat up and looked at him, her big brown eyes watery with tears and the saddest look on her face.

He frowned upon seeing her and reached for the lamp on the nightstand and flipped it on. Her face was flushed and he knew she had a fever. This wasn't because of the junk food she'd been eating earlier. "Shit." He mumbled.

"What?" She asked with panic in her voice.

"You have a fever." He told her. "How long has your tummy been hurting?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It was hurting earlier but I thought it was cuz I was full." She answered pathetically.

He nodded. "How bad does it hurt right now?"

"Not as bad as before I threw up but it's starting to hurt like that again." She said with a sob as she placed her arms around her middle.

"It hurts like you're going to throw up again?"

Bella nodded.

House helped her up. "Come on, let's get you into the bathroom."

He led her into the bathroom and pointed his finger down at the toilet, indicating he wanted her to sit down, knowing she was about to throw up again. House grabbed a thermometer out of the cabinet, and cleaned it with an alcohol swab. "Does anything else hurt?" He asked, hoping that all she had was a simple stomach virus and not anything more serious.

"My head." She mumbled, sitting up just before she threw up again in the toilet.

House made his way to her and gently held her hair back for her as his other hand stroked her back comfortingly. When she finished, she let out a small sob. "I don't want to throw up no more."

"I know, kid." He responded softly, flushing the toilet. "C'mere." He told her, leading her to the edge of the bathtub and sitting her down. He grabbed the thermometer and handed it to her, watching her place it in her mouth. A few seconds later it beeped and he took it from her, looking at the digital reader. 100.2.

"It's not too bad, but if you feel any worse you need to tell me immediately, got it?"

Bella nodded, wiping her tears from her eyes.

"How's your tummy?" He asked, replacing the thermometer back in the cabinet after cleaning it.

"A little better."

"You feel like you could go back to bed or do you need to stay in here?"

Bella shrugged. "I better stay in here." She told him sadly.

He nodded. "I'll be right back."

House went into the spare bedroom and grabbed her blanket before making his way into his bedroom and grabbing his cell phone and a pillow. He then went into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. When he came back into the bathroom he set the pillow down on the floor so that he could put his leg on top of it. He handed Bella the glass of water before he sat down, motioning for Bella to sit on his lap, facing the toilet. She took a sip of the water and set it down on the floor before she curled up on his lap, laying her head down on his shoulder as he covered her up with the blanket. He set his cell phone down on the tile floor next to him so he could answer it if it rang. He wrapped her up in his arms and gently brushed her hair away from her face.

"Comfy?" He asked softly.

Bella nodded, sighing into his neck and grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt.

"Let me know if you're going to throw up again."

Bella nodded once more. After several minutes of silence, he thought maybe she'd fallen asleep, so he was surprised when he heard her voice. "You're a good daddy, Greg." She mumbled.

House frowned at her statement. He hadn't done anything any other doctor wouldn't have done. He sighed softly and leaned his head against the tile wall. "Thanks, kid." He whispered to her.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

12:00 PM – The Next Day

House stood at the kitchen sink washing out the trashcan that Bella had thrown up in last night. They had sat in the bathroom all night and she had awakened almost every hour to throw up, complaining from the pain in her throat afterward. She was miserable and he had given her something to calm her stomach, which had helped for a little while but she had just vomited it back up later. Bella had barely gotten any sleep and House hadn't slept at all. She was currently asleep in his bed with a bowl beside her in case she had to throw up again. He was getting ready to call Wilson to bring over some Pedialyte or Gatorade for the kid so she wouldn't get dehydrated, but his cell phone rang, not giving him the chance. He dried his hands off on the dishtowel and looked at the caller ID, already having suspected who the caller was before he looked at it.

"Hey." He answered tiredly.

"Hey. You sound awful, what's wrong?" Cuddy asked.

"I'm fine, just didn't get much sleep last night." He told her.

"Your leg still bothering you?" She asked with concern.

"No, my leg's fine."

"I'm having an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, House. Isn't this the same conversation we had last night?"

"It's not my leg, Cuddy." He told her firmly before he sighed, dreading this conversation because he knew how it was going to go. "Bella was up last night throwing up. She has a stomach virus."

There was silence on the other end for a full 30 seconds before she responded. "I'm coming home."

House rolled his eyes, having predicted her response already. "No you're not. She's not throwing up anymore and she's resting. I'm taking care of it. You're needed there, Cuddy, you can't just leave."

"I'm needed at home more, House. I'm coming home." She told him anxiously. "I knew I shouldn't have left. She needs me and I'm 800 miles away. Damn it!"

"Cuddy." He said firmly, trying to stop her ranting.

"I can't believe this. The one time I leave and she gets sick."

"Cuddy!" He repeated more loudly.

"This is unacceptable, I cannot believe this." She continued with her rant.

"Lisa!" House yelled over the phone, knowing that calling her by her first name would get her attention.

"What?" She yelled back.

"Stop it…you are staying where you are." He told her firmly. "I told you that I'm taking care of her. Now, stop packing your suitcase and get your ass back to the conference. I know for a fact you haven't given your presentation yet so you can't leave now. But afterwards if you want to catch an earlier flight, I'll call the airline for you."

House heard her sigh, calming herself down. After a moment of silence between them, she gave in. "Fine." She whispered. "What's her temperature?"

"It's gone down but it hasn't broken." He told her softly, trying to ease her anxiety. "She complained of a headache and a sore throat but I think it's because she was throwing up so much not because of any other symptoms."

"Is she still asleep?"

"I think so. Cuddy, she'll be fine. Kids get sick, it's normal."

"I know that, House, I just wish I was there for her."

"I know." He continued softly. "I'd never let anything bad happen to your kid, Cuddy, I hope you know that."

"I do, House. Thank you for taking care of her."

"You're welcome."

"I love you. I'm leaving tonight after my presentation, will you book me a flight?"

House nodded. "Yeah. I'll email you the itinerary."

"Ok. I'll see you tonight."

"We're still at my place. I'll have her stuff packed if you want to take her back home."

"No…we'll stay with you if that's ok."

"Sure." He answered.

House hung up the phone and dialed the airline, hoping that he could get Cuddy a flight out tonight.

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9:44 PM

Cuddy got out of the cab and made her way to House's door with her luggage. She knocked softly, and not receiving an answer, she decided to use her key. She opened the door and noticed that all the lights except for one lamp in the living room were turned off. Cuddy figured that Bella was asleep and House was watching television in his bedroom. She quietly brought her luggage in and set it by the door, making her way down the hallway to look for House and Bella. She saw a light on in a room across from House's bedroom. She had never noticed that there was a room there before now. Cuddy peeked her head in, seeing that it had been set up for Bella. She smiled, thinking how sweet it was that House had done this for her. Bella wasn't in there so Cuddy pivoted and took a step toward House's bedroom. When she peeked in she witnessed the sweetest thing she'd ever seen before. House was asleep on his back and Bella had her entire body sprawled out on top of him. Her head lay on his shoulder and her arms were loose around his neck as her legs were straddled at his waist. His arms were wrapped protectively around her. It looked as if he had carried her in there and they had both collapsed from exhaustion. Cuddy brought her hand up to her heart at the sight, shaking her head at how beautiful it was. It melted her heart and she felt as if she could stand there and stare at them for hours. Cuddy pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and took a picture; she never wanted to forget this.

Cuddy slipped her shoes off of her feet and quietly made her way over to them. She gently laid her hand on Bella's back, stroking her there before she felt her forehead to see if she still had a fever. She was still warm but she wasn't hot. Cuddy bent down and placed a light kiss onto her forehead. She had missed Bella so much, even though it had only been a day. She turned her head toward House and placed a soft kiss on his forehead as well. His eyes fluttered open and focused on her face as she pulled back.

She smiled at him. "Hi." She whispered to him.

"Hi." He whispered in response.

"How is she?"

He sighed softly, but didn't move, no doubt afraid he'd wake Bella. "She threw up a few times today and she still had a fever when I brought her in here a couple of hours ago. Had Wilson bring over some Pedialyte and she managed to keep it down after a couple of tries, but she hasn't eaten anything today."

Cuddy nodded. "How are _you_ doing?"

"I'm fine."

She smiled at him, knowing she wouldn't get any other answer. "Do you want me to take her to her bed?" She asked softly.

"I can take her." He told her, carefully sitting up with Bella in his arms. House stood up, mindful of the extra weight he was placing on his leg.

Cuddy watched him, ready to help if it was needed. She watched House limp into the spare bedroom and carefully lay Bella down on the futon, covering her up. She was surprised when he placed a kiss on her head and brushed her hair away from her face. House switched the light off and turned around, making his way out of the room. Cuddy stepped back and allowed him to close the door halfway. She gave him a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. Cuddy felt his arms come around her waist, pulling her close to him. He buried his head in her neck and placed a feather light kiss there.

They held each other for a couple of minutes in silence.

Cuddy pulled back, placing a kiss on his cheek before capturing his lips with hers in a slow and tender kiss. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Thank you for taking care of my little girl." She whispered. "You are incredible with her and I just…I have to tell to you what a wonderful father you'd be, House. I'm not asking-…"

"I know, Cuddy. Thank you." He whispered. "But I just can't…"

"I know." She replied with reassurance. "I know, ok? You're not ready, I get it." She acknowledged with a small, sad smile as she caressed his left arm, moving her hand under the sleeve of his t-shirt. Cuddy leaned in for another kiss wanting him to know that she wasn't upset but that she understood.

"I'm sorry, Cuddy, that I can't be what you-"

"No, House. Don't you dare tell me that." She interrupted before he could finish. "You are what I need and whether that means a father for Bella or not it doesn't matter. I want you…just like you are. I wish you would get that through your thick head. I hate repeating myself." She told him with a smirk.

He gave her a small smile and a nod, dipping his head for one more kiss. They separated once more and Cuddy removed her arms from him and took a step back, his hands moving to her waist. "I'm going to take quick shower."

House nodded. "Have you eaten?"

"No."

"Wilson brought some homemade chicken soup earlier…interested?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

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11:04 PM

House and Cuddy lay together in his bed, her back to his chest as he held her tightly, placing light kisses on her shoulder. He heard her sigh contentedly and wrap her arms around his. "I know it was only a day, but I missed you." Cuddy told him softly.

"Me too." He whispered into her ear before he kissed her earlobe and trailed his lips down her neck. She shivered and smiled at the sensation. "You cold?" He asked with a smirk on his lips as he continued kissing her.

She shook her head. "No." She replied, her smile growing.

House moved his hand over her waist and down to her hip. His fingers snuck under the waistband of her pajama pants as he moved his hand over her abdomen. She straightened her legs out, allowing his hand to move further south. Cuddy turned her head and lifted her right arm, placing it softly on the back of his head, and bringing his lips down to hers. His tongue met hers briefly before his snuck past her lips as he deepened their kiss, his hand moving from her abdomen up to her breast. Cuddy's fingernails softly grazed the back of his head as his hand cupped her breast under her tank top, causing a soft moan to escape her throat. He lifted his head, releasing her lips and allowing her to turn her body toward him, lying on her back. House's hand moved to her other breast, his thumb grazing her nipple as he dipped his head once more to claim her lips.

Cuddy moved her left leg over his hip as her arm came around his back under his t-shirt, her palm resting between his shoulder blades. His lips moved down her neck as she kept her eyes closed and turned her head, granting him more access to her neck. House lifted her tank top, exposing her breasts and his head dipped down to take her nipple between his lips. She sighed and hummed softly, biting her bottom lip as he continued to suckle her breast.

After a moment he heard his name on her lips. "House." She said with a bit of alarm in her voice.

"Mmmm." He mumbled as he moved his lips between her breasts and trailed them down toward her navel.

"House, did you hear that?" She asked, pushing on his shoulder to make him stop what he was doing and listen.

He lifted his head and scowled at her. "I heard you moan…that's a good thing, Cuddy."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up and listen."

House heard the floorboards creak in the hallway. He turned his head toward the sound, unable to see anything through the closed bedroom door. A moment later, they heard a soft tap on the door. "Greg?" They heard Bella's soft voice call from the other side of the door.

Cuddy covered herself up, lowering her tank top over her breasts. She shifted her eyes to House's before lowering her gaze down to his groin. "Think of Wilson in a bikini." She told him with a smirk on her lips.

House scowled in disgust. "Ugh…Cuddy, give me freakin' nightmares would ya?"

She chuckled at him and sat up, leaving the bed to go open the door for Bella. The imagery she had just placed in his head had done the trick and he rolled onto his back in time to see Cuddy open the door. He heard Bella gasp in surprise at seeing Cuddy open the door instead of him. House sat up, seeing the brilliant smile that graced Bella's lips upon seeing Cuddy.

"Lisa!" She exclaimed happily and threw her arms around her waist.

"Hi, Sweetie, how are you feeling?" She asked with concern, her arms going around Bella.

Bella looked up at her. "A little better, I guess. I was thirsty and I couldn't reach the cups." She told Cuddy.

Cuddy nodded and glanced back at House. "I'll be right back."

He nodded and watched as Cuddy led Bella to the kitchen. He allowed a small smile to come to his lips. He was glad that Cuddy was back, but taking care of Bella hadn't been all that bad. He hated that she had gotten sick but he felt a certain sense of pride in how well he'd done. House felt as if he'd accomplished something in taking care of her. He wondered if that was what Cuddy felt everyday as Bella's Mom. Is that why she wanted to become a Mom? He didn't know, but he was starting to think he did. The question of whether he could become Bella's father was starting to eat at him. He resisted it for all he was worth but things kept happening that he couldn't get away from that caused him to act as Bella's father. He had heard from both Bella and Cuddy today that he was a good daddy. Wilson had even mentioned it during the poker game yesterday. It seemed that it was unavoidable. Unless he did something really stupid and pushed the woman he loved far away from him along with her daughter. It seemed that was the only way for him to avoid becoming what he knew he was not meant to be. The question was: is he stupid enough to push away two of the people he loved most in the world?

**Don't forget to review! Thanks for reading.**


	39. Chapter 38

**Hey guys! I finished one early! Well only by a day, but still…thought I'd give you guys an early one since you had to wait for two weeks on the last one. It would have been finished sooner, but this chapter went through ****several ****revisions to get it to this point. Hope you enjoy and as ALWAYS, thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Chapter 38**

12:30 PM – Tuesday – 3 Days Later

House was making his way to the cafeteria for lunch to mooch off Wilson when Taub and Thirteen came up beside him as he was walking.

"CT scan was negative." Taub told him as they walked.

"Do it again." House ordered him.

"House, the tumor isn't there, it's got to be something else." Thirteen told him.

"It's not something else. Do. It. Again." He repeated, getting on the elevator.

"House, we looked in every nook and cranny in her brain, there is no tumor." Taub explained.

"Obviously you didn't, because there IS a tumor. Do the scan!" He yelled at them.

Taub sighed in exasperation and walked off to do the scan. Thirteen stayed behind and got on the elevator with him. House turned his head to look at her.

"So which are you today, homo or hetero? Well since you're in here with me, I'm going to guess hetero. I wish you'd let me know in advance so I could prepare myself, I don't think I'm minty fresh at the moment." House snarked, cupping his hand in front of his mouth and testing his breath.

Thirteen grinned at him and shook her head. "So how's Bella?" She asked, ignoring his quip.

"Who?" He asked in confusion.

"Cuddy's daughter. You know Cuddy, right? Your boss…your girlfriend?"

House looked at her with a scowl and nodded. "Oh her…yes, my girlfriend and I are currently living in the land of 'Not A Snowball's Chance In Hell'. It's right across the lake from 'When Hell Freezes Over' and the island of 'When Pigs Fly.'" He replied sarcastically.

"It's ok, I haven't told anyone. I heard it from Chase and Cameron, although they didn't know I was in the room when they were talking." Thirteen told him with a smile. She shrugged. "I think it's great, House. You two have been circling each other for as long as I've known you both. You deserve to be happy."

House rolled his eyes as the elevator doors opened on the lobby floor. He quivered his chin and wiped at his eyes. "Wow, I think my eyes are leaking, what is this? I've never felt this before. That was so beautiful." He mock cried, continuing on his way to the cafeteria.

Thirteen followed him. "I've seen the way you look at her. You're in love, House." She commented with a teasing smile.

"Oh would you shut up. You're starting to sound like Cameron, and believe me, there's only room for one in this hospital. Well, two if you count Wilson, but that's the limit." He responded, opening the door to the cafeteria. "Don't you have a scan to do?" He asked, shooing her away.

Thirteen smiled at him and walked away. House shook his head; he was going to kill Chase and Cameron. When Cuddy found out, she was going to disembowel both of them and he wanted first dibs, so he wasn't going to tell her just yet. House spotted Wilson standing in line as he walked in, making his way over to him and cutting in front of several people.

"Thought you could sneak in here without me finding out? Shame on you, Wilson, you know I have eyes and ears in every corner of this hospital."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Wilson replied, watching as House filled his tray with various food items he knew he would be paying for.

"How's Bella?"

"Better." House replied.

Wilson paid for their lunch and they made their way to one of the booths. Sitting down, they both began eating their lunches in silence. After a moment, House spoke up. "Thirteen knows about me and Cuddy."

Wilson's hand stopped midway to his mouth, his eyes widening at that bit of news. "What? How did she…?"

"Chase and Cameron can't keep a secret to save their lives and now they're both marked for death. Twice…because Cuddy's going re-kill them after I do."

Wilson nodded. "She won't talk…Thirteen doesn't care and she knows it's in her best interest to keep her mouth shut."

"I know…and I'm keeping it quiet for Cuddy so as long she's happy I'm happy. But she's not going to be happy about this so I have some hunting to do for Blonde and Blonder when I'm done here."

"House, you two are going to have to come clean eventually, this can't last forever."

"The relationship or the secret?" House asked, narrowing his eyes at Wilson.

Wilson scowled at him. "The secret." He clarified before narrowing his eyes at House in suspicion. "Interesting." He stated, taking a bite of his food.

"What's that, James?" House asked him.

"Interesting that you would jump to your relationship not lasting; are you two having problems?"

House shook his head. "Nope."

"Then why would you say that?"

"We're fine, Wilson."

"She may be but you're not…what's going on?"

House shook his head.

"House, you clearly want to talk about it or you wouldn't have brought it up."

House rolled his eyes. He hated being 'open' with people and talking about his feelings and shit. But he had to get some advice. He sighed loudly and glanced at Wilson. "Cuddy and I are fine…but, I can't be Bella's father. The longer our relationship goes on the more Cuddy expects me to be, even though she says she doesn't. The kid…" He sighed and shook his head. "The kid is the biggest problem. She told me I was a _good daddy_, Wilson." He told him, rolling his eyes at how ridiculous that was. "She's come to expect that from me too and I just can't do that to her."

Wilson frowned in confusion. "Do what, House? You haven't done anything wrong, she told you that, so what's the problem?"

House didn't answer his question right away. He averted his eyes, thinking about his answer. Finally, he spoke up. "I'm a screw up, Wilson. That kid has had more pain in her life than anyone should have and she's survived it. What if I decide to take on this daddy thing and I do something stupid, make some decision that screws her up for life? I can't take that back and she'd end up hating me."

"House, every parent thinks that about raising their kid. And besides, everything you just said is exactly what's going to happen if you _do_ push her away. You may think that you're doing her a favor but she's already lost her parents once. And I know you're not her father, House, but she sees you that way whether you like it or not and if you back away from this…you're not just losing Bella, you're losing Cuddy too." Wilson explained. "You must be doing something right, House, for her to see you as her father to begin with. That kid is smart, one of the smartest I think I've ever met…and she's happy with you as her father. Stop over thinking it and just do it. If you think you're going to screw up then you have an advantage. You'll think before you act now." He continued and shook his head. "You're not your father." He stated firmly. "Give it a chance, House. And talk to Cuddy…you know where she's at, but does she know where you're at with this?"

"I told her I can't give her what she needs, but she says she doesn't care. Of course she cares, Wilson. One of these days she's going to get sick of me not stepping up and taking responsibility or whatever…and she's going to want out. She'll look for someone who will step up. Maybe I should just save her the trouble and get out while I still can."

"Don't be an idiot, House. You think you're going to make a clean break but that's the last thing that will happen. What…you think once you and Cuddy are broken up that Bella won't want to see you anymore?" Wilson asked him. "That she won't _still_ see you as her father? She will, House. As much as you don't want it, or don't want to believe it…Bella needs _you_, not someone else Cuddy ends up dating down the line because you were too scared to step up."

"It's not that I don't want it, Wilson, she's a great kid. I just don't…"

"Think you deserve it?" He interrupted, rolling his eyes. "House, for a genius, you are the biggest dumbass. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you. God knows you've suffered enough. So stop fighting it."

House opened his mouth to respond when his cell phone rang. He rolled his eyes and took it out of his pocket, looking at the caller ID. He frowned at who the caller was and quickly answered it. "House."

"Dr. House, this is Officer Cohen with NYPD. I have some news for you."

House glanced at Wilson in surprise as if he had heard what Cohen had just told him. "What is it?" He asked anxiously.

"I may have found your boy."

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1:30 PM

Cuddy walked into her office after her meeting with the Board, to see House sitting on her couch. "House, what are you doing?" She asked, rolling her eyes at him, making her way to her desk and setting down her paperwork she had brought from her meeting. He didn't answer her so she looked up at him in confusion and a bit of concern as well, having noticed him staring blankly across the room. "House?" She prompted.

"I'm leaving work…have something to take care of and I don't know when I'll be back."

She scowled, not understanding. "Ok…where are you going?"

"Out of town."

Cuddy walked over to the coffee table and sat down in front of him, clasping her hands together and leaning her elbows on her knees. "What are you talking about? Is there something wrong…is it your mother?" She asked in concern.

House's eyes shifted to hers and he shook his head. "No, my mother's fine. I'm going to into the City." He told her.

Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment. "_New York_ City?"

House nodded.

It was starting to make sense now. "You found him." She stated softly, not believing it was possible.

He slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so."

"Oh my god, House. Are you sure?" She asked, in total shock.

"Not positive, but that's why I have to go. I need to know, Cuddy."

Cuddy nodded. "Ok…I'll get someone to cover clinic. Is your patient taken care of?"

"The kiddies have it under control. I'll have my cell with me if they need me."

She nodded, watching him stand up and move toward the door. "House." She called out, turning around to face him as she stood up.

He turned around.

"What are you going to do if it is him?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know."

Cuddy watched him walk out of her office. She couldn't believe that he may have found Mattie after all this time. Should she tell Bella? She didn't know what to do. The last thing she wanted was to cause Bella any more anxiety than she already felt about Mattie and what had happened to him. But maybe it would help her to open up about him, she reasoned. She needed to talk and Cuddy wished that she would because she noticed the negative effect her nightmares were having on her; namely her mood swings. It also concerned Cuddy that Bella wasn't getting the sleep she needed due to her nightmares. They were getting worse and Cuddy was afraid of what it was going to do to her in the long run.

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3:00 PM

Bella sat on the steps of her school waiting for Lisa to come pick her up. She had almost fully recovered from being sick last weekend and she was feeling much better. She still felt a little weak but her tummy didn't hurt anymore. She had been feeling more tired too, but she knew that was because she wasn't sleeping too well because of her nightmares. They had been really bad lately and she knew why. The anniversary of Mattie's death was approaching and she couldn't stop thinking about it. As the date quickly approached, the memories of that day reminded her of the anger she felt at Mattie for dying. And that anger bled through to other areas of her life; small things would happen that made her react in anger. Bella tried to control it but sometimes she couldn't help it and she'd get mad. Like yesterday, when Simon teased her about spilling yellow paint water on her pants in art class, saying that it looked like pee. When the teacher wasn't looking she punched him in the arm and spilt _his_ paint water all over his pants. Bella had felt bad later and apologized because when she thought about it, it _was_ kind of funny what he'd said. She didn't know why she had gotten that mad in the first place. Sometimes she didn't know what was happening to her and she had to try to forget it and concentrate on other things; like school.

Today had been a slow day at school and her class had made a project for Mother's Day coming up in two weeks, which had been lots of fun. Bella was excited about Mother's Day because she hadn't celebrated it for a long time for obvious reasons. But this year was different; she had a Mom again and she was going to make sure Lisa knew how much Bella loved that she was her Mom now. And speaking of Moms; Lisa's Mom was coming into town this weekend and Bella was excited to meet her Grandma. She didn't really know what to expect but she was excited nonetheless.

As she thought about it, this was going to be a busy weekend because it was also Maya's birthday and Bella had been invited to her party. It was kind of short notice though, because Maya had decided to have a party at the last minute at her Mom's house instead of her Dad's because she has a pool and she wanted a pool party. Bella was a little hesitant because she didn't know how to swim, but she figured she could go even if she didn't get in the water.

Bella looked up and saw Lisa pull into the school behind the other parent's cars waiting to pick up their kids. She waved to Mrs. Decker and ran to her car. Bella opened the door and slid inside the car, buckling her seatbelt.

"Hi." She greeted Lisa with as smile.

"Hi, Sweetie, how was school?"

"Good. Guess what?" She said, pulling out Maya's party invitation.

"What?" Lisa asked with a smile.

"Maya's having a birthday party and I'm invited, see?" She told her with excitement, handing her the invitation.

Lisa took it from her and looked it over. "It's on Saturday." She stated.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, it's a pool party. I don't know how to swim but I can still go, right?"

"Well, I don't know, honey. Did you remember that my Mom is coming into town to meet you?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, but I want to go. Can I, please?" She begged her.

"I'll think about it, Sweetie."

Bella nodded and leaned back in her seat, turning her head to look out the window in disappointment. Her experience had been that when an adult says that they're going to think about something, it actually means no.

"Hey." Lisa said, gently placing her hand on Bella's arm, getting her attention.

Bella looked at her.

"I didn't say you couldn't go, ok?"

Bella nodded once more, but knew better than to expect to get what she wanted. She turned her head toward the window again and watched as Lisa drove them out of the parking lot and back to the hospital.

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4:00 PM

House sat in a small diner in Manhattan waiting for Officer Cohen to show up. He had left Cuddy's office that afternoon and gone up to his office to gather his backpack with all his research. He had driven his car to work that day but he didn't want to drive it to NYC, so he had decided to go home first and take his bike instead. As he waited, he thought about what he would do if this were Mattie. He and Cuddy would have to tell Bella; they couldn't keep this from her. She would eventually find out that they knew and that House had found him; she would never forgive them if they kept it from her.

A few minutes later as he drank his coffee, he saw a police officer walk into the diner. He scanned the tables looking for someone. This had to be Cohen. House stood up and the cop looked over at him, making his way to House's table.

"You're Dr. House?"

"Yeah, House is fine." He replied, shaking his hand.

"Ok House, you can call me Max." He answered, taking a seat across from House.

Max had a folder in his hand and he set it down on the table, sliding it over to House. "That kid wasn't easy to find." He stated.

House took the file and opened it, immediately seeing a picture of the dead boy he could tell was Bella's brother. His hair was brushed back from his face and the gunshot wound that had killed him was very prominent on his forehead. House had seen a lot of dead people as a doctor and it never bothered him because he didn't know them. He didn't know Mattie either but he felt like he did and it bothered him to see Mattie like this. It was the first picture he'd ever seen of him and it was one he wouldn't soon forget. He couldn't imagine what Bella saw that day. This picture was nothing compared to what he imagined Bella having witnessed the day her brother was murdered. House just stared at the picture, not knowing what else to do. He couldn't take his eyes off of the boy in front of him.

"That him?" Max asked him softly, his tone indicating that he knew it was.

House nodded. "Yeah…yeah, that's him." He answered in a quiet tone, almost a whisper, as he stared at the photo.

Max cleared his throat, pointing at the file in House's hand. "There uh…there was a picture on the kid when they found him; a family photo." He told House softly.

House put Mattie's photo aside and looked through the file, looking for the other photo. Finding it, he stared at it, the corner of his mouth curving into a sad smile. This family looked so happy, he thought. They were all smiling and Bella was much younger than she is now. She looked like she was about 5 years old. House suddenly looked up at Max. "I can keep this?"

"Sure." He told him with a nod. "Had it analyzed, but there wasn't anything useful on it. It's yours." Max told him.

House nodded his thanks, placing it in his jacket pocket. He then turned his attention to the file in front of him, looking over the medical examiner's report of the autopsy. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the report and he set it aside, moving on to the police report of the crime scene. As he looked at the photos of the crime scene, he noticed a little girl's jacket a few feet from where Mattie's body had been. That jacket had to have been Bella's. There were photos of shell casings found near the body but nothing that would give any clue as to who had fired the gun. So far, all they had to go on was what Bella had seen. House glanced up at Max once more, removing his eyes from the report he had quietly been reading.

"So what's next? How do we find the bastard?"

"Well, I spoke to the initial investigating officers on the case and they weren't especially helpful. I think they did a piss poor job of investigating his murder and I told them to go screw themselves. I'll pass that on to my supervisor and I think once he sees the evidence he'll assign another detective to the case. Looking at that evidence, there were two suspects. The shell casings are from two different weapons and the wounds on the kid's body were different as well. The area of town he was found in, leads me to believe it was a drug related homicide. Although there were no drugs found in his system, I suspect he might have been used by the suspects to deal drugs."

House shook his head. "He wasn't dealing." He told Max with certainty.

"How do you know, Doc? Kids on the streets will do what they got to do and these drug dealin' bastards use kids all the time." He replied.

"I don't know what he was doing there, but Mattie wasn't dealing." He reiterated.

Max nodded. "I understand your kid was his sister, is that right?"

House sighed. "She's not m-…". He rolled his eyes, not wanting to explain. "Yeah." He replied, finding it simpler just to go along with what he had said.

"I also understand that she was an eyewitness."

He began shaking his head. "No…no way, you can forget having her come in to identify these bastards. She can't handle that." He stated firmly, not giving Max any room for argument…or so he thought.

"House, there is no physical evidence in this file. Now unless we find some as we investigate further, she may be our only chance at putting them away." He explained.

Max had a point, he thought. House really wanted the men responsible for Bella's pain to pay for what they'd done to her and Mattie. It really wasn't his call one way or the other, and he knew Cuddy wouldn't allow it. But if it came down to it, he might have to convince her to reconsider. He nodded. "I'll think about it."

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4:30 PM

Bella sat on the couch in Lisa's office doing her homework. She was finishing up her last math problem and she really wanted to go see Greg up in his office as soon as she was done. She was currently alone in Lisa's office because Lisa had to go see about a problem somewhere in the hospital. Bella had to stay put until she got back but it was so boring in there. As she finished her homework she put it away in her backpack and stood up to look out the doors of the office to see if Lisa was on her way back yet. She wasn't. Bella sighed, not wanting to stay in there any longer. She made her way over to the phone on Lisa's desk and dialed her cell phone that she had memorized in case of an emergency. The phone rang and rang but Lisa didn't pick up. Bella put the receiver down and made her way around Lisa's desk. She really wanted to get out of here. Bella went to sit on the couch and waited for Lisa for about 10 minutes. She sighed and rolled her eyes, deciding that she wouldn't stay put anymore, this was sooo boring.

Bella made her way back over to Lisa's desk and grabbed a post it note, scribbling a note to Lisa, and letting her know where she was and what time she left. Bella placed it on her desk, grabbed her backpack and left the office, making her way to the stairwell instead of the elevators. She wanted to surprise Greg and tell him about the party she had been invited to this weekend. Maybe he could talk Lisa into letting her go even though she didn't know how to swim.

Opening the stairwell doors onto the fourth floor, Bella made her way to Greg's office. As she approached the doors she saw that his office was empty, but Thirteen was in the conference room. Bella opened the door to the conference room and smiled when Thirteen looked up at her.

"Hi."

"Hi, Bella. How are you?"

"Good."

"What are you doing up here by yourself?"

"I'm looking for Greg."

"Oh, honey, he left a few hours ago…I don't think he'll be back tonight."

Bella furrowed her brow in confusion. "He did?"

She nodded.

"Oh. Do you know where he went?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know." She answered with regret in her voice. "You're Mom doesn't know where he is?"

"I don't know." She replied, shrugging her shoulders. Bella sat down at the table with her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm reading a medical book, to try and figure out what's wrong with our patient."

"Oh." She responded, nodding her head. "Do you like being a doctor?" Bella asked.

Thirteen smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I do. Do you want to be a doctor like your Mom?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I think I want to be a artist." She answered with a smile.

Thirteen arched her eyebrows. "Really? What kind of artist?"

"I don't know…all kinds?" She answered seriously.

Thirteen smiled and nodded her acknowledgement. "Can I ask you something?"

Bella nodded.

"Do you hang out with House a lot?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "No, not really." She lied, knowing better than to let anything about Greg being Lisa's boyfriend slip out of her mouth again.

Thirteen nodded. "Did House tell you to lie about that?"

"I ain't lyin'." She told her calmly and as innocently as she could.

She smiled at Bella and nodded once more. "Ok. Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

Bella furrowed her brow. "Yes you did. You're just trying to trick me cuz you think I'm a dumb little kid, but I ain't."

"Why would I try to trick you?"

"Beats me." She answered with a shrug. "Maybe you're just afraid to ask what you really want to."

Thirteen raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're right…you aren't a dumb little kid. I'm sorry I thought you were."

"That's ok, most people think kids are dumb when they ain't."

"How'd you get to be so smart?"

"I learned the hard way."

"How's that?"

Bella shook her head. "I don't like to talk about it…and it ain't none of your business." Bella told her in the most polite way she knew how.

"Ok, I understand. Everyone has secrets."

Bella nodded. "Yeah."

"So can I ask you what I really want to know?"

"You can ask." Bella shrugged.

"Are Cuddy and House dating?"

Bella wasn't surprised that that was her question; she knew it was coming. Thirteen already knew the answer so she knew if Bella was lying; she just wanted confirmation. Bella furrowed her brow, trying to decide if she could be trusted. Thirteen seemed like a smart, trustworthy person and she hoped that she was right. "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity…I don't really care one way or the other, I'm just curious. Although I admit it's nice to see House happy for a change."

Bella smiled. "I ain't supposed to tell."

Thirteen nodded with a smile in return. "It's ok, you don't have to." She told her with a wink.

Bella grinned at her, knowing she had understood that she had actually told her without saying the words. She liked Thirteen.

They both turned when they heard the door to the conference room open to see Lisa standing there. Bella noticed she didn't look happy.

"Bella, we need to go." Lisa said, controlling her tone, but Bella knew she was mad.

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4:41 PM

Cuddy walked off the elevator toward her office after having taken care of a dispute between a doctor and patient on the 6th floor, that surprisingly had nothing to do with House or his team. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a little girl about Bella's height, climbing the stairs but she knew better because Bella wouldn't leave her office without permission. As Cuddy made her way into her office, Bella was nowhere in site. Cuddy's bathroom door was closed so she made her way over there and knocked. "Bella?" Not receiving an answer, she knocked again. "Bella, are you in there, Sweetie?" Again, no answer. She panicked for a moment, thinking the worst when she glanced over at her desk, seeing a post it note stuck to her calendar. She walked to her desk and read the note: _Went to Greg's office. 4:40._ Cuddy sighed; she stood corrected, Bella apparently would leave her office without permission.

Cuddy shook her head, what was she thinking going up there alone? Cuddy was upset; Bella knew better than this, damn it. She marched toward the elevators as fast as she could, wondering what had gotten into her daughter. A moment later, she stepped off the elevator and made her way to House's office and sure enough, Bella was there talking to Thirteen. Cuddy opened the door and looked pointedly at Bella, letting her know that she was upset. "Bella, we need to go." She told her, glancing at Thirteen as Bella gathered her backpack.

Bella waved at Thirteen. "Bye."

"Bye, Bella. It was nice talking to you."

"You too." Bella told her softly, knowing she was in trouble.

Cuddy led the way to the elevator as Bella followed her. There was silence between them as they waited for the doors to open. A moment later they did and they both stepped on the empty elevator, turning around as they watched the doors close.

"Why did you think it was ok to leave my office without permission?" She asked calmly, not wanting to raise her voice or show how mad she was at the moment.

"I just wanted to see Greg." Bella mumbled.

"Sweetie, you know I don't want you running around the hospital alone…it's dangerous."

"I wasn't, I just went to see Greg." Bella defended, looking up at Cuddy.

She sighed, looking down at her daughter. "Honey, that isn't the point. The point is that you are not to go anywhere alone."

Bella frowned. "Why? I ain't a baby. I always have to stay in your office and it's boring. I tried to call you and you didn't answer. I wanted to tell Greg about the party on Saturday, that's all. It ain't fair that I have to stay in there all the time." Bella complained defiantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Sweetheart, if you would've waited for me, I would've told you that House isn't here today and we could've avoided this whole thing. Now…I have to punish you." She told her sadly.

Bella looked up at her and dropped her jaw in disbelief but before she could respond, the doors to the elevator opened onto the lobby floor. She stomped out ahead of Cuddy, swerving around the people waiting to get on and made her way back to her office. Cuddy sighed, following her and witnessing the mood changes that Bella had been exhibiting lately. She remembered what she had been thinking earlier that day about how Bella was changing due to the intensity and frequency of her nightmares lately. She was becoming defiant and was easily angered. Cuddy sighed; she didn't know what to do. She was at a complete loss as to how to help her daughter. The sessions with Dr. Sloane had been going slowly. Bella wasn't opening up to her and talking about what was really causing her distress. Cuddy thought it was perhaps time to push Bella a little bit about opening up about what happened to Mattie. That was the only way she was going to begin healing from this; she only hoped she didn't push her too far.

Entering through the clinic doors, she saw Bella walk through her office doors just before a clipboard was shoved in Cuddy's face, needing a signature.

"Sorry, Dr. Cuddy, I just need your signature on this." Regina told her.

Cuddy reached for the clipboard, looking over it and quickly signing it.

"Bella looked upset, is she ok?"

Cuddy glanced up at her as she handed the clipboard back to her. Cuddy sighed. "She's…mad at me." She explained to her. "Excuse me." She took a calming breath and made her way into her office, seeing Bella lying on the couch, her back to the door. Cuddy made her way to the coffee table and sat down across from Bella.

"Bella."

"What?" She said defiantly, her voice muffled by the couch cushion.

"Could you look at me please?" Cuddy asked softly.

Bella rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. Cuddy leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together. "What's going on, Sweetheart?" She asked calmly.

"Nothing! I just wanted to see Greg." She answered with frustration.

Cuddy sighed softly. "Bella, I know you well enough to know that something's going on with you. You don't just disobey me like that, so can you please tell me so we can work through this?"

"Nothing." Bella mumbled.

"Honey, look at me." She instructed.

Bella turned her head to look at Cuddy.

"I know something's wrong and I'm just trying to understand why you're so upset right now."

"Because it ain't fair that I always have to stay in here even when I finished my homework, you never let me do anything. It's boring in here." She complained in frustration.

"Is that really why you're upset? Because I don't let you do anything?"

"Yes." Bella relied, furrowing her brow in anger.

"Because I think it has to do with something else." She told her.

Bella frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, with a tinge of frustration still in her voice.

"I think it has to do with Mattie."

"No it don't." She denied quickly. "It ain't always about _him_." She added, rolling her eyes. "I want Greg." She mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest and stubbornly turning her head toward the ceiling.

"Well, Greg isn't here and if you're going to stick with this attitude, you can sit here until I'm finished working and spend the rest of the evening in your room when we get home." Cuddy told her, getting tired of this conversation going nowhere. She stood up and made her way to her desk, leaving Bella to brood on the couch. As Cuddy stood behind her desk, she glanced at Bella as she sat down in her chair, noticing she had turned away from Cuddy and pressed her face into the couch cushion. She sighed, briefly closing her eyes before opening them once more and resuming the work she had been doing before she had been interrupted earlier.

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8:00 PM

House tiredly opened the door to his apartment after having spent time in New York City talking to Max about Mattie's case and later visiting a bar and eating dinner alone and thinking about what had been discussed. House couldn't get his mind off of the image of Mattie's face in the autopsy photo. He couldn't imagine the fear and horror that Bella had felt at seeing her brother murdered in front of her. He could never stop thinking about that. House thought of what Bella's reaction would be to having to identify the men that had murdered Mattie, he knew it wouldn't be good. The only good thing was that she couldn't be forced to do it.

House sighed and sat down on his couch, pulling out the family photo that he had kept from the file. Staring at it, he looked at Bella and how young she had been when the photo was taken and seeing the happiness on her little face. His eyes shifted over to Mattie, seeing the same smile. House could definitely see the family resemblance between the two. Mattie had the same dark hair as Bella but his was straighter and didn't hold the curls that Bella's did. She had no doubt gotten that from her father. Mattie had most of their mother's features while Bella had their father's. House continued studying the picture, his eyes moving over to Bella's mother. She was a beautiful woman and Bella had her smile. Her father was a tall man with dark wavy hair and brown eyes. The way the man carried himself in the photo, his posture and the protective way he held his family in his arms; House could tell he had been a great father and husband. He had one arm around his wife, while the other was placed protectively on his son's shoulder. Bella sat on a high stool with her mother's hand on her shoulder as she leaned her head on her father's abdomen with a slight tilt and a huge smile on her face. House wondered if he could ever be the father to Bella that her real father had been. He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the thought; probably not. The kid deserved better than him. Suddenly, Wilson's words that he had spoken earlier to House came back to him: _"You must be doing something right, House, for her to see you as her father to begin with. She's happy with you as her father. Do you think once you and Cuddy are broken up that Bella won't want to see you anymore? That she won't still see you as her father? She will, House."_ Maybe it was too late for him to back out now. If he did, it would just bring more pain into her life that she didn't need; then, he would lose both Bella and Cuddy. He didn't want to lose either of them; he couldn't lose either of them. He had to admit, if only to himself, that these last few months with Cuddy and the kid have been the most fulfilling and meaningful months of his entire existence. He had always loved Cuddy, even back in med school; he knew that now. Hindsight was 20/20, he thought. And now that he had her, he couldn't go back; he couldn't give her up. The same could be said about the kid; he loved that kid like he never thought he could love a child; as if she were his. He didn't know what having his own child felt like, but he could imagine it was similar to what he felt about Bella. Now he had to figure out if it was something he could live with the rest of his life. Was this something he wanted in the long run or would he eventually get bored and end up destroying Cuddy and Bella's lives if he left them down the road? House had a decision to make and whatever conclusion he came to, it wouldn't just affect his life, it would affect two other lives as well.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

2 Hours Ago

Cuddy and Bella walked into their home after a silent car ride home. Bella marched her way to her bedroom, slammed her door, threw her backpack in the corner and lay down on her bed. She was mad at Lisa for making her stay in her boring office all the time and for punishing her because she had gone to see Greg. Bella didn't think it was fair that she was punished for going to Greg's office, she had done everything right; she finished her homework, called Lisa and left a note when she didn't answer. It wasn't fair. Maybe she did disobey but it's not like she went running around the hospital.

Bella buried her head in her pillow trying to forget about how mad she was right now. Sudden tears sprang up in her eyes, and she scrunched her forehead as her shoulders started shaking, quietly crying into her pillow. What was happening to her? She felt confused; one minute she was mad as hell, the next she just wanted to cry her eyes out. She felt tired and she really wanted to sleep, but she didn't want to have a nightmare and she knew that's what would happen if she slept. Bella wiped her eyes with her hand but kept her head buried in her pillow. She wasn't really mad at Lisa; she had thought she was but she wasn't. She knew why she was mad and why she got angry all the time. She just didn't want to talk about the fact that she was mad at Mattie. Mad because he died and left her alone and the closer the anniversary of his death got, the madder she got at him. She blamed her anger on other things because she didn't want to talk about any of it. She didn't sleep well at night because of it and she was sick of thinking about it. Thinking about it all the time made her angry too, she almost couldn't stand it anymore.

A few minutes later, Bella heard a knock at the door. She had stopped crying and she was hoping Lisa would think she was asleep so she would leave her alone. Bella heard her door open and Lisa's footsteps in her room.

"Bella, we need to talk, Sweetie." Lisa told her tiredly.

Bella ignored her.

"Bella, I know you're not asleep. Please look at me." She told her, her voice slightly on edge.

"Leave me alone." Bella mumbled.

"No, you don't get to tell me to leave you alone, Bella. I'm your mother and I'm telling you to look at me." Lisa told her firmly.

Bella rolled over, slightly surprised at Lisa's tone. She had never spoken to Bella like that before. Bella frowned up at her, looking slightly ashamed for her behavior. Lisa took in a calming breath and sat down on the edge of Bella's bed. She looked at Bella with sadness on her face. "What happened today, Bella? Why are we here right now? I know something is wrong because you've been very moody lately and I need to understand why." She told her softly.

Bella shrugged her shoulders with a pout on her lips, still not ready to talk about why she got angry all the time.

"I thought we could talk about anything." Lisa responded.

Bella averted her eyes, turning onto her side and curling her arms to her chest, placing her hands under her head.

"Is it about Mattie?" Lisa asked.

Bella shifted her eyes to Lisa's and furrowed her brow, suddenly upset that she had hit the nail on the head. "I already said it ain't about him." She snapped, lying through her teeth.

Lisa sighed and nodded her head. "I have to warn you that you're adding to your punishment every time you disrespect me with your tone, Bella. I can understand if something has upset you and if that's the case then, we can talk about it, but I can't tolerate you speaking to me like that, understand? Now, if it's me you're mad at because of what happened at the hospital then there's not much I can say because I made it clear that I don't want you going anywhere alone. But if something else is bothering you, then I wish you would just tell me so I can help you, Sweetheart." She stressed.

Bella didn't respond, choosing to ignore her plea to talk about what was really bothering her.

"Fine. I'm going to assume you're mad at me then. No TV for a week." She stated. "I'm letting you off easy, Bella, because I know that you're repressing the real reason you're upset. But if your attitude continues, you can forget about your party this weekend, got it?"

Bella looked up at Lisa and opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it, not wanting to risk missing her party. She nodded in acknowledgement of her punishment and understanding about her attitude. Lisa stood up and made her way to the door. She stopped and turned around.

"I'm always here to listen if you change your mind. I'll call you when dinner's ready." She told her softly, before exiting her room.

Bella sighed, her eyes tearing up once more. Why couldn't she just tell her? She would understand and help her through it, just like she always has. But Bella just couldn't bring herself to talk about that horrible day.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:15 PM

House walked in the front door of Cuddy's house and hung up his leather jacket and placed his helmet on the side table by the door. He noticed that the house was quiet. The kid was in bed by this time and he wondered where Cuddy was. Normally, she'd be in the living room working and that was the first place he checked but she wasn't there. He made his way to the bedroom and when he stepped in he saw that the bathroom door was closed and he could hear water sloshing around and he realized that she was in the bathtub. He made his way to the door and lightly knocked, not wanting to frighten her since she wasn't really expecting him.

"Come in, Bella." She said softly.

"It's me, Cuddy." He told her as he opened the door and stepped inside, noticing that the bubbles in the bathtub were up to her neck. He inwardly smiled at that, why did women like that many bubbles? He wondered.

She turned her head to look at him in surprise. "Hey, I didn't think you'd be back tonight."

He nodded. "I debated coming over, but I…I wanted to see you." He told her honestly, his lips curving into a small smile. He walked over and lowered the seat on the toilet and sat down facing her.

She smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you came." She told him softly.

House noticed her red-rimmed eyes and he frowned at her. "What happened?" He asked knowingly.

She sighed and leaned her head back on the tub. "I got a glimpse into Bella's teenage years. I had to punish her today."

House nodded, not surprised to hear that. "She's becoming angry, isn't she? Her nightmares, her memories…they're becoming too much." He stated.

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah." She sighed once more and rolled her head to look over at him. "I don't know what to do, House. She was defiant and stubborn; wouldn't talk to me." She told him. "I don't know if it's her nightmares that are causing her mood changes or if it's something specific. I mentioned Mattie and she just got really angry."

"We gotta talk to her, Cuddy. She can't keep this up." He told her, rubbing his fingers against his forehead and shaking his head.

Cuddy nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She whispered. Cuddy looked up at him, seeing the worry lines on his face and undoubtedly the sadness that was overwhelmingly transparent there. She frowned knowingly. "It was him, wasn't it? Mattie?" She asked in a sad whisper.

House nodded. "Yeah." He sighed loudly into the room and shook his head. "When I saw his face in that picture, I knew. His lifeless face." He whispered, haunted at the image he'd seen. He glanced up at Cuddy, seeing her eyes tear up at his words. "Death has never bothered me, Cuddy, but seeing Mattie like that was…." The only word he could think of was 'haunting', but he didn't finish his thought. "And what she saw was a million times worse." He added, pointing his finger in the general direction of Bella's room.

"I'm sorry." Cuddy whispered with emotion in her voice as her tears spilled over her cheeks.

House nodded and rubbed his forehead once more. After a moment he glanced back at Cuddy. "Finish up in here, I've got something to show you." He told her softly, standing up and leaning in to brush a kiss to her forehead and then her lips. He gently wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs and left the room.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

20 Minutes Later

Cuddy had finished her bath and dressed in her pajamas, wondering what House had to show her. She was glad that she hadn't been there with him today to see that picture of Mattie. She didn't know how she would've handled that; not well she imagined. As she went looking for House, she wondered how she and House were going to tell Bella that they had found Mattie. Cuddy solemnly wondered where he had been buried.

Cuddy found House in the living room with his feet propped up on the coffee table, watching television. She walked in, seeing him rubbing his leg, knowing he must have done a lot of walking today. Cuddy sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. House adjusted his body to drape his arm around her shoulders as he turned his head and placed a kiss onto her temple. She felt him bury his nose in her hair and mumble in her ear. "You smell fruity." He told her.

She smiled in acknowledgment and laced her fingers through his, placing a kiss on the back of his hand. She sighed softly. "How's your leg?" She asked after a moment, concerned about the pain he was in.

"Hurts." He told her, shifting his eyes back to the television.

She nodded, not asking anything more about it, knowing he wouldn't answer. "What happened today?" She asked softly, changing the subject.

"Max showed me the file to see if I could identify if the boy was Mattie or not. I've never seen a picture of him before but the second I saw him, I knew, Cuddy. The resemblance is uncanny." He told her. "They're going to investigate the case, and if they find any suspects…Bella will have to identify them." He told her, staring at the television as he spoke.

Cuddy snapped her head up to look at him in shock, releasing his hand. "House."

"She's all they have in this, Cuddy. She saw what happened and who did it and if we want them caught, she'll have to do this."

Cuddy shook her head. "No." She responded. "I can't let her do that, House, she has enough trauma as it is and they want her to look at her brother's killers in the face? No." She stated firmly, looking away from him.

"I had the same reaction at first, but Cuddy, this is going to be only way to get those bastards off the streets and in prison where they belong." House told her firmly. "The longer they're out there, the more chances they have to do this to some other kid."

Cuddy sighed, leaning her head back on the couch and shaking her head. "This is too much, House. It's too much for her to take. I am really scared of what this is doing to her." She stressed to him. "She can't even tell us what happened, how is she going to look them in the face again? It'll only make things worse for her. This is exactly what I was afraid of when you started digging into this."

"I know, Cuddy. Believe it or not, I'm just as concerned for her as you are." He told her softly. "We're going to have make her tell us, Cuddy. It won't be easy or pleasant, but I don't see any other way around it."

"I know. I know…I just don't think she's going to take it well at all judging by the way she was acting today, House. She was not herself and it's starting to scare me."

"That's why we have to do this, Cuddy. The longer we wait the worse it'll be."

Cuddy looked back up at him with a small smile. "I've heard an awful lot of 'we's' in the last few minutes of this conversation." She told him.

"I'd be happy to step back and let you handle it, since it's really none of my business anyway." He replied, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You know that wasn't what I meant. I'm happy that you want to be here for her, House, I really am. And I'm grateful that you're here for me too…this is as much your business as it is mine and I want you here." She answered, reaching up and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

House turned his head to look her, leaving their faces only a few inches apart from each other. "You're welcome." He whispered. "I think I _want_ to be here, Cuddy." He breathed out softly, looking into her eyes.

She looked at him for a moment, her heart leaping into her throat at what he had just admitted to; but she had to be sure he said what she thought he said. "What…what are you saying, House?"

House lifted his right hand and brushed his fingers through her hair. "What do you expect from me here, Cuddy?" He asked softly. "I need to know. I'm a screw up, how could you want to be the kid's dad?"

She furrowed her brow. "I expect you to be who you are. You haven't screwed up anything with Bella, House. You are amazing with her and she loves you so much." She told him, looking into his eyes.

"Doesn't mean I won't screw up."

"No it doesn't…but how do you know _I_ won't screw up, House? You told me the day that I went to pick up Bella that I'd screw up and act like an idiot half the time; that it was natural for parents screw up their kids. Well, I'm telling you the same thing. You will screw up and you will act like an idiot, but you are a _great father_, House. You have shown more love for Bella than I ever thought possible."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He replied sarcastically.

She sighed in frustration. "You know what I mean. When you first met her, you didn't even like her, House. You thought she was just some thief that deserved to be thrown in jail despite the fact that she was just a kid. Now, you're trying to find the man that murdered her brother and doing everything you can to protect her from harm. You have made her see you as her father, House. _You_ did that. She sees the potential you can't seem to see in yourself. I see it too. I know you had a rough childhood and I know you'll never tell me everything you suffered at the hands of your father. But you are _not him_, House." She stressed. "If you were, I would've kicked your ass out a long time ago." She finished with a smirk.

He chuckled at her last remark and nodded his head. He averted his eyes, looking down at her hand that had taken hold of his. House turned her hand over, gently rubbing his fingers over the palm of her hand. "I don't want to screw this up, Cuddy." He told her softly.

"You might screw up, House, just like I might…but never beyond repair." She responded just as softly.

He nodded, seeming to accept what she'd told him.

"So…what does this mean? What are you saying, House?" She asked him, wanting to understand what conclusion they'd just come to.

He swallowed deeply and looked into her eyes. "I'm saying…I'm becoming open to the idea of being a father, Cuddy, but I still have a lot of thinking to do. I need to make sure this is what I want or I'm going to end up making both you and Bella miserable if it isn't."

She wanted to leap for joy, take him in her arms and hug and kiss the crap out of him. But she didn't. Instead she gave him a thousand watt smile and nodded her head. "Okay, House. The job is yours, if and when you want it." She replied happily.

House's lips curved into a smile as he nodded in acknowledgment to her 'job offer.' He leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. He pulled away and looked into her eyes once more. "How hard are you trying not to shout for joy right now?" He asked with a smirk.

She chuckled at him, feeling slightly embarrassed that she was so transparent. "Really hard, actually." She laughed, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Calm down, love muffin, I haven't committed yet." He told her.

She let go of him and leaned back. "I know…I'm sorry." She said in embarrassment, straightening out his t-shirt she'd just wrinkled.

He smirked at her and reached for something on the side table by the couch and handing it to her. "Here, thought you'd like to see this. It was found on Mattie's body." He told her softly, changing the subject.

She took it from him and flipped it over. It was a wrinkled family photo of the Porters'. Her jaw dropped in surprise and her eyes began to tear up at the sight of the happiest family she'd ever seen. She was speechless as the tears spilled down her cheeks and she looked at the smiles on each of their faces. Her eyes went to Bella first, noting how young she was before her eyes shifted to Mattie for the first time. She had never seen a picture of him and House was right, the family resemblance was uncanny. He was such a handsome young man. And their parents were just as attractive. "Oh my god." She finally was able to croak out. She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "They're beautiful, House." She whispered to him. "They look so happy."

House nodded. "She can't see this, Cuddy. She'll know where it came from and she'll freak out."

Cuddy ran her finger over Bella's young face in the photo and nodded her understanding. "Yeah…you're right. But once this all out in the open, I'm giving it back to her…she needs this."

House nodded in agreement, and draped his arm over Cuddy's shoulder once more, pulling her close as she continued to stare at the photo. Cuddy couldn't take her eyes off of their faces. She had heard a little about them from Bella and she had always been curious about what they looked like…and now she knew. It made her feel even sadder about the loss that Bella had gone through in her young life. It appeared that she had been a happy little girl but her life had been turned upside down the day that her parents died and again the day she lost Mattie. She sniffled as more tears filled her eyes, spilling over her cheeks. Cuddy felt House's arm tighten around her, comforting her. He hooked his finger under her chin, lifting her face up at him forcing her eyes to finally shift from the photo she had been staring at. His eyes bore into hers.

"She can have that again, Cuddy." He whispered to her, and she knew he wasn't just talking about the photo. He was talking about the happiness of having a family again.

She smiled up at him and nodded as he brushed her tears from her eyes. Cuddy handed the photo back to him. He took it from her and replaced it on the side table. She laid her head on his shoulder and they sat together in silence for over 15 minutes. House was watching his television show again and Cuddy's thoughts had drifted to this weekend and her mother's visit. Cuddy realized she hadn't told House about it. She looked over at him.

"House."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you…my mother's coming this weekend to meet Bella."

House shifted his eyes to her in surprise. "What?" He asked in shock.

"I'm sorry…I meant to tell you but I kept forgetting to mention it." She told him with a regretful frown.

House dropped his head back on the couch in exasperation. "Cuddy." He whined.

"House, it's not a big deal…she's always like you. But if you don't want her to know we're together I don't have to mention it and you can hang out at your place this weekend if you want."

He sighed, not responding immediately, appearing to think about it. She turned her head away, looking once more at the television but not really watching it. She wanted to give him time to think about what he wanted to do. Finally he gave her his decision. "No. I'll be here…she'll find out sooner or later anyway."

Cuddy looked up at him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"Ok." She responded, happy that he had decided to be there with them.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until House spoke up once more. "By the way, Thirteen knows about us." He stated with a smirk on his lips.

Cuddy looked up at him, dropping her jaw in surprise.

**HAHA…please review me!**


	40. Chapter 39

**Sorry for the delay again, I've been distracted by the World Cup and I'm freakin' excited that Brazil won their first game last week and I'm cheering them on for another win tomorrow! You might be wondering why I'm cheering for Brazil to win the Cup, or maybe you're not, I don't know…but it's because I grew up there and consider myself just as much Brazilian as I do American and sorry, US, but Brazil plays better soccer. **** So anyway, that's why the late update…sorry. Hope you enjoy this. And I also have to add a thank you to Temo…I totally went that direction, hope it doesn't suck!**

**Chapter 39**

_Bella startled awake at the sound of a door creaking open. She opened her eyes to see Mattie, with two bags of groceries in his arms, walking into the corner office of the abandoned warehouse they called home. She sat up on the old mattress she slept on, squinting from the brightness coming in through the windows as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She frowned, wondering where he had gotten all that food. Bella stood up, and walked over to him._

"_Mattie, where did you get this?" She asked with surprise._

"_Look, B, we're set for a couple of weeks." He told her proudly. "I got some money yesterday, a lot of money." He told her._

"_You did? You got a job, Mattie?" She asked, looking up at him happily._

"_Yeah, so today you get breakfast, B. I got your favorite." He told her, pulling a box of Pop Tarts out of the bag._

_Her smile grew and she took the box from him. She hadn't had Pop Tarts in so long and she missed them more than she realized. " Thanks Mattie!" She exclaimed, giving him a hug._

"_No problem, B. Now eat up, you need some new shoes and I got enough money here to get you a pair. I'm taking you shopping." He told her proudly._

_She furrowed her brow at him. "I don't need shoes, Mattie, we gotta save that money for food." _

_He shook his head. "No, I got enough, B. And you do need shoes, those are too small and your fucking toes are sticking out of 'em." He replied, pointing down at her feet._

_She looked down, seeing a hole at the tip of her right shoe and her toes peeking out of it. She giggled at the state of her shoes and looked up at Mattie with a nod. She pulled a Pop Tart out the box and opened the package. Bella stared at it for a moment, not believing that she was about to eat one. She glanced up at Mattie before taking a bite. As she chewed, she smiled, remembering the best taste in the whole world. These were her favorite; the strawberry with sprinkles on top. Bella chewed quickly and took another bite, savoring the taste. Mattie laughed at her and shook his head. _

"_I don't see why you love those so much, B." He commented._

_She shrugged. "They're the best." She mumbled with her mouth full of Pop Tart._

_Mattie rolled his eyes with a smirk and dug into his own breakfast, having chosen powdered donuts instead of the Pop Tarts. _

_After breakfast, they were ready to head out to get Bella a pair of shoes when they both heard the main door to the warehouse slam open with a bang. The noise echoed through the entire building and Bella jumped at the sound, looking over at Mattie with wide eyes and wondering what was going on. Mattie ducked down and gestured for her to do the same. She did as she was told, her heart thumping in her chest and her breathing becoming rapid. She saw Mattie peek out of the window to see what was going on. He must have seen something because he ducked down, crawled over to the door and quietly locked it before leaning his back against the wall and squeezing his eyes shut. Bella frowned, concerned about what was going on. "Mattie?" She whispered._

_He opened his eyes and stuck his finger up to his mouth, shushing her. He gestured for her to come over to him very quietly and she nodded, crawling over to him on her hands and knees as quietly as she could. When she reached him, he pulled her into him and draped his arm over her shoulder._

"_Matthew Porter!" They heard a man yell out into the warehouse._

_Bella gasped, only to have Mattie place his hand over her mouth, looking down at her and shaking his head, wanting her to calm down and not make a sound._

"_We know you're here, kid." Bella heard another man call out._

_Bella squeezed her eyes shut, tears beginning to well in her eyes as she tried not to make a sound. Mattie held her tighter against him._

"_Come on, Mattie boy, show yourself and we might think about letting you off the hook once we straighten this out!" The first man called out tauntingly as his voice echoed through the building._

_Bella heard their footsteps right outside the door and her body stiffened at the fear she felt of them coming into the place they were hiding. She heard the doorknob jiggle and she held her breath, her tears streaming down her face. Suddenly she heard pounding on the door and she jumped at the sound._

Bella startled at the sound she'd heard in her dream, as if she had heard it in reality. She realized where she was as she woke up, looking around her bedroom. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel the wetness from the tears she had cried in her dream on her cheeks, as it had elicited her body to react in reality as it had in her dream. Bella sat up and squeezed her eyes closed, taking deep calming breaths. She remembered the fear she felt as those men tried to get in the room where she and Mattie were hiding. Bella began crying as the memories of that ordeal still frightened her. She got out of bed, wanting to go curl up with Lisa and Greg, hoping the fear would subside knowing that they were there with her and that she wasn't back in that warehouse.

Bella hesitated a moment, remembering the fight she'd had with Lisa that day. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob of her bedroom. She took in some deep breaths as tears still filled her eyes. The memory of what had happened in the warehouse, and what subsequently a few days later, suddenly entering her mind. She wiped her eyes, she needed someone right now but Bella was afraid to go to Lisa thinking that she was probably mad at Bella. A small sob escaped her lips, unsure if she should go in there or not. Bella needed her though, she felt safe with Lisa and Greg and that's what she needed to feel right now. She was pissed off at Mattie, not Lisa or Greg, and they were always there for her. Bella sank down to the floor and continued crying, her shoulders shaking, as sobs of fear and frustration escaped her mouth. Why was this happening? Why did Mattie have to get himself killed? Why couldn't he still be here with her? She didn't have the answers to those questions and she never would. Bella couldn't take back what happened and she needed to get over it. The only way she thought that would happen was with Lisa and Greg's help. She needed them right now and Lisa said she was there for her when she needed her.

With that thought, Bella opened her bedroom door and made her way to their bedroom. She wiped her eyes once more as she silently opened the door. She saw them asleep on their sides facing away from the door where Bella stood. Bella took a few steps into the room and stopped when she saw Greg shift his body to look over at her. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. Greg turned over and easily lifted her onto the bed in between him and Lisa. Lisa awoke as well and turned over to face Bella. She reached out to her and Bella moved into her arms and settled her head on Lisa's pillow, breathing a small sigh of relief as she began crying again. Lisa held onto her tightly, kissing her forehead and rubbing her back. Bella felt Greg's hand in her hair as he brushed his fingers gently through her curly locks. Bella's tears slowed and she closed her eyes as Greg continued to comb her fingers through her hair, soothing her back into a dreamless sleep.

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11:15 AM – Friday – Two Days Later

Cuddy was sitting on the couch in her office with piles of paperwork surrounding her as she held several charts in her lap as well. She had a lot to finish up before she left to pick up her mother from the airport. She was taking a half-day today so she could spend some time with her before going to pick Bella up from school. The last two days had been strange. Cuddy had been surprise to see Bella crawl into bed with her and House the night she and Bella had fought. She hadn't really thought of what would happen if Bella had a nightmare and would need her since she had been so upset with Cuddy. It didn't seem that Bella's nightmare was as bad as they usually were since she didn't wake up screaming, and for that Cuddy was grateful, but she had still come into the bedroom crying. Cuddy wondered what her dream had been about; she wasn't mad as she came in to curl up with her and House; she was frightened. Cuddy could only imagine the subjects of Bella's nightmares and most of the time she was probably glad she didn't know anything at all about them. But this was becoming too much for her and it need to be addressed.

Bella's therapy session yesterday had gone as usual except for a bit of tension that seemed to still be there between her and Bella since she'd gotten in trouble the day before. Cuddy wasn't quite sure if the tension was because of her specifically or if it was because of everything that Bella was going through right now. But Dr. Sloane had asked about it, having caught on the moment they stepped into the room. Lisa told her what had happened but Bella refused to talk about what had made her so angry. Dr. Sloane informed them that next week was the last time that Cuddy would be aloud to sit in with Bella. Cuddy was fine with that because she got the feeling that her presence wasn't helping Bella talk about her problems. Bella had nodded in agreement as well, but Cuddy couldn't tell if she was glad about it or not. She figured since Bella didn't protest, that maybe she would be fine with it.

These last couple of days, Bella had been quiet, still not acting like herself. Cuddy was growing more and more concerned about her. Her moods swings were still there but she hadn't shown any outward signs of anger since Wednesday. They hadn't really talked about what had happened, and not for lack of trying on Cuddy's part, but Bella didn't want to talk. Cuddy hadn't yet decided if the pool party was a great idea. Her mother would be here and Bella needed to spend time with her, but Cuddy didn't want to deprive Bella of her friend's birthday party. She would just wait and see how everything turned out. She hoped Bella would be herself again when she met Cuddy's mom; she really wanted her to have a good time and Cuddy hoped her mom's visit would distract Bella from everything she's been going through lately.

As Cuddy tried to resume her concentration on her work she heard the door to her office open and sighed before looking up to see who it was and what they wanted. She saw House walk in and she knew she'd never get this finished today. He closed the door before speaking.

"Hey, love muffin, when's Momma Cuddy gettin' here?"

She glanced up at him with a small smile before shifting her gaze back to her work. Her mother and House hadn't seen each other in years and she was curious to see how this weekend would go. "I'm leaving in about 15 minutes to go pick her up from the airport. So I need to finish this before I go." She told him before looking back up at him. "You want to come with me to the airport?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"Hell no! That's all you." He stated.

She chuckled at him and nodded her head, not at all surprised by that answer.

He walked over and sat down in the chair next to the couch, since it was the only place vacant of the paperwork she was working on. She glanced up at him once more. "Did you need something specific or are you avoiding work again?"

"B. The kiddies are running tests on the patient, so here I am, ready for my mid-morning delight. I figure we can scurry into the bathroom there and no one would be the wiser." He answered with a smirk.

She shook her head. "Forget it, I'm busy and I need to finish this so you need to leave." She responded dryly, looking down at the charts in her hands. After a few moments of silence, he hadn't responded as she had expected him to so she looked up from her work with a frown to see him staring at her with a look of concern.

"How's the kid?" He finally spoke.

Cuddy sighed and put down the file she had in her hand, giving him her full attention. "The same, not good. You should have seen her this morning, House; she was dragging. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open, she was just…_so_ tired. And of course she won't talk about it."

He shook his head. "How long are we going to let this go on, Cuddy?"

She sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I don't know, House. I'm afraid for her but with Mom coming into town, I don't want to stir up anything. Bella's already in a fragile state, if we ask her anything about Mattie now, it's just going make things worse."

"Or it'll help her. If she doesn't get this out now, she will explode and it's not going to be pretty when she does."

"I know that…let's just hold off until my mother's gone. I want Bella to have a good weekend and I want my mother to enjoy her granddaughter. I think it'll be a nice distraction for Bella…take her mind off of things for a while."

He reluctantly agreed, nodding his head. Cuddy looked down and resumed her work. After several minutes of silence between them, she heard him sigh and say something she had never expected. "We should come clean." He told her.

She looked up at him and arched her eyebrows in surprise. "What? Are you serious?" She asked incredulously.

He nodded.

"Why?" She asked, her shock still clearly evident. "I mean it isn't like you to suggest something like this. It's kind of out of nowhere isn't it?"

He shook his head. "No, it isn't. Cuddy, people are going to find out eventually and it's better that we tell them instead of everyone finding out because we slipped up or because Cameron and Chase, once again, couldn't keep their mouths shut and the wrong person happens to overhear them. We were lucky it was Thirteen that overheard, Cuddy, because she doesn't give a rat's ass what we do so she won't squeal, but if it were anyone else…." He replied, leaving his thought open.

She sighed and averted her eyes, knowing that he had a point. She still couldn't believe he was suggesting this. Her immediate response is to be suspicious of him because it would serve him in some way, but she wasn't getting that from him at all. He was being totally sincere; she could see it in his eyes.

"I know that you have more to lose in this than I do, but I think we should do this." He told her. "You'd have even more to lose if we didn't do it our way."

Cuddy didn't respond immediately, unsure of whether it would be a good idea or not. There wasn't really a rule saying they couldn't date, it was that they couldn't fraternize on hospital property, which they had done on occasion, but not often. That wasn't even the reason she didn't want people knowing, really. She just didn't like to advertise her private life…it was none of peoples business what she did outside of work. She hated the gossip and there would definitely be gossip. But he was right; they should do this, especially if they were going to become a family one of these days. Her lips curved into smile and Cuddy looked up at House, giving him a slight nod. "Ok, House, we'll go to HR and I'll tell the Board about us."

House narrowed his eyes at her. "What was that? That little smirk you gave just before you said that?" He asked.

"I didn't smirk." She replied innocently, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"You're a terrible liar." He told her. "What made you agree?" He asked suspiciously.

"I just think you have a point, that's all."

He stared at her, clearly not believing that was the reason. He stared until she finally sighed and rolled her eyes, giving in and knowing that he wouldn't let up until she told him. "I was just thinking that…since you and I and Bella might become a family soon, that it would be a good idea to tell everyone. You're right, we can't hide our relationship forever." She answered softly, unsure of how he would take that.

He didn't respond immediately, but lowered his head as he shifted his gaze to the floor. After a moment he looked back up at her. She had been watching him with uncertainty and wondering if he had changed his mind about what he said the other day regarding fatherhood. He nodded, giving her a small smile, reassuring her that he meant what he had said. She smiled at him, relief washing over her.

He stood up, making his way to the door; his hand paused on the doorknob. "I take it you're going to tell your Mom about us?" He asked.

She nodded. "Is that ok?"

He nodded in answer, ready to leave before he stopped, looking over at her. "By the way, there's no way I'm sleeping on the couch, Momma Cuddy's going to have to get used to the fact that I'm doing her daughter." He told her with a smirk on his face before opening the door and walking out.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Nice." She mumbled. Cuddy was suddenly thinking it might be a mistake to tell her mother she's in a relationship with Greg House. Her mom has always like him and Cuddy knew she would be thrilled that she was finally dating someone, but this weekend could prove to be very interesting with the two of them in the house. She sighed and stood up, gathering her paperwork and walking over to her desk to put everything away. She had five minutes before she had to leave for the airport and she hadn't come near finishing her paperwork. She'd have to take it home with her.

About 30 minutes later, she was standing in baggage claim, waiting for her mother. Finally, Cuddy saw her coming down the escalators. She smiled, happy to see her after so long. Her mom made eye contact with her, giving Cuddy a broad smile as she finally stepped off the escalators.

"Lisa!" She called out happily, making her way around the crowds of people and giving her a warm hug.

"Hi, Mom. It's so good to see you." She told her, hugging her tightly.

Her mom released her and looked into her eyes. "Oh, honey, it's so good to see you too, you look more beautiful every time I see you."

Cuddy chuckled and thanked her. "How was your flight?" She asked as they made their way to the baggage carousel to wait for her luggage.

"Oh it was fine. How are you doing, honey? Still working as hard as always?"

"Of course…although having Bella with me has definitely cut back the amount of time I spend in the hospital. It's been great actually." She chuckled.

"That's wonderful. So tell me about Bella."

"Ok, uh, where do I start?" She asked with a smile. "She's…amazing. She's beautiful and smart and sweet and just…the most wonderful little girl." Cuddy told her proudly.

Her mom smiled. "Well, I can't wait to meet her. I've been so anxious the entire flight over."

"She's excited to meet you too." Cuddy replied. "She's hasn't had experience with grandparents before so she's a bit nervous, I think."

"I promise not to freak her out, dear."

Cuddy chuckled at her mother and threw her arm around her waist, squeezing her tightly. "It's good to have you here, Mom."

As the baggage from the plane emptied out onto the conveyor and started making it's way around, they spotted her luggage and quickly grabbed it. Cuddy took it from her mother with a smile and rolled it outside to the parking garage toward her car, as her Mom caught her up on everything going on back home. After placing her bags in the trunk, Cuddy suggested they stop somewhere for lunch before going to the grocery store since Cuddy hadn't had a chance to go before. Cuddy drove her mom to a café where they could sit outside and enjoy the nice spring weather. They were eating their lunches when her Mom asked about how Cuddy had met Bella. She told her the story of how Bella had stolen her purse and brought it back to her; about her having run off and shown up at the hospital with pneumonia, allowing Cuddy to gain Bella's trust and through that they had become close with each other.

"She doesn't have _any_ family? I know you said she'd suffered some trauma."

Cuddy nodded sadly. "Her parents died in a car accident and she and her older brother, Mattie, had to be placed in foster care because they didn't have anyone to care for them. They didn't stay there long before they ran away to New York City." She recounted to her Mom.

"They lived on the streets?" She asked in shock.

Cuddy nodded her head.

"Lisa…that's…I don't know what to say to that. How did they survive?" She asked in astonishment.

"I don't know, Mom, but somehow they did. At least until her brother was killed." Cuddy told her softly.

"Oh Lisa." She replied sadly, shaking her head in disbelief. "And after she lost her parents." She stated.

"Yeah well, that's not the worst part. She saw it happen and she suffers from nightmares and anxiety and most recently, bouts of anger and mood swings. She's getting worse and I'm afraid for her, Mom."

"Oh my god, honey. Is she seeing anyone for this?"

Cuddy nodded. "Mom, don't mention any of this to her. She doesn't know that I know about Mattie and that she witnessed his murder."

"Murder? Lisa, you just told me she saw it happen, I thought you meant he was hit by a car or something, you didn't say he was murdered. Are the police involved?" She replied in disbelief.

"Yes and she doesn't know about it, so please don't say anything, ok?" Cuddy pleaded with her.

"Of course I won't say anything…what, am I going to introduce myself; 'Hi I'm your Grandma, and by the way, I was sorry to hear that you saw your brother murdered in front of you, I hope the police catch the man who did it.'?" She asked, in hysterical sarcasm.

Cuddy sighed. "Mom, you know what I mean. Of course you're not going to say that I just wanted you to know in case she has a nightmare tonight and wakes up screaming. It happens almost every night, so I just want to prepare you."

She nodded and sighed. "That poor girl. Did you know all of this about her when you decided to take her in?"

"Yes…she needs me, Mom. I was the only one she trusted and I just love her so much."

Her mom gave her a small smile. "I'm proud of you, Lisa. You're a wonderful mother."

Cuddy smiled at her. "Thank you, Mom. That means a lot to me."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Cuddy looked up at her mother, wondering how she should tell her that she and House are together. She had been thinking about how she was going to tell her for a couple of days now and she thought she should just say it and get it over with.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Mom…you remember Greg House, right?"

Her mom looked up at her as she chewed her food. She swallowed and nodded with a smile on her face. "Of course, he's not someone you forget, honey."

Cuddy laughed, nodding her agreement. "Yeah." She responded and took in a deep breath. "Well, he was with me when Bella came into my life and he's been helping me a great deal. We, uh…we got close and…we've been seeing each other for a few months now."

Her mother gaped at her in disbelief, speechless. They sat in silence, staring at each other for several seconds. Cuddy frowned, unsure of what her mother was thinking right now. "Mom?"

She shook her head in astonishment. "You're seeing Greg House?"

"Yes. It's a _good_ thing, Mom. I'm happy with him…I love him." She told her with a small smile.

Her mother's face broke out into a brilliant smile. "Lisa, that's wonderful. It's about time…you've been in love with him since college." She replied happily.

Cuddy shook her head, opening and closing her mouth without any words coming out. Finally she replied, "I-I haven't loved him since college, Mom. I just recently-."

"Oh, you can't fool your Mother, honey. I've known for a long time how you felt about him, even if you didn't. How does Bella feel about Greg?" She asked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Oh god, she loves him. I swear sometimes you'd think they were related, they're so alike." She chuckled.

Her mom tilted her head and looked at Cuddy with seriousness. "How serious are you two, Lisa? I mean, he's ok with you having Bella, isn't he?"

She smiled and nodded reassuringly. "He is, Mom. He loves her just as much I do, although he doesn't like to admit it." She replied, with an eye roll.

She smiled in understanding. "Yeah, he has always been uncomfortable expressing his feelings, hasn't he? But I guess you managed to get him to open up." She added with a wink.

"Not without some effort on my part, I assure you. But he's great, Mom. He's incredible with Bella and she loves him so much."

Her mother smiled happily at her and nodded. "I'm happy for you, dear, you deserve this." She told her softly, placing her hand on Cuddy's and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Cuddy smiled, giving her mother's hand a squeeze in return.

"So how does he feel about fatherhood…I assume you two are that serious?" She asked.

"We're working on that. He's…scared. He didn't have a great relationship with his father and he's afraid of turning into him, but I know him better than that. He would never do anything to harm Bella…or me. I'm just giving him time to realize that."

"He was abused, Lisa?" She asked in shock, her hand coming over her heart.

Cuddy nodded. "Please don't tell him I told you, Mom. He's sensitive about it."

"I won't, honey, I promise."

They finished lunch as they changed the subject to more pleasant things and continued catching up with each other. After they left the restaurant, they went to the grocery store before heading home. Cuddy brought her mother's bag into the house and set her up in the guest bedroom. She showed her Bella's room and told her that Bella had picked almost everything out herself and that she was a very talented artist. Cuddy was proud of Bella and she wanted her mother to know how wonderful Bella is. Afterwards they had both decided to take a short nap before Cuddy went to pick up Bella, and her mom had decided she'd bake her famous chocolate chip cookies for Bella as an after school snack. Cuddy was anxious for her mother to meet Bella and she hoped Bella wouldn't be too nervous. Cuddy knew they would get along and she was excited to see it happen. Bella deserved this; she deserved to have a family again. One that loved her unconditionally, just as her biological family had. She needed the sense of security she had before with her family as well as the knowledge that if anything ever happened to Cuddy, Bella wouldn't be in the same situation as before. She'd have people to care for her and Cuddy's Mom would play a part in that now.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

3:20 PM

Bella sat quietly in the passenger's seat of the car, staring out the window as Lisa drove her home. Her new Grandma was waiting to meet her when they got home. Bella had been thinking about it all day and she was excited to meet her but she didn't know what to say to her. She felt Lisa's hand on hers and she turned her head to look over at her.

"Nervous?"

Bella nodded.

Lisa smiled. "It's ok, Sweetie, you're going to love her. She's so excited to meet you."

Bella grinned and nodded. "What am I supposed to call her?"

"I don't know; that's up to you."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She answered.

"I don't mind if you want to call her Grandma or Oma or whatever you want, baby. I promise, ok?"

Bella shook her head. "It ain't fair." She mumbled.

"It's fair, Bella. It's fair to you and it's fair to Mom. You didn't have a Grandma before so it's not weird for you to call her that. You're not ready to call me Mom…and I understand." She told Bella sincerely.

"But I don't know if want to call her Grandma."

Lisa smiled at her. "You'll know when you meet her…she's going to spoil you rotten." She told her sweetly.

Bella chuckled. "I'm ok with that."

Lisa laughed at her. "Yeah, I bet you are." She replied, squeezing Bella's hand.

They pulled into the driveway of their home and Lisa cut the engine to the car, looking over at Bella. "You ready?" She asked with a smile.

Bella nodded. She opened the car door and got out with her backpack in hand, slipping it around her shoulders and made her way to the path leading to the front door. Bella took Lisa's hand in hers as they walked there together. She unlocked the door and they stepped inside, just like they did everyday. Except today when they walked in, Bella smelled cookies. She smiled at the idea that her new Grandma had baked cookies for her.

"Mom…we're home." Lisa called out.

They made their way toward the kitchen where they heard pots and pans clanking together, before the noises stopped and they heard footsteps coming toward them. Bella saw her come through the doorway of the kitchen with a smile on her face. Lisa's mom gasped when she saw Bella.

"Oh my goodness! Here she is." She replied with excitement. She walked up to Bella and held her hand out to her. "Hello, Bella…I'm Laura Cuddy." She greeted her.

Bella smiled up at her, holding onto Lisa's hand as she shook Laura Cuddy's hand with her other. "Hi."

"Your Mom is right…you are beautiful."

Bella held her smile. "Thank you." She replied, shyly.

"Is it ok if I give you a hug?" She asked Bella with a warm smile.

Bella nodded and let go of Lisa's hand, bringing her arms around her grandma. This was strange but she liked it. Her grandma smelled good, her perfume was nice and it gave her a strange sense of safety that she hadn't expected. She liked her grandma so far. Bella released her from the hug and smiled up at her.

"Bella, why don't you go put your bag away in your room and when you come back, you can try the cookies that Mom made."

Bella nodded and went to put her backpack in her room. She saw Splat sitting on his perch at the window and she made her way over to him and scratched him behind his ears. "Hi, Splat…did you meet my Grandma yet?" She asked him. He stared at her with his big green eyes, unmoving as he purred at her. She picked him up and cradled him in her arms. She made her way out of her room, taking him into the kitchen with her. As she walked into the kitchen with Splat, she saw Lisa loading a few dishes in the dishwasher and her mom pulling the cookies out of the oven. Neither of them saw her standing there and she watched as they laughed with each other. Bella remembered being with her real mom in the kitchen a long time ago, baking cookies and having fun just like they were now. It was kind of nice to watch and she felt a smile tug at her lips. Her mom used to make great cookies and she wondered how good her grandma's cookies were. She was so lost in thought that she hadn't heard Lisa calling her name until just now.

"Bella?" She suddenly heard Lisa call. Her head snapped up and she looked in her direction. "Are you ok, Sweetie?" Lisa asked her with a frown of concern in her brow.

Bella nodded.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly.

She nodded once more, this time flashing a reassuring smile.

"Ok…do you want some cookies? Mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world." She told Bella with a smile.

"Oh Lisa, don't exaggerate, they're just the best cookies in this country not the world." Her Mom replied, waving her hand dismissively at her.

Lisa chuckled and Bella's smile grew. Bella set Splat down on the floor, moving to stand beside Lisa and leaning her arms on the counter, laying her chin down on her forearms. Bella watched her grandma place the cookies on the cooling rack, not really knowing what to say to her. Thankfully, she began asking her some questions.

"So Bella, I hear that you're an artist, is that right?"" She asked, looking over at Bella and handing her a cookie on a plate.

Bella nodded. "Yep." She replied, reaching for it.

"Bella wash your hands first, you've been holding Splat." Lisa told her before she could grab her cookie.

Bella moved to the sink to wash her hands and afterwards pulled out the stool underneath the island so she could sit and eat her cookie.

"Well, I would love to see your work sometime, if that's ok."

Bella shrugged. "Ok. I got lots of it in my sketchbooks and I painted some pictures that's hanging up in my room." She told her, reaching for the cookie and taking a bite. Lisa was right; these are the best chocolate chip cookies in the world; maybe even better than her mom's. She quickly finished it and smiled up at her grandma. "These is really good." Bella complimented her.

She smiled at Bella before glancing at Lisa. "Thank you, darling." She replied, winking at Bella. "Would you like another?"

Bella nodded. "Yes, please." She answered with a smile. "My mom used to make real good cookies too, but I think these is better." She commented, before looking up at her grandma. "I mean my other Mom. She died." Bella told her.

Her grandma looked at her sadly and nodded. "Yeah…I'm sorry to hear that, Sweetheart."

Bella nodded. "This was hers." Bella said, pointing at her locket.

"Oh…let me see that." She said, leaning over the counter and gently looking at the locket around her neck. "That's beautiful. You're lucky to have something so lovely to remember her by."

"Thanks." Bella replied with a small smile and glanced up at Lisa as she felt her hand rubbing her back gently as they spoke about her mom.

"You're welcome." She answered, handing Bella another cookie. Bella accepted it with a smile. She ate her second cookie and asked for a third, but Lisa told her she'd have to wait for dessert. They continued their conversation as they got to know one another. Bella learned that her grandma lived by herself because Lisa's dad died. Bella didn't know that and she wondered why Lisa never told her before. Why wouldn't she want Bella to know? Bella put that question in the back of her mind to ask her later and concentrated on the conversation they were having now. After a few more minutes in the kitchen, they had moved outside to the deck and Bella sat between Lisa and her mom as she kicked her legs back and forth under the table as they talked about dinner plans.

"House is supposed to be here at six but he won't show up on time, Mom, so we can plan on having dinner at 6:30." Lisa told her.

"Ok." She replied with a chuckle and nodded her head before she frowned at her daughter. "Why do you call him House, dear? Aren't you two past that…you've known each other for over 20 years." She asked.

"That's what I think too…it's always House this, Cuddy that." Bella replied with an eye roll, mimicking them. "It's just stupid." She added.

Lisa's mom laughed at her as she glanced over at Lisa with raised eyebrows. Lisa dropped her jaw, ready to respond as she held an amused expression on her face. Bella looked up at her and giggled. "It's true." She told her as she laughed at Lisa's surprised expression at what Bella had just said. Lisa's mom continued to laughed as well.

"You set her straight, Bella, because I'm not here to do it anymore." She told her between laughs.

"Hey…it's a reflex, ok?" Lisa responded in defense of herself, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"I think you should call him Greg." Bella interjected. "He would be surprised that you called him that."

"That's not a bad idea, Lisa. Mess with him a little bit, you know? As I recall, he wouldn't hesitate to do that to you, dear."

Bella nodded her head in agreement to what Lisa's mom had said. "Yeah, it would totally freak him out." She told her, urging her mother to mess with Greg.

Lisa chuckled and nodded her head. "Maybe I will…if I could remember. I'm usually yelling at him so Greg isn't the first thing that comes out in those situations."

Bella looked at Lisa's mom and finally felt comfortable enough to ask her as what she had really wanted to know ever since she knew her grandma was coming to meet her. "Um…am I supposed to call you Grandma?" She asked shyly.

Lisa's mom shifted her eyes to Bella and smiled sweetly at her. "Well…do you think you feel comfortable with that? I don't mind, honey, in fact I'd love it, but I want you to feel comfortable with it."

Bella shrugged and glanced at Lisa. She smiled at Bella and gave her a slight nod in encouragement. "I guess I could try it." Bella mumbled, still feeling slightly embarrassed to be asking.

"No pressure, darling. You decide what you want to call me." She told her softly. "As long as it's not a bad word." She added with a smirk.

Lisa chuckled at her mom as Bella gave her a small smile and nodded. "I won't…you're too nice and I like you. And besides, you might not spoil me if I'm not nice to you." Bella said teasingly as she flashed her grandma a huge smile.

She and Lisa laughed at her expression. "You're right, Lisa, she is like Greg." Grandma commented.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6:20 PM

House walked through the door to Cuddy's house and closed the door behind him. He sniffed the air, smelling the incredible scent emanating from the kitchen and permeating the entire house. He heard Bella's footsteps running from the kitchen in his direction. He smiled to himself, secretly loving that she never failed to greet him in this way when he arrived.

"Greg!" She called out as she ran toward him, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Hey, kiddo." He replied, bringing his arms around her back and returning her hug.

She looked up at him, leaning her chin on his abdomen. "You're late again." She told him as she smirked up at him.

"Yep." He answered with a smirk of his own.

She chuckled and released him from her hug, taking his hand in hers as she led him into the kitchen. "Come on, we're in the kitchen fixing dinner."

He followed her, holding onto her hand. When he turned the corner into the kitchen he saw Cuddy standing at the counter making the salad. She looked up and smiled at him before shifting her eyes to her mother who was bent over at the waist rummaging around inside the refrigerator with her head inside and her ass sticking out.

"Cuddy, I don't think you need to stock any extra asses, the one you have is plenty big enough." He commented, drawing her mother's head out of the fridge to look over at him with a scowl.

She rolled her eyes with a smirk on her lips. "Gregory House, watch your language in front of my granddaughter." She scolded him, as she closed the door and made her way over to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

He chuckled and released Bella's hand, wrapping his arms around her. He glanced over at Cuddy, who had a smile on her face as she watched them. "Hey, Momma Cuddy." He greeted her. "Miss me?" He asked her as she released him from her hug.

"Of course I missed you…who wouldn't miss that smart mouth and those mischievous blue eyes?" She answered standing on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

He rolled his eyes. "Stop hittin' on me old woman, my girlfriend's right there." He snarked, nodding his head in Cuddy's direction.

She laughed at him and waved her hand dismissively at him as she walked back to the fridge to finish what she had been doing. Bella grabbed his hand again and followed him as he made his way over to Cuddy. He leaned in, giving her a peck on the lips, and looking into her eyes. "Hey." He whispered to her.

She looked up at him with a sweet smile. "Hey." She whispered back, kissing him once more before he pulled back, and stole a tomato out of the salad bowl Cuddy was working on, popping it into his mouth.

"So what's for dinner? Please tell me Momma Cuddy made her famous fried chicken?" He begged, looking pointedly at her.

"Sorry Greg, I didn't get to it tonight."

"Damn!" He responded with disappointment.

"Tomorrow night, dear, I promise."

"I'll have to invite Wilson, he hasn't had the pleasure yet and I've been bragging about it for years. I'm holding you to it, Momma Cuddy, or you're not welcome here anymore." He told her, pointing his finger at her.

"House!" Cuddy chided, reaching up and smacking his hand before he could reach for another tomato.

Bella giggled at their actions. She let go of his hand and climbed onto the stool next to him, settling herself onto it and glancing up at House. "Grandma makes the best cookies in the whole world too." She commented.

He shifted his eyes to her and smirked. "Grandma? Well that was fast." He snarked.

Bella shrugged. "I'm trying it." She told him. "I kinda like it, don't you, Grandma?"

"I love it, dear. What do you think, Lisa?"

"I think it works."

"What happened to Oma?" House asked her.

"I don't know? I like Grandma better…maybe I can call your Mom Oma." Bella suggested.

House looked at her, surprised at her suggestion. He wasn't really ready to tell his mother about this little development in his life. He wasn't sure _he_ was ready to fully accept it yet. "We'll see, kid." He responded after a moment.

Bella glanced up at him before hanging her head, undoubtedly picking up on his discomfort about the conversation. He glanced up at Cuddy, seeing that her smile had faded as she heard the tone in his response. Cuddy's mom had noticed the shift in mood as well and probably didn't know what was going on. He felt some relief at that thought. House needed to get away for a few minutes, he felt trapped all of a sudden. He walked out of the kitchen without a word, not looking back to see the expressions he knew were present on all of the Cuddy girls' faces.

He made his way to the living room and flopped down on the couch, turning on the television. A few minutes later, Cuddy came into the room and sat down beside him. "You ok?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "I'm fine."

"Reality setting in?" She asked, laying her hand on his thigh. "House, you're allowed to feel like this…parenthood is scary and I'd rather you feel this way and take it seriously than come into it thinking it's a piece of cake." She told him softly, rubbing his thigh soothingly. "Take whatever time you need, ok? And don't feel like you're less of a person for having these feelings. There's no shame in it."

"What if I decide I want to back out, Cuddy? What then?"

She sighed, looking into his eyes. "I couldn't honestly say I wouldn't be disappointed, House, but I love you and I want to be with you no matter what." She replied, taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together.

He looked at her dubiously. "You're insane, you know that, right?" He replied, shaking his head.

She chuckled at him, nodding her head. "Yes."

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Admitting it _is_ the first step."

Her smile grew and she leaned over to place a kiss on his lips. "Dinner will be ready soon…you going to be ok?"

He nodded. "Send the kid in here, will you?" He asked.

She squeezed his hand in understanding and nodded her head. "Yeah." She replied as she stood up and made her way into the kitchen. A moment later he heard Bella's footsteps slowly making their way toward him. Her steps seemed uncertain and he knew they echoed what she was feeling. He needed to fix that.

She appeared in the doorway of the living room and waited, her head hung low and she looked unsure of what he was going to tell her.

"C'mere, kid." He told her, waving her over to him and switching off the television. She entered the living room and made her way to the couch where he was sitting. He patted the couch beside him, inviting her to sit next to him. She slowly sank down on the couch, her head still hung low and a slight pout on her lips.

"Are you mad at me cuz of what I said?" She mumbled.

"No. I'll never be mad at you for telling me how you feel, kid. I know you have this crazy idea that I'd be a good dad to you…not sure where that came from. I haven't ever done anything to make you think I'd be a good dad. So why'd you pick me? Why not…Wilson? He'd be a way better dad than me." He told her.

Bella shrugged her shoulders, staring across the room. "James would be a good daddy, but maybe to somebody else, not me." She told him before tilting her head up to look at him. "You been the best daddy since I known you. You take real good care of me and you love me even though you don't ever say it; I can tell. And plus, you remind me of my Dad. He used to be a smartass too and he would make me laugh all the time. You do that, you know? You might not mean it but you do, and it makes me happy."

"Why would you want to be reminded of your Dad when you look at me, kid? It should make you feel sad not happy."

"It don't make me sad…I loved my Daddy." She told him, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I still do, even though he ain't here. It ain't bad that you remind me of him…maybe it means you was meant to be my daddy too, just like Lisa was meant to be my mom."

"Are you telling me it was fate?" He asked with a smirk on his lips.

Bella shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know." She answered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But you don't want to be my dad, do you?" She asked with sadness in her tone.

"I don't know, kid. I'm trying to work that out." He told her with a sigh.

"Is it cuz your daddy was mean to you?" She asked.

House looked down at her, by now not surprised that she had come to that conclusion. "Yeah…some of it."

"I never been afraid you'd hurt me…not ever." She told him softly, linking her arms through his and tightening her grip as she hugged his arm.

"Never?" He asked in a soft tone, needing to make sure that she wasn't lying to him. Fear of becoming an abusive bastard like his father was one of the hang-ups he had about fatherhood. He never wanted to do that to her and the fact that he was a drug addict with excruciating leg pain that sometimes angered him, made him think twice about having a kid around to witness what he had to go through every day. He knew what a bastard he could be and he'd be damned if he ever lifted a hand to this kid. His inability to use his leg like a normal person was another issue of his. It gave him a sense of inadequacy. Like he wasn't good enough to be a dad because he was crippled and couldn't play with his kid. Her answer brought him out of his thoughts as she looked up at him with seriousness.

"Never ever." She told him. "I'm sorry you're dad hurt you, though. Your Mom must be nice because you ain't nothing like you're dad."

"He wasn't my real dad." House replied without thinking.

Bella's head snapped up to look at him. "You was adopted too?"

"No." He replied, looking down at her and shaking his head. "It's complicated." He added, not wanting to explain what had really happened.

"Oh."

"It wouldn't bother you to have a crippled dad?" He asked all of a sudden.

She frowned at the change in subject before shaking her head. "I had a deaf Mom." She stated, with a shrug.

He shook his head. "That's different, kid."

"No it ain't…my Mom had to learn how to live being deaf, she wasn't born that way. Just like you had to learn to walk with a cane because you hurt your leg."

"What happened to your Mom?" He asked.

"She told me once that when she was about 9, she got in a car wreck and hurt her head real bad and it messed up her inner ear somehow…I don't really remember more than that."

House nodded, knowing that a trauma like that could cause hearing loss. "Kids make fun of other kids when something isn't normal. You ready to have other kids make fun of you and your old man because he's a cripple?" He asked her, wanting her to have thought everything through.

Bella smirked at him. "Screw 'em." She told him.

House laughed at her. "You better not let your mother hear you say shit like that, potty mouth."

Bella giggled, leaning her head on the back of the couch. She glanced at him. "See what I mean? You make me laugh and that's important for a dad to do." She told him with sincerity. "You know what I said to Lisa when I first moved here?"

He shook his head. "What'd you say?"

"I said that if my mom could choose anybody to be my new mom, she woulda chose Lisa. And now I'm telling you that if my dad coulda chose anybody to be my new dad, he woulda chose you." She answered.

He gave her a small smile and nodded his understanding. "I'll think about it, kid, but that's all I'm going to promise you right now so don't get your hopes up."

Bella nodded, a smirk on her lips. "Ok."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:30 PM

After dinner Bella had helped clean up the kitchen with Grandma and Lisa. Normally she hated helping with clean up, but Grandma had made it fun. Dinner had been interesting, they had decided to eat outside and Greg and Grandma had constantly bickered at each other. Of course they were just joking around and Bella had enjoyed every minute of it. She had been in a great mood all evening with her Grandma being there and getting to know her and then the conversation she had earlier with Greg had made her even more happy. He had practically told her he would be her father, but that he still had to work some stuff out and not to get too excited. She couldn't help getting excited though, she really wanted Greg to be her dad and she had almost accomplished what she had set out to do a while back. Bella was happy that he had finally thought about it and decided. He kept telling her he had to think more but she already knew he'd say yes.

It was Bella's bedtime now and she was putting on her pajamas when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in." She called, after slipping her pajama pants on.

Grandma stuck her head inside the door with a smile. "Hi darling, ready for bed?"

Bella nodded and made her way to the door. "I just gotta brush my teeth, Grandma."

"Alright, dear. Your Mom and Greg are waiting for their goodnight hugs and kisses." She told Bella.

Bella chuckled and made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Afterwards, she made her way into the living room where Greg and Lisa were cuddled on the couch, smiling at each other as they talked, their faces only inches apart. How could they even see each other that close without getting cross-eyed, Bella wondered. She rolled her eyes with an amused smirk on her lips.

"You guys are gross." She told them as she stepped into the room. She heard Grandma's laughter behind her and she turned around to see her coming down the hall from the guest room. "Your lips will get stuck to each other and you'll never get 'em apart." She added, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Well as long my lips are stuck a little lower, I'd be ok with that." Greg remarked, pointing his finger at Lisa's boobs.

Bella grimaced and looked at him with disgust and a bit of confusion.

"House!" Lisa exclaimed, smacking him and sitting up on the couch from where her head had been on his shoulder.

"Ow, woman!" He yelled, rubbing his chest.

Lisa glared at him. "You better watch what you say or you _will _be sleeping on the couch." She threatened as she moved to stand up.

"Momma Cuddy, get your daughter under control." He snarked and continued to rub his chest where Lisa had smacked him, as Grandma walked in behind Bella.

"I'm not saying a word, you two can fight it out amongst yourselves."

"Hmphf. Some help you are, Granny."

Lisa stood up and made her way over to Bella. "Come on, baby, I'll tuck you in."

"I want Grandma to do it." Bella told her.

Lisa smiled and nodded. "Sure. C'mere." She replied, opening her arms for a hug. Bella stepped into her arms and embraced her.

"Goodnight."

"'Night, Sweetie. Sleep tight." She told her, placing a kiss on her head.

"You too." She replied, releasing her and making her way over to Greg. Leaning down, she hugged Greg's neck and kissed his cheek. "Night, Greg. I love you."

"Sleep well, kiddo." He answered, surprising Bella by placing a kiss on her cheek as well. She smiled and hugged him tighter, his scratchy beard tickling her face.

Bella released him and excitedly ran out of the room toward her bedroom. She hopped in her bed and scratched Splat's ears as she heard Grandma come into the room. Bella turned around and smiled at her as she got under her comforter.

Grandma sat down beside her. "You know I haven't tucked in one of my grandkids in awhile." She told Bella.

"You got other grandkids?" Bella asked with surprise.

"Yep. I have two other grandkids…your cousins now." She added.

Bella raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know that, Lisa never said."

"Well, she has a sister, did you know that?"

Bella nodded.

"Her sister has two kids and that makes them your cousins."

Bella smiled. "Cool."

Grandma chuckled at her response. "You'll get to meet them someday."

Bella nodded once more. "Grandma, I'm glad I met you."

She gave Bella a huge smile. "Me too, darling. I'm so glad that you and Lisa found each other and I'm happy to have you in our family."

"Me too."

Grandma leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Bella. I'll see you in the morning."

"'Night, Grandma."

Bella watched her stand and make her way to the door, turning the light off and quietly shutting it behind her. Bella turned her head, shifting her eyes to the ceiling and taking in a deep breath. She knew she would have a nightmare tonight and dreaded going to sleep. Maybe she would get lucky and dream of something good, like her Grandma and her cousins that she hasn't met yet. Bella closed her eyes, but sleep never came.

She lay there for almost 2 hours trying to relax her body enough to fall asleep, but the excitement of the day and the fear of having another nightmare kept her awake. She tossed and turned, hearing the television on in the living room along with laughter as Greg, Lisa and Grandma watched a movie or something. They probably thought she was asleep by now but she just couldn't make herself relax enough. Bella sat up and threw the covers off of her body and kneeled down to pull her sketchbook from under her bed.

Bella made her way to her sanctuary in the corner of her room with the sketchbook and her color pencils in her hand. The sketchbook she had hidden under her bed was a secret sketchbook. It was a sketchbook she only drew in at night and hid from everyone's eyes but her own. This sketchbook was a book of nightmares. Every nightmare she had, she drew in this book and she had started doing it recently to help her cope with her nightmares. As they got worse, she drew in there to help get the images out of her head. It had helped for a while but more recently, she had been having trouble with what she had been putting on paper; almost like what was coming out of her head was only going back in and she hadn't been able to get rid of the images completely. They kept getting worse. Her colored pencils lay all around her and she currently had the red one in her hand. The red pencil was worn down and she was in need of another. The color red was used a lot in her drawings. She looked at the image she had been working on as she filled it in with the color of blood. Blood was everywhere as she glanced at the dead image of her brother lying in the dark alley where he had been killed. It was this image that haunted her.

Bella rubbed her eyes as a single tear escaped and she continued to fill in the blood that spilled from her brother's head and side. She had drawn this image over and over in her sketchbook. Some of them were just of Mattie's face, other's were of the entire alley they had been in, as if she were looking down at the image from above. Other drawings included the faces of the men that killed him. She would never forget those faces. Another was of the gun going off and the bullet flying through the air in slow motion. All of these drawings haunted her dreams. She even had a drawing of her and Mattie running before he had been shot.

She wanted to take this sketchbook and burn it. Bella wanted to burn this book so badly but she knew all she would be doing is burning a book, not burning the images and memories out of her head, which is what she really wanted. But she knew it wouldn't happen. It was impossible to get rid of these memories. As she colored in the blood, she saw a tear drop onto her paper. She didn't know she'd still been crying. Bella put her pencil down and turned her head into her pillow and quietly sobbed. She wanted to scream and punch something so bad. She wanted to throw things and break them until she got all of her anger out. But she didn't want anyone to hear her, especially with her Grandma here. Bella didn't want her to know everything that had happened to her. So she didn't do anything but cry softly, pushing down all of her anger once more as she had been used to doing lately. Bella closed her sketchbook and laid it down beside her as she settled down on the pillows under her tent. She continued crying until she became too tired and could no longer keep her eyes open. Bella closed her eyes, wiping her tears away and finally relaxing enough to let her body and mind slip into unconsciousness.


	41. Chapter 40

**I'm going to stop apologizing for posting late. Just assume that I'm sorry if I haven't posted within a week. Because I am. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter…it's extra long to make up for not posting last week.**

**Chapter 40**

_She was running through a dark alley in the cold of night. Her brother was ahead of her holding her hand and dragging her behind him. She was having trouble keeping up with him. She felt her hand slipping out of his grasp so she ran faster. She heard footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer._

"_Come on come on, B, keep up!" Her brother yelled at her._

_She kept running as fast as she could behind him, but the footsteps kept getting closer. Suddenly she heard a loud bang and her brother fell forward, dragging her down with him. When she was able to get to her feet she saw her brother bleeding from his side. He started panting and moaning. He turned over and she saw tears streaming down his face. "Run, B, leave me and run like hell." He commanded. She shook her head, not wanting to leave him there alone. She was sobbing. She put her hands on his side where he was bleeding, trying to stop his blood from flowing so fast. _

_All of a sudden she felt a hand grab her arm with force and shove her away from her brother. "No!" She screamed at the men that had shot him. One of them pointed his gun at her brother's head and pulled the trigger. "No!" She screamed. "No!" She squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed. Feeling a hand grab her arm, she opened her eyes and saw the man that shot her brother start to pull her up from the ground. She screamed and tried to pull her arm out of his grasp but his grip was strong._

"_No!" Bella screamed as the man held onto her arm so tight he was bruising her. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes as tears freely flowed down her face. She squirmed and kicked, trying to remove herself from his grasp. The man held the gun up to her, causing Bella to stop moving, becoming paralyzed with fear. _

"_Come on, man, let's get outta here!" The other man yelled._

_The man who was holding onto her arm, let her go, placing his gun in the waistband of his jeans and running away from her. Bella was still paralyzed as she heard the men's footsteps running down the dark alley. After a few minutes, Bella looked over at her brother but quickly closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. Sobbing so hard at seeing her brother like that, she vomited on the cold pavement in the middle of the alley. She curled up in a ball, hugging her legs to her chest. _

_After a few minutes, she slowly crawled over to him, keeping her gaze away from his face, his eyes open but vacant of all life. Bella lowered her head onto his chest and sobbed. She grabbed a fistful of his sweater in both of her hands, shaking him gently, trying to wake him. After getting no response from him, she began shaking him more forcefully. "Wake up." She sobbed quietly into his chest. "Mattie, wake up." She begged. Still no response from him, she screamed. Wake up!" Nothing. She continued sobbing but had stopped shaking him as forcefully as a moment ago. She slowly looked up, still keeping her eyes averted from his face. She flexed her hands open and closed on his bloody sweater. Bella closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she slowly turned her head towards his face. Upon seeing his lifeless expression, his head turned to the side and his eyes open, she began screaming and shaking him once more. "No! Mattie, wake up!" She screamed, sobbing into the dark night, the sound of traffic nearby as no one could hear her cries of anguish for her brother. "Mattie!"_

"Wake up!" She screamed as she awoke from her nightmare, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't stop screaming as the haunting images filled her mind. "Mattie!" She sobbed loudly, coughing with the force of her cries as her throat became dry from her screams. She jumped when her door burst open and Lisa came running in. Bella was still under her tent where she'd fallen asleep and Lisa looked around for her for a moment before realizing where she was. She came over and kneeled down in front of her as Bella still screamed for Mattie. Lisa scooped her up and enveloped her in a tight hug, trying to calm her.

"Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh. Bella, it's ok. It's Lisa, baby, you're ok, you're ok." She soothed her.

Bella hugged her neck tightly, her eyes closed as she sobbed. "Mattie…Mattie." She cried. "He wouldn't wake up." She croaked out into Lisa's neck. "He wouldn't wake up!" She repeated more firmly and with more desperation.

"I'm sorry." Lisa whispered into her ear. "I'm so sorry."

"I couldn't wake him up." She cried, her breath hitching in her throat.

"I know, I'm so sorry, Sweetheart." She responded in a whisper once more. Lisa rocked her back and forth in her arms trying to calm her down.

Bella continued crying, unable to stop herself as she remembered Mattie that way. She held onto Lisa tightly, needing her comfort. After several minutes of continuous sobbing, Bella began to calm down. She loosened her grip around Lisa's neck and sank into her embrace, snuggling closer to her as she sniffed and brought her shaky hands up to wipe her tears away. Lisa shifted to a more comfortable position while holding tightly to Bella. She placed a kiss onto Bella's forehead and continued rocking her gently.

Bella opened her eyes when she heard footsteps in front of her. She saw Greg kneel down and hand her a glass of water. Bella reached up with her hands and tried to take it from him but her hands were still shaking. He held on to the glass and placed it up to her lips as she brought her hands over his, taking a small drink of water. When she was finished he took the glass and walked over to her nightstand, setting it down there for her. She was afraid he would leave so she reached her hand out to him, wanting him to come back to her. He saw her outstretched hand and he made his way to her, carefully kneeling down in front of her. She lifted her arms wanting him to hold her. Greg took her in his arms and she brought her arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder as he moved to sit down next to Lisa under her tent. Lisa rubbed her back as Greg held on to her tightly.

"That was a bad one, kid. I think you woke up the entire neighborhood." Greg told her softly without any accusation in his tone.

Bella nodded and looked up to see a small smile appear on Lisa's face as she looked over at Bella and ran a comforting hand over her back.

"You said you couldn't wake Mattie up." He told her in the same soft tone. "You saw him die, didn't you?" He asked.

Bella didn't answer for several minutes, but she knew if she denied it he'd know she was lying, so she nodded in answer. She closed her eyes and felt tears rolling down her cheeks once more.

"What happened to him, kid?" He asked. "You gotta tell somebody sometime."

"I can't." She answered, burying her head in his neck, a small sob escaping her lips.

"Sure you can." He encouraged her, lifting his left hand and combing his fingers through her hair.

Bella shook her head. "No." She cried, her breath hitching in her throat.

"You don't trust me and your Mom? Why can't you tell us?" He asked.

"I'm afraid. I don't want to tell…I just want to forget. Please let me forget." Her words spilling out of her mouth, begging her memories to go away.

"It doesn't work that way, kid. Trust me, I know."

"Make me forget." She cried loudly, tightening her arms around his neck.

Greg rubbed her back in comforting circles and shifted his head so he could whisper into her ear. "I wish I could, kiddo."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

2:05 AM – 15 Minutes Ago

Cuddy was laying on her stomach, sleeping soundly with House beside her, his back to Cuddy on his side of the bed. They were both startled out of their sleep when they heard a high-pitched scream coming from Bella's room. Cuddy and House were both used to being awakened by her screams, but this one was different. This one was more intense than her usual screams. Cuddy quickly scrambled out of bed, her sleep fogged brain slowing her down slightly as she made her way out of her bedroom toward Bella's room. Cuddy got a glimpse of her mother's panicked face as she had been awakened by Bella's screams as well. Cuddy ignored her, needing to get to Bella right away. She turned the knob and burst through the door, her eyes looking for Bella but not seeing her in her bed. Her cries were coming from the tent she liked to sleep under sometimes. She made her way over to her and scooped Bella up into her arms. She was screaming for Mattie, telling him to wake up, as if she were still in the dream. Her next words were surprising to Cuddy. Bella said she had tried to wake him but that he wouldn't wake up. She had just hinted that she had seen him die. Of course Cuddy already knew that but Bella had no idea that she knew and for Bella to say that out loud was a big deal.

Cuddy spoke softly to her, letting her know that she was ok and that Cuddy was there for her. She shifted to a more comfortable position, moving Bella's sketchbook out of the way, not wanting to mess it up. Cuddy briefly glanced up to see her mom standing in the doorway with a worried look on her face. A moment later House came through the door with a glass of water and her mother walked out of the room, no doubt wanting to give Bella her privacy. Cuddy closed her eyes for a second before she looked up at House, seeing him hand Bella the glass. Bella's hands were shaking with fear and House helped her drink the water before moving to place it on the nightstand. Bella reached out to House wanting him to take her and Cuddy gladly let her move into his arms, wanting Bella to do what she needed to feel safe and comforted. This was the first time that House had stayed in the room with her as she tried to calm Bella. He held on to her tightly, sitting beside Cuddy as he began speaking softly to her. House had no doubt heard what she had told Cuddy about being unable to wake Mattie, giving him an opening to try to get her to talk more about what she saw. Cuddy rubbed her back, hoping to comfort her and letting her know that she was going to be ok. Bella wouldn't stop crying and with the exception of her admitting that she had seen Mattie's death, she still refused to tell them anything. Cuddy was so frustrated that she wouldn't talk but she couldn't let Bella know that. Her memories were horrifying and unimaginable so Cuddy couldn't blame her for the fear she felt of the haunting images in her mind. Cuddy felt tears sting her eyes when Bella begged House to let her forget her memories. It was obviously not in House's power to make her forget, but she begged him anyway. She knew Bella wouldn't be able to take this much longer, hearing the heartbreaking tone in her voice and the sound of her desperate cries.

"Make me forget." Bella cried out loudly in frustration and fear.

House rubbed her back in comforting circles and shifted his head so he could whisper into her ear. "I wish I could, kiddo."

Cuddy sat up, kneeling before Bella and leaning into both House and Bella, bringing her arm around her in a tight embrace as she laid her forehead against Bella's head. She whispered softly in her ear. "We can help you if you'll just let us."

Bella didn't respond; she sniffled and quietly cried on House's shoulder. "I'm afraid." She explained in a gut-wrenching sob.

"What scares you, baby? Are you afraid of telling us what you saw?"

Bella nodded.

"Ok. Let's take it slowly." Cuddy suggested.

"No, I don't want to talk." She exclaimed around another sob.

"Then let me talk, ok?" Cuddy replied, leaning back a bit to see her reaction. Bella didn't respond except to cry, taking in shaky breaths and crying more forcefully. Cuddy rubbed her back gently and glanced up at House, receiving an encouraging nod. She nodded in reply and looked at Bella.

"You told us you saw Mattie die. Did you see someone kill him, Sweetie? Is that what you can't tell us?" Cuddy asked softly.

Several minutes passed with Bella crying into House's neck and both of them gently caressing her back and comforting her, waiting patiently for her to answer. Finally, Bella nodded her head. Cuddy closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath before looking up at House in relief that Bella had _finally_ told them why she was suffering. She gently brushed Bella's hair away from her face, a small smile of relief coming to her lips. "That was very brave of you, thank you for telling us. I'm so sorry about what happened to Mattie, baby, and I am _so_ sorry that you had to see it." She whispered into Bella's ear. "I want you to know that you don't have to be afraid of telling us anything, ok? We will always understand and help you get through it." She added before taking in another steadying breath and asking her another question. "What happened to him, honey?"

Bella gripped House's neck even tighter and squeezed her eyes closed, a heartbreaking sob escaping her lips. "I want to forget, I don't want to tell, I just want to forget." She cried. "Make it go away." She pleaded.

Cuddy felt tears well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks at the desperation Bella felt for everything to just disappear. Cuddy sniffed and wiped her tears away. "I wish I could, Bella, you know I wish I could. But _you_ are going to have to make it go away, Sweetie. That's the only way." Cuddy told her.

"I don't want to see it no more." She cried.

"Then you gotta tell us what happened, kid. Get it out your head." House spoke up. Cuddy looked at him with a frown in her brow, afraid that he had pushed Bella not to answer.

"You know it's not going to go away unless you make it." He continued, having ignored Cuddy's warning glare.

Bella let a strangled sob escape her lips at hearing his words. "He…." She began before stopping, on the verge of telling them what had happened to her brother. "He…he was shot." She finished a moment later, a sob following her words as she buried her face in House's neck and clung to him for dear life. Cuddy noticed his arms tighten around her, holding her to him as she cried loudly into the room. Cuddy broke down as well; silently letting her tears fall as she listened to her daughter's tortured cries. The relief of hearing Bella tell them what had happened became overwhelming and she was unable to hold back the tears that came streaming down her face. She felt House's arm come around her, pulling her into him as he tried to comfort both of his girls. Cuddy's arms wound themselves around House and Bella as they both cried together on House's shoulders.

Cuddy rubbed comforting circles over Bella's lower back, gently soothing her as she continued to cry. After a few minutes, Cuddy lifted her head, wiping the tears that had streamed down her cheeks, as Bella's cries slowly became whimpers and hiccups. House looked up at Cuddy as he gently stroked his hand over Bella's back. A small smile came to her face as she looked at House. They exchanged relieved looks, knowing that they had succeeded in reaching the point they had been so desperately trying to reach since they had discovered Bella's horrible circumstances.

A few more minutes passed with Bella softly whimpering as Cuddy and House comforted her. Cuddy became concerned for House as he had been sitting in the same position for a while. She gently placed her hand on his injured thigh and looked at him questioningly. He understood her non-verbal communication and he nodded, letting her know that he was all right. Bella loosened her grip around House's neck and shifted her head on his shoulder, sniffling softly. House loosened his arms and Bella relaxed on his lap, glancing up at Cuddy. She smiled sweetly down at Bella and moved to sit down beside House and leaned in to speak softly to her.

"I'm proud of you." She whispered to Bella.

Bella didn't speak but continued to sniffle and kept a tight grip on House's shirt. Cuddy gently wiped Bella's tears from her eyes.

"We both are, kid. You did good." House told her softly.

Bella sighed softly and closed her eyes, no doubt emotionally exhausted. Cuddy reached up and rubbed her back. "Come on Sweetie, let's go back to bed, you're exhausted."

Bella opened her eyes as Cuddy stood up, reaching for Bella's hand. Bella shifted her eyes to Cuddy. "Can I sleep with you?" She whispered, her voice raspy from crying.

"Yeah." Cuddy answered sweetly.

"Just don't kick me this time, kid." House added jokingly. "And you could also keep your snoring to an acceptable level too, instead of that horrible snorting sound that comes out of your nose."

Bella smiled at his joke, no doubt too tired to do anything else. "I don't snore." She told him.

"How would you know? Believe me, kid, you snore."

"I do not." She defended, lifting her head to look at him.

Cuddy smiled at their bantering, grateful that House had gotten her to smile after the stress she had just been under moments ago. Bella took Cuddy's hand and stood up. House carefully stood as well as Cuddy watched him to make sure his leg was ok and he wasn't going to lose his balance.

"I'm fine, Cuddy." He told her, knowing what she was doing.

Bella lifted her arms for House to pick her up to carry her into their bedroom. Cuddy frowned unsure if House could handle her weight right now after having been sitting for so long. "Bella, I don't think-."

"It's ok, Cuddy, I got her." House interrupted, easily lifting Bella into his arms. She wound her arms around his neck once more and laid her head down on his shoulder as they all made their way back to Cuddy's bedroom.

Cuddy heard the door to the guest room open as they walked down the hall. She saw her mother peek her head out just as House and Bella walked into Cuddy's bedroom. Cuddy had forgotten about her mom, having been more concerned with helping Bella.

"Oh my god, Mom." She said in a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about me, dear. How's she doing?" Laura asked with concern, a worried frown on her brow.

Cuddy sighed softly and nodded her head. "She's ok for now. She just needs some rest." She answered, not wanting to go into detail right now.

Laura nodded. "Ok, honey, let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I will, Mom, thank you." Cuddy replied, giving her mom a hug. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow." She whispered into her ear.

Laura nodded her head in understanding and gave her a comforting squeeze before releasing Cuddy from her hug. " Get some sleep."

Cuddy nodded. "Goodnight, Mom."

Cuddy made her way back to her bedroom, seeing House lying in bed already. She noticed that Bella had gone to the bathroom so Cuddy slipped into bed next to House. He pulled her into an embrace and Cuddy placed a kiss on his cheek, winding her arms around him. She sighed softly, feeling her body begin to relax now that the stressful situation they had gone through was behind them for the night.

"You ok?" He whispered to her.

She closed her eyes and nodded her head, curling her body around him and getting as close to him as she possibly could. "Yeah." She whispered back.

He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers over her arm. "She'll get through it." He told her reassuringly.

Cuddy nodded, a worried frown making its way onto her brow, knowing that Bella had so much she still needed to talk about. "I know."

She heard the bathroom door open as the light switch was flicked off. Bella climbed onto the bed next to Cuddy. Cuddy turned over and took Bella into her arms, embracing her tightly. "You want in the middle?" She asked softly.

Bella nodded her head before climbing over Cuddy and settling herself next to her and House. Bella stayed in Cuddy's arms as she rested her head on her pillow.

"Goodnight, Sweetie. Get some sleep, ok?"

Bella nodded, closing her eyes and relaxing her body.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:45 AM

House sat at the table outside on the deck with a cup of coffee in his hand and his breakfast in front of him. Momma Cuddy had gotten up early and made breakfast. The smell of French toast, bacon, eggs and coffee had woken him up this morning and he had made his way into the kitchen to see Laura cooking away. He had contemplated waking Cuddy and Bella but had decided to let them sleep since they'd had a rough night last night.

House had been relieved to hear Bella admit to what she'd seen happen to Mattie. He knew she would tell them eventually and he was just glad that she had finally let herself talk. She hadn't said much, but what she had said was huge and as he had told her last night, he was damn proud of her. She was a better person than him, because he couldn't even talk about what his father had done to him as a kid. He had never told anyone, not even his mother. She of course had known that they never got along; it was hard not to know, but he had never told her about the abuse. And he never would. He was proud of Bella because she was stronger than him and if she hadn't told them, he would've pushed her to tell them because he'd be damned if she grew up experiencing the same anger that he'd experienced toward his father. He couldn't let that happen; he loved her too much.

As he sat outside drinking his coffee after having finished his breakfast, he caught the not so subtle looks Momma Cuddy was giving him. She undoubtedly wanted to hear what had happened to her granddaughter last night. Bella wasn't exactly being quiet as she cried last night and Momma Cuddy had probably heard every word. He glanced at her and sighed.

"Don't you think you should wait and hear it from Cuddy?" He asked suddenly, as she tried to hide the looks she'd been giving him.

Laura looked up at him from the newspaper she had in her hands. "Hear what, dear?" She asked innocently.

"Momma Cuddy, I am a lot of things, but dumb isn't one of them." He told her. "Ask me what you've dying to ask since I walked into the kitchen this morning."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, setting the newspaper down on the table. Laura looked at him pointedly. "Are her nightmares always that bad?"

"No. Last night was different."

Laura shook her head in disbelief. "I was so frightened for her, Greg. I can't imagine what she saw that she'd have such horrible nightmares."

"You don't want to know, Laura, trust me." House told her with seriousness. "I assume Cuddy told you about what happened to her?"

Laura nodded. "Yes." She answered sadly. "Will she be ok?"

House nodded. "Someday. She still has a lot to sort through."

Laura nodded in understanding. A few minutes of silence passed between them and House went back to drinking his coffee and reading a medical journal he had brought out there with him. Laura picked up the newspaper once more and began reading. Suddenly she put it down again and looked at House with a penetrating stare.

"What are your intentions with my daughter and granddaughter, Gregory?" She asked in total seriousness.

He furrowed his brow, thrown by her question. He stared at her for a moment and chuckled. "Seriously?" He asked with sarcasm. "You're playing the protective mother card?"

"I have never been more serious. I want to know if this relationship you two are in is just a fling or if you're taking it seriously, because my daughter certainly is and I do not want my daughter hurt, Greg, especially now that she has her own daughter to think about." She told him. "Are you serious about Lisa and Bella?" Laura asked again.

"If you're asking me if I'm going to propose, then I hate to disappoint you, Momma Cuddy, cuz that's not going to happen."

She smiled at him. The same smug smile that Cuddy got when she thought she knew something he didn't. So that's where she gets it, he thought. "That's not what I'm asking, Gregory. You know what I'm asking, so just answer my question."

"Well, aren't you saucy this morning." He snarked before he sighed and set his magazine down on the table. "You're asking me if I'm going to be a father to that kid in there." He clarified, pointing his finger toward the house.

Laura nodded and leaned back in her chair, her smile fading a bit, waiting for his answer.

House sighed once more and averted his eyes. He still hadn't come to a decision on that and he didn't need Laura Cuddy pushing him to make it. House glanced back at her. "I'm not going to tell you something I don't know the answer to myself, Laura, and I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear. But I will tell you that this isn't a casual thing for me." He answered with seriousness. A moment passed as they stared each other down, neither one intimidated by the other. Another moment went by before Laura nodded in satisfaction of his answer, a smile appearing on her face.

"I know you'll do the right thing, dear."

"I'll do what's right for all of us, Laura, so don't get your hopes up about me. You don't know me like you think you do." House replied, getting annoyed that she thought she knew more than he did. She seemed to have the same faith in him that Cuddy and Bella had and he no idea when they all decided he was worth trusting this much.

"I know you well enough, Greg. I have a sense about people and you are a good person."

"I'm a bastard, your radar must be off."

She chuckled at him and shook her head. "You may have that reputation and I've heard some horror stories about your proclivity for being a bastard but I know that deep down you are a good man, Gregory House."

House rolled his eyes. "Am not."

Laura nodded. "Are too." She answered.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

At that precise moment, Cuddy chose to join them and when she heard their argument, her jaw dropped and she rolled her eyes. "Oh my god…you have my mother doing it now?" She asked in annoyance.

House smirked at her as she made her way to one of the chairs at the table, sitting down beside him. "She started it." He snarked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes as she looked over at her mother. "Right."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:00 AM

Bella opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She was in Lisa's room. Bella rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself and sat up on the bed. She was alone and she turned her head to look at the alarm clock. Bella arched her eyebrows; she had slept for a long time. Her thoughts suddenly took her to what had happened last night. She had told Lisa and Greg about Mattie. Bella couldn't believe she'd done it but she had. She didn't feel bad about it; she didn't feel like she thought she would. Bella thought it would make her feel worse, but it was actually a relief that they knew what had happened to him. Bella furrowed her brow as she thought about the moment she told them and remembered that they didn't seem surprised about it. She shrugged her shoulders; maybe they were just too busy trying to make sure she was ok.

Suddenly, she remembered what day it was; Maya's birthday party was today. She smiled and got out of bed, making her way to find Lisa, Greg and Grandma. Bella really wanted to go to the party and she realized that she hadn't gotten Maya a present yet. She wanted to see if Lisa would take her shopping before the party. Bella also realized that she didn't have a bathing suit. She didn't know how to swim so she never needed a swimsuit before now. Bella looked in the living room but didn't find them in there and she made her way to the kitchen even though she didn't hear them, thinking they were outside on the deck. She was right, as she saw them out there talking. Bella opened the door to the backyard, seeing them turn around when they'd heard the door open.

"Hey." Lisa greeted her with a smile.

It was bright outside and Bella squinted in the sunlight with a small smile on her lips. "Hey." She responded, crawling onto Lisa's lap.

"Good morning, darling. Are you hungry?" Grandma asked her.

Bella nodded as she laid her head on Lisa's shoulder. She looked over at Greg, who winked at her, causing her to smile in response.

"How does French toast sound?"

"Good." She answered.

Grandma nodded with a smile and stood up to go prepare her breakfast.

"Mom, sit down, I'll fix it for her." Lisa told Grandma.

Grandma gave Lisa a dismissive wave and made her way to the kitchen. Lisa placed a kiss on Bella's temple and hugged her tightly. "How did you sleep?"

"Good." She answered before looking at her. "Um…can I go to Maya's party?"

Lisa gave her a concerned frown and sighed, thinking about her answer. "You had a rough night last night, Sweetie, I don't think you should be swimming when you've been so tired lately, do you?"

"Please? I really want to go. Maya's my friend and I didn't get her a present yet and Simon's going too and I feel all right. Please?" She begged.

"Honey, you don't know how to swim. You haven't been sleeping lately and your energy is low, I'm just concerned about you being in the water."

"Maya's mom and dad is going to be there to watch. Please? I been good this week and I didn't get in trouble no more."

"Bella that's not what concerns me."

Bella's face fell with disappointment, her eyes welling up with tears. This wasn't fair.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to regret saying this but, I'll go with her, Cuddy." Greg spoke up.

Bella looked up at him and smiled excitedly before glancing back at Lisa, begging her to let Bella go.

"House, I don't think-"

"Cuddy, I'll watch her. Let the kid go to her party…she deserves the break."

Lisa sighed. "House, Mom's here, I want them to spend time together."

"It's a couple of hours at a party. Go shopping with your mom or something. It's not like Momma Cuddy can't use a new wardrobe." He said loudly as Grandma opened the door to the backyard with Bella's breakfast in her hands.

"Excuse me, Gregory?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at what he'd said.

Greg smirked at Grandma. "Tell your daughter to let your granddaughter go to her friend's party so you two can go shopping."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Party?"

"Yeah, it's Maya's birthday today and she's having a pool party." Bella told her excitedly.

"Oh…go to your party, dear; have fun."

"Mom, I wanted you two to spend some time together."

"Lisa, I came here to spend time with you too, let your daughter go to her party and then later on I'll take my granddaughter out to dinner and you and Greg can have a date or something, dear. We'll work it out."

"Hey, you promised me fried chicken." House whined, his eyes on Momma Cuddy.

Momma Cuddy smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I won't leave here without making your fried chicken, dear. I'll get to it on Sunday."

House rolled his eyes. "You better; I wasn't lying when I told you you wouldn't be welcome here anymore."

She shook her head and ignored him. "Lisa, it's alright, let your daughter go to her party. I'll be fine here."

Lisa sighed and gave in, nodding her head before she looked at Bella. "I want you to be extra careful around the pool, baby, ok? Promise me." She told her, looking at her pointedly.

Bella nodded. "Ok, I promise." She answered with excitement, throwing her arms around Lisa's neck in a tight embrace. "Thanks, Lisa!"

Lisa hugged her back, with a smile on her lips. "You're welcome."

Bella released her hold on Lisa's neck. "I didn't get Maya a present yet and I don't have a swimsuit." Bella told her in worried tone.

"What time is the party?"

"1:00, I think." Bella answered.

Lisa nodded. "Ok…eat your breakfast and then we'll go buy her a present and get your suit."

Bella nodded excitedly. "Ok." She answered and scrambled off of Lisa's lap to sit in the chair next to her to quickly eat her breakfast.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

1:30 PM

House and Bella got out of the car and walked up to the front door of her friend's house. Bella had been excited the entire morning and afternoon; talking a mile a minute ever since Cuddy let her go to the party. She wasn't acting like she'd had a traumatic nightmare the night before. She was acting like a regular 8-year-old girl who's excited about going to her friend's party. He didn't know whether to be concerned about that or not, though. It could be that she's feeling the best she's felt in a year. It could be a good thing.

As they rang the doorbell, House could hear all the screaming kids playing in the pool. He sighed and rolled his eyes; he was going to regret this.

The door finally opened and an Asian woman dressed in a one-piece bathing suit with a wrap around her waist, stood there with a smile. "Hi, welcome, come on in." She greeted, waving them into the house. "I'm Keiko, Maya's mom. And you are?" She asked.

"I'm Bella and this is Greg."

"Oh! Bella, I've heard so much about you. Welcome, welcome." She replied enthusiastically. "Greg, it's nice to meet you."

House nodded in response to her greeting, but didn't reply.

Her smile fell slightly before she shifted her gaze back to Bella. "Bella you can put the gift on the table in the dining room and head on out to the pool to join the others if you like." She told her.

"She doesn't swim so I'd like to stay out there with her." House told Keiko before Bella could walk away to do as she was told.

"Of course. We have some floats or a life vest if she'd like to have one." Keiko offered.

"We brought our own." He told Keiko.

She nodded in response and led them outside to the pool. Cuddy had bought the whole store out when she went shopping this morning for Bella. She'd bought her a million safety floats along with sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. Cuddy had also bought House a pair of swim trunks to wear in case he needed to go in after Bella if something went wrong. He had rolled his eyes at the time and told her he could dive in after her in jeans just as well, but naturally she didn't listen and made him wear the shorts. Sometimes her over protectiveness astounded him but he supposed it was better to be safe in this situation since there would be a ton of other kids around not caring if Bella couldn't swim.

As soon as they walked outside, he witnessed a war zone. There were kids with water rifles and super soakers, drenching each other and running around the pool. The other kids were inside the pool, while others were taking turns on the diving board. House looked down at Bella, feeling her hand grow tighter around his as she saw the chaos as well.

"Bella!"

They both looked up to see who had called her name. House recognized the boy he'd met at Bella's school, seeing him wave at her just before he got soaked in the face with a super soaker. Bella laughed at him as House smirked, noticing the embarrassed look the kid had on his face. House led Bella over to one of the chairs on the deck, away from the pool. He pulled out the sunscreen he was instructed to place on her before she got in the pool.

"C'mere, kid, we gotta put this on or your Mom will have my ass if you get sunburned."

Bella nodded and giggled at him. "Thanks for coming with me, Greg. I won't ever forget it."

House glanced up at her smile and nodded in acknowledgement, realizing how much this party really meant to her. He took the cap off the sunscreen and applied it to her arms, shoulders and chest before he gestured with his finger for her to turn around so he could apply it to her back as well. He put some on his finger and carefully applied the sunscreen to her face and handed her the bottle, telling her to put some on her legs. When she was finished, House helped her place the floaties over her arms and another around her waist. House smirked, thinking she looked adorable.

"Don't tell Lisa, but I don't want to wear the hat and sunglasses." She told him, scrunching her face.

He chuckled at her and nodded his head in understanding. "I don't blame you, kid. Now go have fun. I'm here if you need me." He told her.

Bella nodded and looked at the pool with a bit of apprehension. She took a few steps toward the shallow end of the pool and turned back to look at House. He gave her an encouraging nod before she turned around and walked to the pool's edge and carefully took a step into the water, sitting down on the first step. House noticed her friends; Maya, Simon and another girl excitedly make their way over to her and begin talking. He thought that Simon kid must be on something, cuz he could not sit still for a second. House rolled his eyes as he watched him show off for the girls as he did a flip into the pool. He smirked proudly at Bella as she rolled her eyes at him as well.

House sat at one of the patio tables underneath a huge umbrella, watching Bella play in the pool with her friends, when he heard someone come up to him and begin talking. He looked over and saw an attractive blonde woman in a yellow bikini sit down in the chair next to him.

"Hi, I'm Amanda." She said, holding her hand out for him to shake.

He smiled at her, his eyes briefly checking out her C cups before flitting back to her face. Thankfully his sunglasses obscured the path his eyes had taken. House held his hand out to her. "Greg." He replied, shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Greg. Your daughter is beautiful." She commented, looking over at Bella.

House nodded in thanks, not correcting her because he didn't feel like telling her his life story. "The apple of my eye." He told her with a tinge of sarcasm that she didn't seem to pick up on.

"Aww, that's so sweet. You and your wife must be so proud of her." She replied.

House rolled his eyes. "Her mother and I aren't married."

She arched her eyebrows, looking pleasantly surprised as she leaned in closer to him and placed her hand on his forearm. "Oh really? I'm so sorry. I understand, you know, I'm divorced myself." She told him apologetically.

"Oh we're not divorced, we were never married. I just knocked her up and had to do the right thing, you know? Be a man; step up." He replied. "Couldn't let her raise the tyke alone, know what I mean?"

House noticed her brows knit together as she nodded her head. "Oh sure, of course, that was…manly of you." She told him.

"You're damn right it was." House answered, not so subtly flexing his biceps at her as he leaned in a bit closer.

She flashed him a flirtatious smile and leaned in as well. "So are you two still together?"

"My baby mama and I are in what we call an open relationship." He answered with a flirtatious smile of his own. "I get to do whoever I want and she does too, except since my last 'encounter' resulted in kid number 4 for me, all different women mind you, I've had to sort of keep Little Greg contained for the time being." He added. "But if you're up for it, I'd be willing to make an exception." He told her, wiggling his eyebrows.

Her smile had fallen from her face as he told her all of this and she gave him a somewhat disgusted look. "You have 4 children with 4 different women and they don't mind that you do this?"

"Of course not, why would they? There's enough of Greg to go around. If I had to choose though, I'd choose her mother." He replied, pointing at Bella. "She is one _hot_ piece of ass, let me tell you." House continued around a chuckle, whistling and wiggling his eyebrows. He leaned in as if he were going to tell her a secret. "The best part is…she's into threesomes. How would you feel about joining us sometime?" He asked, removing his sunglasses and winking at her, giving her his most lecherous smile.

She glared at him with disgust on her face, and leaned back. "No, thanks. I don't…I'm not into that. Excuse me, Greg." She replied, leaving him alone once more.

House smirked at her as she walked away. She was hot, but Cuddy was hotter; he knew why that woman had approached him and he wasn't about to reciprocate. There's no way he'd screw up what he had with Cuddy and the kid. Not even for a hot blonde with C cups and legs a mile long. He thought of Wilson; maybe _he_ should go for her. He turned his attention back to Bella who had made it into the water and was happily jumping up and down having a water fight with her friends. House smiled at her, glad that she was having fun.

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly for House. He had taken his shirt off and went to sit in the sun as he read his book and kept a close eye on Bella. An hour later the kids had gotten out of the pool to eat snacks and cut the birthday cake as well as watch Maya open her presents. After his little encounter with the hot blonde, no one else had bothered him except to ask if he wanted anything to eat or drink. House had eaten a piece of cake, which was probably the best he'd ever eaten. He'd learned that the hot blonde owned a bakery and that she'd made the cake. He would definitely have to give her Wilson's number. House could get used to eating this cake on a regular basis.

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2:45 PM

"Mom, are you sure you wouldn't rather be shopping or doing something you'd enjoy instead of doing our laundry for us?" Cuddy asked as she stood in the doorway of the laundry room watching her mother fold Bella's clothes. "You're supposed to be taking a break."

"Lisa, honey, I'm fine. I don't mind doing these things for you while I'm here…I know you're busy and it's hard to get the most mundane tasks done around the house and if I can help you out it's what I'd like to do."

Cuddy smiled at her mom and shook her head. "Thank you, Mom, but you didn't come here to do my house work…you should be relaxing."

"I'm retired, honey, I don't need that much of a break."

Cuddy held her smile, grateful for her mother's help. Cuddy had been behind on the laundry and other household chores and it was honestly a huge help to her to have her mom do this for her. She walked over to her mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Her mom smiled at her, "You're welcome. Now go away and relax, dear, you're the one who should take a break."

"Mom, let me help you, we'll get it done faster that way."

"No…as your mother I'm telling you to go read a book or take a nap or whatever you do for fun."

"But I…"

"Go." She told Cuddy, shooing her out of the room.

Cuddy sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her about this. She turned around, leaving her mother to do the laundry alone and went into the living room, picking up her laptop, ready to work on the paperwork she hadn't completed the day before. This wasn't what her mother told her to do but she really needed to get this stuff done. As she worked, she caught glimpses of her mother walking past the living room every now and then with the laundry basket in her hands, putting away the clothes she'd taken out of the dryer.

Cuddy had been working for about hour when her mom walked in and stood in the doorway of the living room. Cuddy looked up, seeing the most frightened look on her mother's face. The color had drained from her face and her eyes were wide with fear and worry. Cuddy furrowed her brow and set her paperwork aside, alarmed at the look on her mother's face. "Mom, what's wrong?"

When she found her voice again, she answered, "Lisa, you need to see this."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

30 Minutes Ago

Laura Cuddy was folding Lisa and Bella's clothes, and a few of Greg's as well, in the laundry room and placing them in the laundry basket. She enjoyed doing housework even though most people didn't. It relaxed her and allowed her to think. While other people liked to read or watch television, she liked to clean. It wasn't that she was a neat freak and had to have everything spotless and tidy; it was just that she enjoyed doing it. Everyone thought she was crazy when she told them she liked to clean, and her own family was included in that. But she didn't care, and neither did they really, because that meant that they didn't have to do it. She also liked helping Lisa out because she knew her daughter barely had time to do any of this as she ran an entire hospital, raised a daughter of her own and was in a relationship with Greg House, which was a feat in and of itself.

Laura folded the last of that load and quickly started another, setting the laundry basket down, and starting the washer once more. Once the washer was going, she picked up the basket and made her way to Lisa's bedroom to put hers and Greg's clothes away. As she did this, she hummed a tune in her head and thought about Greg and Lisa, happy that they had finally decided to give into their feelings for one another. Laura had always known that they loved each other, ever since she had first met Greg and saw he and Lisa together. It was in their eyes and their body language. They reminded Laura of her and her husband when they first met. They had acted the same way toward each other as Greg and Lisa did back then. Her husband, William, had not liked Greg in the beginning but had warmed up to him after a while. To Laura's knowledge, Greg and Lisa had never dated, but she knew something had happened between them because at the end of Lisa's first year at school, she came home not acting like herself and with sadness in her eyes. When Laura had asked about Greg, Lisa had replied that they weren't really that close anymore. Laura asked numerous times if she wanted to talk about it, but she never did and they had forgotten about it. Years passed and the next time Laura saw Greg was after he had been working at Lisa's hospital for a year and after that, had seen him occasionally as the years went by. She had heard about what had happened to his leg and saw how much it had affected him. He was not the same young man she remembered meeting all those years ago. Despite the troubles he'd had, Lisa had helped him and Laura knew that her daughter still harbored feelings for Greg, even though she would never admit it. Now they were together and she couldn't be happier for them. They both deserved happiness and Laura knew that they had found it in each other, as well as in Bella.

Laura made her way into Bella's room to put her clothes away as well. She quickly put them away and took a quick look around Bella's bedroom. It was a mess right now because Bella had been so excited about going to her friend's pool party that she had thrown her new purchases onto her bed and the floor, making it look like a cyclone had come through. Laura chuckled, remembering Bella's excitement, as she got ready for the party. That child had so much energy and it puzzled Laura that she could be this way when just last night she had been screaming and crying because of her nightmare. Laura had never heard anything like that in her life and she admired and respected Lisa for taking her in like she'd done. Bella had been through so much trauma that she had nightmares every night and she couldn't believe that she had enough life left in her to be excited about a party. Bella was a strong and resilient young lady and Laura had grown to love her dearly in only 24 hours.

She began picking up Bella's room so she wouldn't come back to a mess. Laura put her dirty clothes in the hamper and picked up her shoes on the floor. Bella had several cat toys on the floor as well as several drawing pencils and other materials. She made her way around the room until she came upon one of her sketchbooks slightly hidden under a pillow in her tent. Laura smiled and marveled at how much Bella loved to draw. She had so many different sketchbooks and Laura didn't recognize this one as one that Bella had shown her. She picked it up and opened it to the first page. What she saw startled her, causing her to flinch and nearly drop the book.

"Oh dear god." She whispered, seeing the most horrible image she'd ever seen in her life. She saw the face of a young boy, dead, with a bullet hole in his forehead, his eyes wide open and the most frightened look she'd ever seen, etched on his face. Laura brought her hand up to her mouth in utter shock and disbelief, knowing that this was what her granddaughter had seen happen to her brother. A tear fell from Laura's eye at the horror before her on the page. She closed her eyes and flipped the page. Opening her eyes once more, she saw the same image, except it was from farther away and you could see that they were in a dark alley. There was blood everywhere and more tears slipped out of Laura's eyes at the sight of it. She nearly fainted at the horrifying images and the thought of such a young girl seeing this in reality. It's no wonder she had nightmares and screamed like she did last night. Laura quickly leafed through the pages of the book, seeing the same image over and over with the exception of a few. She shook her head and closed the book, not wanting to see anymore of it. She staggered to the bed and sat down for a moment, trying to compose herself, and hugging the book to her chest. Lisa needs to see this, she thought. She has to get that girl some help.

Laura stood up and made her way to the living room where Lisa was. She stood in the doorway, staring, not sure what to say as she felt the shock of what she'd just seen nearly overwhelm her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Lisa asked her with worry in her tone.

She was unable to reply right away, but quickly recovered. "Lisa, you need to see this." She told her softly, making her way over to the couch and handing her the sketchbook.

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5:00 PM

Cuddy sat in her bathtub with her hands covering her face, crying because of what her mother had shown her in Bella's sketchbook earlier. When she first saw it, she gasped in utter shock, tears welling in her eyes, knowing that what was in that book was just a glimpse of the horror that Bella saw in her mind and what she had seen that day her brother was murdered. Cuddy didn't know that Bella had been drawing what she had seen and it broke her heart to know that she had been trying to go through it alone. She felt like she had failed Bella by making her think that she couldn't tell Cuddy what was going on. It hurt her heart to know that her daughter thought she had to suffer alone. She had tried so hard to let her know that Cuddy was there for her but apparently Bella didn't feel she could trust her enough to tell her everything. Cuddy thought that they'd had a breakthrough last night, and she supposed they had, because Bella had actually voiced what she couldn't for so long. But to see it was different. Cuddy had looked through the entire book, seeing everything that Bella saw in her mind and it was gruesome. The drawings scared the hell out of her and she couldn't imagine seeing it over and over and over again, everyday. Cuddy quietly sobbed, unable to get the drawings out her head. She knew what Bella had seen was bad and now Cuddy had a glimpse into how bad it was.

After talking with her mother for over an hour about what had happened last night as well as looking through the sketchbook, Cuddy had decided to put it back where her mom had found it. She didn't think now would be the time to talk with Bella about what was in that sketchbook. Bella needed a break from this and with Cuddy's mom here, it wasn't the time to get into it. Cuddy would need to tell House about the sketchbook but she wanted to wait until her mom and Bella were gone to dinner tonight before she told him.

Cuddy took in a shaky breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. House and Bella had returned about 45 minutes ago and she could tell Bella was exhausted from playing all afternoon. Bella said she'd had an amazing time and Cuddy had laughed at the sunburn House had gotten on his face because he had failed to put any sunscreen on. He looked like a raccoon since he'd had his sunglasses on the whole time. She couldn't help but laugh when he told her he had gotten sunburned on his chest as well.

She leaned against the back of the tub, laying her head down and closing her eyes. Cuddy heard the doorknob rattle before hearing a knock.

"Cuddy, I need some lotion for this damn sunburn. Why is the door locked?" House asked her.

"Just a minute, House, I'm almost finished." She replied, sniffling softly.

"You ok?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'll be right out."

"Cuddy, let me in." He responded, rattling the doorknob once more.

"I said I'm almost finished, House. Just wait a minute." She replied with annoyance in her tone.

Cuddy finished her bath within 10 minutes and got out of the tub. She dried off and put her robe on, opening the door to the bathroom and seeing House seated on the bed, waiting for her. She sighed and made her way to her dresser to pick out some clothes to wear. She jumped when she felt his hand cover hers as she pulled her bra and panties out of the drawer. Cuddy shifted her eyes to his, seeing concern there.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

She sighed and averted her eyes. "I'll tell you later, House. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Is this about the kid?"

She nodded. "When Mom and Bella leave, I need to show you something."

House nodded, and released her hand. "I'm going to get a shower." He told her softly, his concern for her still evident in his voice.

Cuddy nodded in reply and began getting dressed. She heard a knock at the door a moment later and Bella's muffled voice.

"Lisa, can I come in?"

"Just a minute, baby." Cuddy answered, quickly getting dressing in her jeans and t-shirt and making sure that her eyes weren't still puffy from crying. She didn't want Bella to know anything was wrong. "Ok, Bella, come in."

Bella opened the door and smiled at her. "Will you fix my hair?" She asked sweetly, holding a brush and a hair clasp in her hand.

Cuddy smiled and made her way over to Bella, holding her hand out for the brush. "Of course I will." She answered, sitting down on the bed with Bella standing in front of her. Cuddy gently brushed through Bella's hair, still slightly wet from her shower. She was wearing a blue floral sundress and despite the sunscreen she'd worn today, she had a slight sunburn on her face and shoulders. Cuddy thought she looked absolutely adorable.

"How do your shoulders feel?" Cuddy asked as she pulled Bella's hair back.

"Ok. It don't hurt really."

Cuddy nodded. "Good. Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah. Simon tried to teach me to swim but he wasn't real good at it. I think he pretends to know stuff so he can show off." She replied. Bella turned her head and furrowed her brow. "Do all boys like to show off, Lisa?"

Cuddy laughed at her question, nodding her head. "Unfortunately they do, Sweetie. That's just their nature."

"Oh. Well Simon's real good at his nature. He's always showin' off about somethin'." She commented.

Cuddy continued laughing, glad that Bella could bring a smile to her face after how she had been feeling a moment ago. "You have fun with Simon and Maya, don't you?" She commented softly, pinning Bella's hair back in the clasp that she'd brought Cuddy.

"Yeah, and Ellie, too. We played in the pool together the whole time." Bella answered. "Did you know that Maya got a new bicycle for her birthday?"

"She did? What does it look like?"

"Um, it's pink and white and it's real pretty. She said we should ride our bikes in the park but I told her I don't got one and she said I could use her old one." Bella told her with an excited smile. "Can I ride bikes with Maya in the park sometime?"

"I don't see why not."

Bella's smile grew at her answer, her excitement growing. Cuddy loved to see that smile on her face; it was the smile she had when she was truly happy about something and Cuddy couldn't get enough of it. It almost made her forget what Bella has gone through and continues to suffer through.

"Are you ready?" Cuddy asked.

Bella nodded. "Yep. Can I wear lip-gloss? Maya had some strawberry kind and it tasted good." She told Cuddy with a giggle. "Do you got that kind?"

Cuddy smiled. "No. I have some but it's not flavored, it that ok?" She asked, making her way to her vanity to rifle through her make up.

"Yeah." Bella answered, following her.

Cuddy found some and gestured for Bella to sit on the stool in front of the vanity, facing Cuddy. She did as instructed and waited for Cuddy to help her put it on. As she dabbed it gently onto Bella's lips, House came out of the bathroom after having taken his shower. Cuddy glanced at him, wearing a towel around his waist and a scowl. His chest was a deep red color from his sunburn and he looked over at Bella and Cuddy with disapproval on his face.

"What the hell is this? Are you putting makeup on her?" House asked her, his jaw dropping to the floor.

Cuddy laughed at him and continued applying the lip-gloss to Bella's lips. "It's just lip-gloss, House, calm down."

"Yeah, it starts with lip-gloss, next thing you know she looks like a cheap hooker with blue eye shadow and red lipstick. Take that shit off, Cuddy, she doesn't need it."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "You can't even see it, it's clear, it just gives some shine to her lips. I'm not taking it off, she looks beautiful." Cuddy answered, smiling down at Bella and receiving one in return.

House rolled his eyes as well. He looked at Bella and pointed his finger. "I better not hear from your grandma that you've been flirting with the waiters, understand?" He told Bella.

Bella giggled at him and rolled her eyes. "I don't even know _how_ to flirt." She told him with a shrug of her shoulders, drawing a chuckle from Cuddy and a nod from House.

"And let's keep it that way. Now go tell your grandma to hurry her shriveled ass up so you two can leave and I can have some peace and quiet."

Cuddy glared at him. "House." She scolded him, shaking her head in disapproval.

Bella chuckled. "Put some clothes on, old man. Your sunburn is starting to blind me." Bella snarked as she ran from the room.

Cuddy laughed and glanced over at House. She loved it when Bella matched wits with House. He was caught off guard by what Bella had said and was left with his mouth hanging open, unable to respond since she'd left the room. He glanced at Cuddy narrowed his eyes as she continued to laugh. He rolled his eyes and made his way to the overnight bag he'd brought with him, looking for a change of clothes. She watched and wondered if she should offer him a drawer so he could leave some clothes here. She would ask him to just move in since he spends all of his time there anyway, but she wanted it to be his decision. He knew where she stood and she'd told him she wouldn't ask.

"House."

He turned around as he pulled a pair of jeans out of his bag.

"Why don't you bring some clothes over; I can empty a drawer out for you."

House didn't reply right away, but held his jeans in his hands, unmoving. He seemed surprised by her offer.

"I mean, when you're not at the hospital you're here, so…" She continued, shrugging her shoulder with nonchalance, not wanting to make it seem like a big deal.

He lowered his gaze to the floor. "Are you asking me to move in, Cuddy?"

"No…I told you it was up to you, but I just thought it would be easier for you to leave some clothes here instead of packing a bag." She said. "You don't have to, House, it was just a suggestion."

He sighed and glanced up at her, his lip curving into a small smile. "It's a good idea." He replied, nodding his head and accepting her offer.

She smiled and sighed with relief. "Get dressed, I'll go check on Bella and Mom and then I'll come back and put some Aloe on your burn."

Housed nodded before Cuddy turned and left the room, happy that House had agreed to her offer. She really wanted to ask him to move in since they seemed to be moving in that direction anyway, but she had hesitated, not wanting House to feel like she was pressuring him into it. He was still hesitant about fatherhood and Cuddy didn't want to add to it. To Cuddy, the questions of whether he moved in and whether he became a father to Bella were synonymous and she wanted it to be his choice.

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20 Minutes Later

House sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Cuddy to get the Aloe from the bathroom and wondering what she was going to show him that had made her cry earlier. She walked out of the bathroom with a bottle in her hand and came to stand in front of him.

"House, you should've put sunscreen on, this looks really bad."

"It's fine."

Cuddy chuckled. "Yeah, is that why I had to listen to you whine about it when you got home?"

"Fine, it hurts like hell, happy?" He snarked.

She smiled at him and opened the bottle, squirting some onto her hands and rubbing them together to warm the lotion before applying it to his shoulders. He looked up at her as she concentrated on not hurting him. He gently placed his hand on her hips, causing her eyes to shift to his. "Did you know that when you concentrate, your lips do this little pouty thing?"

She smiled at him, her face coloring with embarrassment as she shook her head.

He smirked at her, moving his hands around to her ass and pulling her closer to him.

"Do you want me to put this on you or not?" She asked, her smile still in place.

House nodded and let her finish her task of putting lotion on his shoulders, arms, chest and stomach. When she reached his stomach he smirked at her. "Why don't you move that hand a little lower, I think Little Greg got a sunburn too."

"If Little Greg had gotten a sunburn then I would've been on my way to bail you out of jail for indecent exposure and probably accusations of being a pedophile."

He chuckled at her, bringing his arms around her waist as she gently placed her hands on his shoulders, being careful not to hurt him. She smiled down at him. "Thank you for taking Bella to the party today."

House nodded. "She had fun. We should sign her up for swimming lessons, she loved it in that pool, Cuddy." He told her.

Cuddy smiled and nodded, moving her hands over to cup his jaw. "I think she'd like that." She answered, placing a kiss on his forehead. "She mentioned that her friend Maya got a bicycle for her birthday and that Maya offered that they ride their bikes in the park but that Bella didn't have a bicycle. She didn't ask for one…but I think we should get her one for her birthday."

House nodded. He released her from his embrace and moved his hands under her t-shirt at her waist and around her back. She smiled at his actions, tracing her fingers over the features of his sunburned face. "You look like a raccoon." She told him around a chuckle.

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He replied with sarcasm. "Here I am putting moves on you and you insult me."

She laughed softly, leaning down and placing a kiss on his lips. "There, is that better?"

House shook his head. "Nope, not even close, you owe Little Greg an apology too."

Cuddy laughed. "How do you figure that?"

"Because a kiss on his lips would feel _way_ better."

She rolled her eyes before leaning in a placing another kiss on his lips. "You'll just have to be satisfied with these lips for now." She said, kissing him again.

"Fine, but you can't neglect him forever…he has needs too, you know?" He snarked.

Her smile grew as she shook her head.

House grew serious after a moment, looking into her eyes. "So what was all that crying about in the bathtub?" He asked, removing his hands from her shirt and settling them on her hips once more. Her smile fell from her face as she moved to sit beside him on the bed.

"Mom found something in Bella's room today while she was straightening up in there." She told him, shaking her head. "A sketchbook." She added.

House frowned at that. "She has a million sketchbooks, what's so different about this one?"

Cuddy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This one…has her nightmares in it." She answered, looking up at him. "This one shows what she saw happen to Mattie…_in detail_, House."

"She's been drawing her nightmares." He stated in a quiet tone. "Where is it?"

"I put it back. I didn't want her to know we saw it…not yet."

House nodded and stood up from the bed. "Show me."

Cuddy stood up as well and made her way to Bella's room as House followed her. They stepped inside the room and Cuddy made her way to the tent in the corner of the room where they had been last night. She grabbed the sketchbook and handed it to him. House opened it, but was surprised by what he saw. He had been expecting it, but it had still shocked him when he saw her drawings. "Holy shit." He whispered, flipping through the pages. With each page he shook his head in disbelief at the grim images before him. When he reached the middle of the book he stopped, staring at the faces before him. He couldn't believe it.

"We've got 'em, Cuddy." He spoke, sparing a glance at her before turning his attention back to the faces of the men he was going to make sure would rot in prison for the rest of their lives.


	42. Chapter 41

**First of all, I have to say a HUGE congratulations to Spain for winning their first World Cup! If there are any Spanish readers out there…I'm so happy you won, I was cheering right along with you; that was a beautiful goal! CONGRATS!**

**Chapter 41**

6:15 – Sunday Evening

Bella, Greg and Lisa stood with Grandma at the airport just outside of the security checkpoint. Lisa was hugging her as Bella and Greg stood by and watched them say goodbye.

"Mom, I'm so happy you got to come. You're welcome to come back and visit us anytime, you know that, right?"

"Of course, the same goes for you dear. Thank you for allowing me to meet my granddaughter. We had a fantastic time."

Lisa nodded with a brilliant smile on her face, happy that they'd had a good time.

They separated and Grandma looked at Bella with a sad smile, opening her arms for a hug. "Darling, it was so wonderful to meet you. Come and see me sometime, ok?"

"Ok, Grandma. I love you." Bella told her, throwing her arms around her waist.

"Oh, I love you too, honey." Grandma replied, hugging her tightly.

Bella released her after a moment and stepped back, reaching for her backpack. "I made you something, Grandma." Bella told her. She pulled out the framed 8x10 painting that she'd made for her for Mother's Day next Sunday. She used a paper grocery bag as wrapping paper so that she could paint on it as well, instead of using regular wrapping paper. Bella held it out to her.

"Here, this for you for Mother's Day since I ain't gonna see you." Bella told her, smiling at her excitedly.

Grandma's jaw dropped as she stared at the present in Bella's hands and slowly reached out and accepted it from her. She stared at the wrapping and gently ran her finger over it. "Thank you, it's beautiful, Bella."

"The real present is inside." Greg interjected sarcastically, his arm around Lisa's shoulders. Lisa chuckled at his comment.

Grandma glanced up at him briefly before smiling and shaking her head. "Thank you, Gregory, for clearing that up." Her eyes shifted back to Bella. "Should I open it now or do I have to wait?" She asked.

Bella shrugged. "You can open it when you want, Grandma, it's yours."

Grandma chuckled at her and nodded. "Then I'll open it now."

Bella smiled happily, glad that she would choose to open it now. She watched as Grandma carefully removed the paper and looked at what Bella had made for her. Bella felt Lisa place her hand on Bella's shoulder as they waited to see Grandma's reaction. Her jaw dropped at the beautiful painting in front of her. It was a painting of a field of flowers, specifically irises.

"I found a painting that I liked in the art book Lisa bought me at the museum and there was a painting by a guy named Vincent Van something and…

"Vincent Van Gogh." Lisa interjected, helping her explanation.

"Yeah, Vincent Van Gogh, and I liked it and I wanted to try it, but it don't look like his. Anyways, I wanted you to have it, cuz it turned out pretty good even though it's different than his."

"Oh darling, it's so much better than his. Thank you so much, I'm going to put this up on my wall at home. I know just where it belongs." She told Bella with a warm smile, hugging her once more.

Bella smiled proudly, happy that Grandma had liked her painting. She had started it a few days before her Grandma's arrival and she was afraid that she wasn't going to get it finished before Grandma had to leave, but thankfully she had. Lisa had helped her pick out a frame and frame it once it was finished. She was very proud of her painting because it was the first time she had ever drawn inspiration from someone else's work and had made it into a work of her own. She released Bella from her hug and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you, I love it."

Bella's smile grew even more before it fell slightly. "I'll miss you, Grandma, I wish you could stay."

"Me too, darling, but I'll be back soon and I expect you come visit me, understand?" She told Bella before glancing up at Lisa and Greg. "All of you." She finished.

Lisa nodded. "We will, Mom."

"They will, don't count on me showing up unless there's fried chicken in it for me." Greg interjected.

Grandma rolled her eyes. "You didn't get enough at lunch? You're going to have a heart attack, Greg. Lisa, make him eat his veggies."

"Like he listens to me." Lisa responded with an eye roll, glancing up at Greg.

Greg nodded in agreement. "She's right, I only do what she tells me when we're having s-"

Lisa elbowed him in the ribs and glared at him before he could finish what he was going to say. Bella furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering if what he was going to say was 'sex'. She decided not to ask because of the way they reacted the last time she had asked if they were talking about sex. She looked at Grandma's reaction and saw her eyebrows arch and that's when Bella knew they were talking about sex. She decided to ignore it and changed the subject. "Grandma, when you come back can we go out like we did this time?"

She smiled down at Bella. "I would love that, dear." She answered, looking at her watch. She sighed sadly and looked at them once more. "I should go." She told them.

Lisa stepped forward and gave Grandma another hug. "I love you, Mom, call when you get there."

"I will. I love you too, honey." Grandma replied and shifted her attention to Greg after releasing Lisa from her hug. "Greg, behave yourself." She told him with a smirk on her lips as she reached out and gave him a hug.

"Never." He replied with a smirk of his own, hugging her back.

Grandma chuckled, released Greg and turned her attention to Bella once more. "Thank you again for my beautiful painting, Bella."

Bella smiled. "You're welcome, Grandma."

She placed another kiss on Bella's forehead and made her way to the security checkpoint, placing her bags on the conveyor belt and walking through the metal detector. As she gathered her bags on the other side she turned around and waved at them. Bella waved back. "Bye, Grandma!" She shouted, causing everyone to turn in her direction, receiving smiles and chuckles from the security guards and other airline personnel and travelers. Bella giggled at the stares she received as she looked up at Greg and Lisa, seeing Greg chuckle at her and Lisa look down at her with amusement and a bit of embarrassment, placing her arm around Bella's shoulder and turning around, making their way out of the airport.

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7:45 PM

House was outside on the deck of Cuddy's house talking on the phone with Officer Max Cohen about Bella's sketchbook that Cuddy had shown him yesterday. He knew it was a huge risk talking about this here, while Bella was just inside the house, but he needed to know if there was any chance in using it to find the killers. To House it was a no brainer, but he wasn't sure if it was going to be enough.

"House, you're telling me that you have picture of the men who killed this kid?" Max asked in disbelief and bit of excitement.

"I have drawings from the sister's sketchbook. She was there, she saw everything." House told him. "I want to know if it's going help to catch these bastards."

"Drawings? How the hell can we get anything from a child's drawings, House?"

"This kid is an artist, Cohen, she didn't just draw stick figures. Trust me, she's probably better than some of your sketch artists."

He sighed. "Well, obviously I can't tell you anything without seeing the drawings, Doc. Get me the book and I'll pass it on to the detectives. If these drawings are as good as you say, and if they're in the system, it's likely we could find a match but it may not be enough to link them to this crime. I'm afraid that in the end you're going to have to get the girl in here to identify them. And that's only if we find them."

"She has the entire murder laid out in that book, there's no mistaking what she saw." House argued.

"I understand that, Doc, but if we find them and arrest them for this crime their lawyer might not see it that way. We can't hold someone under arrest because the kid saw it in her nightmares and drew it in a book."

House sighed and rolled his eyes. "She didn't just see it in her fucking nightmares, Max. She saw it and that's why she has the nightmares. She remembers every detail and that's what's in that sketchbook." He told him with irritation, pacing around the deck.

"Then like I told you, you're going to have to get that girl in here, House. That might be the only way to make sure they get put in prison, drawings alone aren't going to do it, we need proof." Max told him firmly.

"Greg?" House heard his name and turned around to see Bella standing at the backdoor.

House held his finger up to her, indicating for her to hold on a second. "I gotta go, I'll call you tomorrow." He told Max before hanging up, not waiting for an answer.

"Yeah?" He responded, placing his phone in his pocket.

"Sorry, I didn't know you was on the phone."

"It's ok, kid. Did you hear any of that?" House asked her, hoping she hadn't.

Bella shook her head.

House nodded, relief washing over him. He would've been in deep shit if she had heard any of what he'd said. "What did you need, kiddo?" He asked, making his way over to sit down at the table.

Bella looked behind her, closing the door and making her way to sit beside him. "What do you think I should get Lisa for Mother's Day?"

House furrowed his brow in surprise of her question. "Mother's Day?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, it's next Sunday." She responded.

"Right." He responded, having forgotten even though he'd seen her give Momma Cuddy her present earlier at the airport. His mind had been on the sketchbook and the conversation he'd just had with Max.

"You didn't know it was Mother's Day? What about your Mom, ain't you gettin' her nothin'?"

"Nope." He responded.

Bella's jaw dropped in disbelief. "But won't she be sad?"

"Kid, I never get my mother anything for Mother's Day, she'd probably die from shock if I ever sent her a gift."

"No she wouldn't, she would be happy. You should send her some flowers and a card. She would love that."

"You don't even know her, kid."

Bella rolled her eyes. "So? Every Mom likes a present from their kid." She replied. "You never know when you might not have a mom no more." She told him sadly before she sighed. "Fine, I'll send her something if you ain't." She added with a shrug of her shoulders.

House furrowed his brow. "How are you going to do that, you don't even know her name and address?" He asked with an amused smirk.

"I can find out, you know? I'm pretty smart." She told him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Too smart, I think." He mumbled. "Fine, I'll send her flowers. Happy?"

Bella smiled, seemingly happy that she had talked him into it. "What about Lisa?"

"What about Lisa?" House asked, with sarcasm in his tone.

"What are you going to get _her_ for Mother's Day?" Bella asked him with a roll of her eyes, as if he should know what she meant.

"What the hell do you mean? She's not my mother, she's yours."

"Yeah, but you should get her something anyway because you're her boyfriend, stupid."

"Don't call me stupid, kid."

"Why? I done it before and you didn't care."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't your…sort of Dad, then either." He explained.

A brilliant smile broke out onto Bella's face. "So you're my Dad?" She asked with excitement.

"I said sort of, don't you listen?" He answered.

"Yeah, but you just…-"

"Sort of…as in, slightly, barely, somewhat, more or less, to a degree." He clarified. "Don't get too excited." He added in a serious tone.

"But…"

"Kid, when I decide that I'm your Dad, I'll let you know so don't start planning my Father's Day gifts just yet."

Bella sighed and nodded her understanding, her gaze falling to her hands on the table in front of her. A moment of silence passed by before Bella continued the conversation. "Then what about Lisa?" She asked, lifting her head once more to look at him.

"What the hell am I supposed to get Cuddy for Mother's Day, I didn't even know people did that for girlfriends." He asked.

"I don't know. You could send her flowers too." Bella told him with a shrug.

House rolled his eyes.

"I bet James would know." Bella offered.

"Of course James would know, I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned this shit to me already." He snarked.

"It ain't shit." Bella told him with an eye roll. "I'll help you think of something for her, but you gotta help me too."

"What do want?"

"Take me someplace so I can buy Lisa a present." She shrugged as if it were obvious.

House stared at her, thinking how that would work without Cuddy finding out. "How are we going to do that without her knowing?" He asked her.

"You can take me after school while Lisa's working." Bella suggested. "She don't gotta know. We could sneak out of the hospital and go shopping." She told him, somewhat excited by the idea.

House narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Are you wanting to get grounded again, because when she finds out…you're dead meat."

"No I ain't cuz she won't find out."

"Famous last words, kid. Cuddy always finds out, trust me, I know."

"Please? I got my own money, you don't got to spend nothin'."

"Your poker money? And what are you going to tell Cuddy when she asks how you paid for it?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Bella shrugged her shoulders, clearly not having thought of that.

House sighed and nodded. "Fine, I'll take you and I'll make sure she never finds out…at least not until you give her the present, then she won't care what you did to get it."

Bella smiled and nodded in agreement, happy that he'd agreed to help. "Thanks, Greg."

He nodded in acknowledgement of her gratitude. House watched as she made her way back inside the house, closing the door behind her. He hadn't thought of getting Cuddy a present for Mother's Day, but he supposed he should since it was her first and she had waited so long to become a mom. She deserved something and now he just had to figure out what that would be.

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4:15 PM – Monday – The Next Day

Bella and Lisa made their way to Greg's office so Bella could get out of Lisa's office for a while. Bella and Greg had planned to go shopping today without Lisa knowing and they had asked James, Allison, Chase and Thirteen to help in case Lisa asked about where she and Greg were. But they hoped that she'd be too wrapped up in work to wonder what they were doing.

Lisa and Bella walked into the conference room, not seeing Greg in his office. The doctors were sitting in there reading through some files.

"Where's House?" Lisa asked, holding onto Bella's hand as they walked into the room.

They looked up at them and Thirteen spoke up. "With Wilson."

Lisa nodded, ready to turn around and head out of the room to go find him. Bella knew he had gone in there to borrow James' car since Greg couldn't take Bella on his bike. She stood firm, not following Lisa out of the room and watched as she turned to face her. Lisa frowned in confusion.

"Can I wait for him here?" Bella asked, watching as Lisa looked at the other doctors in the room and back at her.

"I'll watch her, Dr. Cuddy." Thirteen told Lisa.

Lisa shifted her eyes between Bella and Thirteen before nodding her approval. "Stay in here until he gets back, understand?"

Bella nodded with a smile. "Ok."

Lisa nodded, satisfied that she would be fine and placed a kiss on her forehead before looking back at Thirteen. "Thank you, Dr. Hadley."

Thirteen nodded in acknowledgement and Lisa made her way out of the room. Bella turned her attention to Thirteen and smiled, high-fiving her. Foreman, Taub and Kutner furrowed their brows in confusion at what was going on. Bella looked at Thirteen.

"What's your real name and how come Greg calls you Thirteen?" She asked.

Thirteen smiled with amusement. "My real name is Remy and the reason he calls me Thirteen is a long story." She replied.

"Oh. But can I call you Remy, then?"

Thirteen's smile grew and she nodded once. "Sure."

Bella smiled with satisfaction and glanced at the other doctors, noticing the looks on their faces. Foreman had grouchy look, Kutner had a smirk on his face and Taub had arched his eyebrows. Bella ignored them and moved to the whiteboard, picking up the marker. "Can I draw on this?" She asked Remy.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sure."

"Uh…I don't think that's a good idea, I'll get you some paper or something." Taub replied.

Remy rolled her eyes. "It's fine, Bella, go ahead. House won't care."

"Are you insane? He has a fit if any one of us touches the marker, you think it's ok if Cuddy's kid starts drawing hearts and butterflies?"

Bella chuckled and rolled her eyes. She didn't respond except to stare at him and begin drawing a caricature of him. Bella liked drawing caricatures because they were funny and you could do anything you wanted with them. It was about exaggeration and she liked that; plus she wanted to show off a little since he thought all she could draw were hearts and butterflies. She gave him a grouchy face with a huge nose and forehead, and short arms and legs while his body was dressed in a doctor's lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck and a microscope in his hand. Bella had only just learned how to do caricatures recently and they were a work in progress but she had improved quite a bit from her last one that she'd drawn of Chase. After a few minutes, she put the final touches on her drawing and turned around with a smirk on her lips to see his reaction. Remy and Kutner laughed while Foreman chuckled at the caricature of Taub. Taub arched his eyebrows in surprise at her talent.

"That's awesome." Kutner remarked with a laugh.

Bella smiled at him. "Thanks." She replied.

"Bella, that's amazing." Remy told her. "You really are good at this."

Bella's smile grew before they all heard the door to the conference room open and watched Greg walked in. Bella jumped off the chair and ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist.

"I see you've been entertaining the children." He commented, looking down at her as she hugged him, his arms staying at his sides. She knew he didn't hug her back to keep up with his crabby doctor façade.

"Yep." Bella replied with a head nod.

"Good. Nice drawing, kid. I see you're into literal interpretations." Greg snarked.

Remy, Kutner and Foreman chuckled as they looked over at Taub. Taub glared at him. "Funny."

Bella let go of Greg and grabbed onto his hand, following him to his office. Greg stopped and pointed at Remy with his cane. "You. Follow me." He instructed.

Remy stood up with a look of confusion and Bella knew she was just pretending for the other doctors. They all walked into the office and Greg let go of Bella's hand and sat behind his desk. "Got your story straight in case Mommy comes a callin'?" He asked Remy.

"The last time I saw you and Bella you said you were going to the doctor's lounge…it's not that complicated."

Greg sneered at her before he responded. "Not a word to anyone else." He told her, gesturing with a nod toward the conference room where the other doctors were.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe, House." She assured him with an amused expression.

"Good, I'd hate to have to fire you on a count that you're my favorite." He snarked.

Remy rolled her eyes and turned to leave the room. "Right." She replied before going back into the conference room.

Bella propped her head in her hands as she leaned on Greg's desk, looking at him expectantly. "Are we going or what?" She asked, with impatience.

"Calm down, kid, we have to play this right. I'm expecting her to call any minute now to make sure that you and I are together."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth the phone on his desk began to ring. Greg winked and nodded an 'I told you so' look, pressing the button for the speaker phone.

"Hellooo, Cuddles." He answered in an over exaggerated tone.

"Don't call me that. I take it Bella's with you?" She asked him.

Greg put his finger over his mouth, shushing Bella. "Nope, I assumed she was with you." He told her.

"House, don't screw with me, I don't have time for it. Is she with you or not?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "Fine, she's here. Geez, what flew up your overly tight skirt today?"

Bella chuckled, placing her hand over her mouth.

They heard her sigh with irritation over the phone. "House, I'm behind on my paperwork and I have to get a budget proposal ready for the…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I totally just fell asleep as soon as you said paperwork. The kid's here and we're going to run amuck around the hospital so leave us alone."

"House." She replied in warning.

"Don't worry, Lisa, I'll keep him under control." Bella responded.

"Thank you, Sweetie. I'll see you later, ok? We'll try to leave around 6:00 so be ready."

Bella smiled up at Greg. "Ok." She answered.

Greg hung up the phone and stood up. "Ok, kid, we don't have much time we've got to go."

Bella sprung into action, ready to leave so they could find Lisa a present for Mother's Day.

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House and Bella were walking down the corridors of the mall. Bella had told House that she wanted to get Cuddy some jewelry that she could wear everyday if she wanted to. He had nodded in agreement and they were now in search of a jewelry store. They only had about an hour to do this and get back without any suspicion being raised. House hoped that Cuddy would be too busy that she wouldn't even think to call them or come looking for them, but he pretty much had that covered if she did. He had told Wilson to tell Cuddy they would be in the cafeteria if she asked, just as he'd told Thirteen to tell her they'd be in the doctor's lounge. He had selected different places around the hospital for each person she'd most likely ask if she wanted to find them; Wilson being the first she'd go to. That was of course if House couldn't answer the phone and talk to her directly. It was all a little elaborate but you couldn't be too safe when it came to Cuddy and the knowledge of where her kid was.

They found a jewelry store and walked in. Bella had a hold of his hand and she dragged him over to look at the necklaces. She looked at several through the glass case but didn't see any that she liked. They had moved on to another store with the same result. On their third store, Bella had finally found a necklace that she liked and House had to admit would look nice on Cuddy. The kid wanted to use her own money to buy it and House hadn't protested. He had warned her though, that she would probably get asked where she'd gotten the money to pay for it, but Bella insisted on using her own money anyway.

They had spent a little over an hour at the mall by the time they had finally found and purchased the gift. They quickly drove back to the hospital and pulled into the parking garage. House quickly dialed Wilson's number to see if the coast was clear to go back up to his office.

"Hey House." Wilson greeted.

"Where's the Queen of the Castle?"

"Haven't seen or heard from her."

"Good. We're headed back up to my office." He told Wilson before his phone beeped, indicating he had another call. House looked at the caller ID, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Speak of the devil. Gotta go, Wilson." He added, hanging up on Wilson as he and Bella entered the elevator. House answered the call. "Yes, my Queen?" He greeted sarcastically.

"Hey, I was just calling to see how things were going, I'm almost finished here."

"We couldn't be better." He told her. "First we went up to observe a super cool and also very bloody surgical procedure but then we got bored and decided to go borrow some really sharp surgical instruments to see who could throw them the farthest off the roof just before we went to play in traffic."

"That's great. At least I can always count on you to show my daughter a good time." She snarked back.

House nodded. "That is what I'm good at." He confirmed.

House could hear her smile over the phone and he could practically hear her eyes roll as well. "Now that you're done traumatizing my daughter could you bring her to me?" She told him, ignoring his snark.

"If you want her, get your lazy ass out of that chair and come get her yourself." He replied, hanging up on her. "Kid, as soon as we get to my office you need to hide that gift and pretend like we've been here the whole time." House told her, just as the elevator opened onto the 4th floor.

"Where do I hide it?" Bella asked.

"Put it in my bag and I'll take it home with me tonight." House told her.

She looked up at him as they entered his office. "You ain't comin' home with us?" She asked sadly.

"Not tonight. I've got some stuff I need to do."

"But what if I have a nightmare and you ain't there to help me?"

"Cuddy will be there, kiddo. Don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow." He assured her. Her nightmares the last couple of nights had not been as bad as the one Friday but he and Cuddy had still ended up staying with her in her room until she fell back to sleep. Ever since the night she had told them about what happened to Mattie, she seemed to be doing better, but he knew that wouldn't last if she didn't tell them everything.

Bella nodded in disappointment and made her way over to his bag, placing the gift inside so Cuddy wouldn't see it. House intended on spending the next few days working on Cuddy's gift and he couldn't do it with Cuddy around. Bella had made him think when she told him he should get something for Cuddy on Mother's Day and he had gotten a few ideas, having settled on what he was going to do. They sat in the office for several minutes, when Cuddy finally showed up to claim her kid.

"Why couldn't you have just taken her downstairs?" Cuddy asked with exasperation upon entering his office.

House shrugged. "Didn't want to." He answered, smirking at her as he sat behind his desk.

Cuddy sighed and rolled her eyes before shifting her attention to Bella. "You ready to go?" She asked with a smile.

Bella nodded, a sad expression on her face. Cuddy furrowed her brow at her. "What's wrong?"

Bella shrugged. "Greg ain't comin' over tonight."

Cuddy looked over at him with surprise and disappointment, herself. "Why not?"

"Got some stuff I need to take care of." He told her, propping his legs up on his desk.

She frowned at him, one side of her mouth quirking with a bit of amusement. "Stuff you need to take care of? Like what?" She asked, a tinge of disbelief in her voice.

"Sorry, can't tell you, it's classified." He snarked.

A smirk appeared on her face. "You don't have a case and since that's the only thing that would keep you here longer than you'd like to be…what are you up to?" She asked suspiciously.

"Never said I'd be staying here. I said I had something to take care of."

Her smirk disappeared, a more curious expression taking over. "Where are you going?"

"I told you, it's classified." He repeated.

"House, what could possibly…." She pressed, not letting up.

He sighed, becoming impatient with her questions. "None of your business, Cuddy. It's just stuff I have to get done, let it go." He told her firmly.

She looked slightly hurt at his abrupt reply, but nodded her head in acceptance of what he'd told her and held her hand out to Bella. "Fine. Come on, Bella, we need to go." She replied softly. "We'll see you tomorrow." She mumbled, not looking at him as they left his office.

He sighed, knowing he'd screwed up, but he couldn't have her asking questions. He wanted to stop her and tell her what he was doing but he couldn't…so he let her go. He didn't want to ruin the surprise; he wanted her first Mother's Day to be special…she'd waited too long for this day to come and he wanted to show her that now was the time she'd been waiting for. She knew that already, of course, but Cuddy had wanted to be a mother so badly over the years but the timing had never been right. She had tried everything but it had never worked out until now. Bella was hers and Cuddy deserved her day to be the best it could be and House wanted to help with that. He had made some plans for her day and pissing her off this week would throw her off the scent; she'd never see it coming.

House turned his attention to his computer and pulled up the internet, typing in the address for one of the most famous jewelry stores in New York. He had never bought anything at this store in his life and when he started looking at the prices for the item that he wanted, he gaped in shock. "Holy shit." He mumbled aloud. He shook his head in disbelief but decided to continue looking, wanting the particular piece of jewelry to be something she'd enjoy and love wearing, especially because of the significance of it. And besides that, Cuddy was worth it. Once that was done, he grabbed his bag and made his way out of the office. He needed to go home and work on the second half of her gift.

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5:15 PM – Tuesday

Cuddy stood behind her desk gathering her files and placing them into her briefcase. Bella had just finished placing her homework into her backpack, having just finished it. She'd had more homework to do today and Cuddy could tell she was glad to be leaving the hospital earlier than normal so she could spend some time outside playing with her friends. Cuddy had barely seen or spoken to House today and she wondered if he would be coming over tonight. She didn't know what had gotten into him last night and why he didn't want to come over. She saw him talking to Wilson in the cafeteria earlier and she had wanted to talk to him, to see if he'd tell her what was going on, but she had gotten a page and needed to leave. She had missed him in her bed last night and missed waking up with him this morning. Cuddy didn't realize how much she relied on him until he wasn't there. Last night she'd had trouble sleeping because he wasn't beside her and her thoughts had kept her up wondering what it was that he couldn't tell her. She had also missed not having him there when Bella had her nightmare; House had been making things so much easier by being there to help her with Bella these last few nights.

Cuddy picked up her cell phone and dialed his number once more. She had called him all day to see if they could talk about last night, and for the last hour she'd been trying more consistently so she could try and find out when or if he'd be coming over, but she'd been unable to reach him. Was he avoiding her? It wasn't like him not to pick up when she called or not to return one of her messages. He seemed distant and she didn't know why. Had she pissed him off or something? House once again didn't pick up his phone so she left him another message. She hung up after leaving her third message of the day on his voicemail and glanced over at Bella. She had been watching Cuddy with a frown on her face.

"Sweetie, did House seem upset yesterday?"

Bella shook her head. "No…is he mad at us?" She asked with sadness.

"No, Sweetie, he's not mad at us; I don't think." She answered with uncertainty in her voice.

Cuddy sighed and made her way around her desk with her briefcase in her hand. "Come on, baby, let's go. I'll call him again later."

"What if he _is_ mad at us? What if he don't want to talk to us?" Bella asked.

"He will, Sweetie. I'll hunt him down and make him talk if he doesn't call me back." She told Bella with amusement, hoping to ease any fear she had of House being mad at them. She glanced up at Cuddy with a small smile. They made their way into the lobby of the hospital and Cuddy spotted Wilson coming out of the elevator. Cuddy placed her hand on Bella's shoulder.

"Wait here, baby. I'm going to go talk to Wilson." She told Bella, making her way over to intercept Wilson as he came out of the elevator.

"Wilson." She called.

"Hey, Cuddy. You headed out?"

She nodded in answer to his question. "Have you seen House? I can't get a hold of him on his cell."

Wilson nodded. "Yeah, he left early today." He told her, a frown suddenly appearing on his face. "He didn't tell you?"

Cuddy shook her head; shocked that House hadn't even called to let her know he was leaving; not only as his boss but as his girlfriend as well. "No." She replied. "He…Is he avoiding me, Wilson? He didn't come over last night and he hasn't been answering my calls today. Has he said anything to you?" She asked in a whisper, not wanting anyone to overhear their discussion.

"No, he seemed normal…for House. You two have a fight?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"You want me to call him?" Wilson offered. "Maybe I can get in touch him, tell him to call you."

Cuddy thought about it a moment before shaking her head. "No, he'll call me when he's ready to talk. Don't push him. If something's bothering him, he won't listen to you anyway. He'll just end up doing what he wants. Thanks anyway." She answered.

"Are you sure?"

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow, Wilson."

"Cuddy, don't worry, he'll come around." Wilson reassured her.

Cuddy nodded, turned around and made her way back to where Bella was sitting on the bench waiting for her. "Come on, let's go home." She told Bella, reaching for her hand as they both walked out of the hospital together.

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5:28 PM

House dismounted his motorcycle and took his helmet off, looking over at the building he'd parked in front of to pick up Cuddy's gift. He had ordered it over the internet last night but had decided to come and pick it up instead of having it shipped, wanting to see it for himself in case it didn't turn out to be what he wanted. He had left work early and driven to New York City to pick it up. House reached for his cell phone, looking at the missed calls he had been ignoring all day. Cuddy had left him 3 messages and had called double that. House noticed that he'd gotten a call from Wilson as well, no doubt having talked to Cuddy. He knew he needed to call her, but not here, he needed to get what he came for first.

House made his way into the store, looking around and spotting where he needed to go to pick up his order. Once he'd reached the desk, the attendant helped him, showing him his order and once he was satisfied, she placed it in a black velvet box and within one of their signature blue boxes with a white bow before placing it in a blue bag as well. The woman handed him the bag and he quickly made his way out. House placed it in his backpack, and mounted his bike once more, making his way home.

Traffic had been a freakin' nightmare, so it had taken him about an hour longer to get home than it should have. But as he walked into his apartment, he set his bag and helmet down on the couch and took his cell phone out of his pocket, dialing his favorite Chinese delivery place. He hadn't eaten anything since lunch and he was starving. His food ordered, he glanced down at his phone, thinking he should call Cuddy. House stared at his phone for a moment before smirking and stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

House went over to his piano and sat down on the bench as he waited for his food. He wanted to continue working on the other half of Cuddy's present. Last night he hadn't gotten very far and he decided to take another approach. House placed his fingers on the ivory keys, closing his eyes and trying to hear the music in his head that he wanted to write as an expression of who Cuddy was to him and who she was a mother. He began to think of all the things that he loved about Cuddy. He thought of the things that attracted him to her. House smiled as he thought of her gorgeous figure, the beauty of her eyes and her amazing smile, sexy laugh and soft skin. Those were the things that attracted him to her on the outside. Then there were the things that attracted him to her on the inside. She was such a pain in the ass and she was stubborn as hell. She was a control freak and could even be a bitch when she wanted to be. But he had to admit that those were the things that made her irresistible to him and he couldn't imagine his world without her. House realized that he had been playing as he thought of her. He had been playing without knowing it; the image of Cuddy in his mind evoking the music from him. He continued to play, paying attention to the chords and keys so that he could remember it later.

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2:00 PM Wednesday

Cuddy was making her way to the elevators, heading up to the 4th floor to try and corner House in his office to talk. He was supposed to be in the clinic right now and once again she hadn't seen him all day and he hadn't called her last night either. She was starting to get pissed that he was clearly avoiding her. Monday night she had been confused that he wasn't coming over; Tuesday, she had gotten concerned that she hadn't seen him and that he hadn't returned her calls; Today she was pissed.

As the doors to the elevator opened to take her up to the diagnostics department, she looked up to see House standing in the back, probably with the intent of leaving early again today. Like hell, she thought, quickly boarding the elevator along with several other people that had been waiting with her. House saw her and rolled his eyes, trying to move past her, before she reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back into the elevator. "I need to talk to you Dr. House." She told him curtly, gripping his arm tightly.

"Fine, but just know that I have witnesses if anything happens to me." He told her, indicating the elevator full of people. "You all see this, right? I'm being manhandled by the Dean of Medicine." He added before tilting his head in thought. "Actually all of you turn around, we don't like an audience when we have sex."

"Shut up, House." She hissed.

A moment later the doors to the elevator opened onto the 4th floor and House and Cuddy got off, heading to House's office. Thankfully his team wasn't there so they couldn't hear what was going to be said. When House opened the door to his office he allowed Cuddy to enter first and closed the door on her once she was inside, without entering the office behind her. She turned around and noticed that he wasn't there and that he was making his way back to the elevators. She rolled her eyes and followed after him, reaching him as he stood at the elevators once more. Cuddy crossed her arms in front of her, trying to hold in her anger at him. They stood side by side without saying a word, waiting for the elevators doors to open. When they did they both boarded, and Cuddy was grateful that no one was in there. She crossed her arms in front of her and sighed.

"You can't avoid me forever." She told him.

"I could've if you hadn't found me." He replied.

She turned on him, looking him straight in the eye. "Why have you been avoiding me and ignoring my calls?"

"Geez, possessive much?" House accused her with his usual brand of sarcasm.

She rolled her eyes. "Jackass much?" She replied snidely, playing along with his adolescent game.

He narrowed his eyes at her but didn't respond, waiting for the elevator doors to open. When they did, she waited for House to get off first, not falling for his trick again, knowing he'd just head back up to his office once she had exited the elevator. House stepped off and followed her to her office and once the door was shut and they were alone again, she turned to face him.

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing, I've been busy."

"House, you are never too busy to return my calls or to pick up the phone to talk, so why have you been avoiding me?"

"Cuddy, I've been busy, I don't know what else you want me to say."

"I want you to tell me the truth. Is this your way of telling me that you don't want us, House? That you don't want to be with Bella and I anymore?"

House looked at her in confusion. "What? How the hell did you get that from the words, 'I've been busy'? This has nothing to do with any of that. When the hell did you become so insecure, Cuddy?"

"Maybe when you decided to ignore me for three days." She retorted.

House sighed and rolled his eyes. "Dear god, if I would've known you were going to freak out like this, I wouldn't have…" He started saying before he closed his mouth, not finishing his sentence.

She frowned in confusion. "You wouldn't have what?" She asked.

"Nothing."

Cuddy let out a curt laugh and shook her head in disbelief. "You've been doing this to me on purpose. What the hell are you up to?"

House sighed in defeat, hunching his shoulders and looking at her with disappointment. "I didn't want to tell you what I was doing because…." He rolled his eyes, really not wanting to confess anything. "Cuddy, you know me, I hate sentimental crap and sharing feelings so I was trying to keep it a secret." He continued, raising his eyes to meet hers. "The kid talked me into sending my mother something for Mother's Day and that's what I've been up to. I didn't want you or Wilson or anyone to know because I didn't want to hear all the unsolicited comments about how sweet it is." He finished with an eye roll.

Cuddy sighed in relief. "That's it? That's why you've been avoiding me? You haven't been avoiding Wilson; I saw you talking to him, you told him you were leaving work early yesterday. You're not telling me everything, House. I don't care that you'd want to get your mother something for Mother's Day, I mean it is sweet but everyone does that, House, what's the big deal?"

"_I_ don't do that, Cuddy. I never get my mother anything for Mother's Day and Wilson knows that. If he found out I was getting her something he'd piss his pants with excitement and give me a lecture about why I haven't done it before and the reasons I'm doing it now." He answered. "If I avoided him like I did you, he'd figure it out." He reasoned.

Cuddy knew that was true but it still didn't answer why he decided to ignore her. "Then why me? You knew I'd do the same thing…ask questions and wonder what the hell you were doing."

"Yeah well, you were the lesser evil." He replied with a smirk. "I like you better than him." He added.

A smile appeared on her face as she chuckled at him and nodded her head in understanding. "I'm sorry, I just didn't know why you were avoiding me all of a sudden and I thought the worst."

House smirked at her in amusement. "You are pretty good at freaking out over nothing." He commented.

She chuckled, agreeing with him on that one. "So what did you get her?" She asked, stepping forward and standing directly in front of him.

House shook his head. "Not telling."

"Why not?" She asked with confused frown on her face. "It's not like I'm going to tell her."

"Not the point, just let me do this, ok? I don't want to dwell on it, it's not that big a deal."

She nodded, not wanting to argue about it and not wanting to pressure him to tell her anymore since it was a huge step he was taking by getting her anything at all. "Ok." She replied softly. "Are you coming over tonight?" She asked, hoping that he would.

"Can't."

"House…Bella misses you and…I miss you." She told him morosely, taking a half step closer and gently grabbing the lapels of his blazer. She needed to be careful because her blinds were open and she didn't want anyone to see them getting too close.

He gazed down at her with a small smile, moving his right hand to softly caress her hip. "Can't do without the House-love for too long, huh? Having withdrawals?" He asked.

Cuddy huffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd think I missed you for sexual reasons."

His smile grew. "You know you do and you can't deny it." He told her smugly, moving his hand around to caress her ass.

She gasped and looked around him, outside the doors of her office to see if anyone was watching. "House, move your hand, we can't do this here."

"Clinic? I happen to know that exam room 4 is available."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Forget it." She told him pointedly before her features softened once more. "Come over tonight." She added in a whisper.

He thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Might be a little late." He responded.

"It's ok." She replied, a smile appearing on her face.

"How's the kid?"

"The same but her nightmares haven't been as bad as Friday. She's been asking for you."

House nodded. "I'll be there tonight."

"Good. We should get back to work." She told him, walking over to her desk and sitting in her chair. She looked up at him once more. "We'll see you tonight." She added.

House nodded with a smirk before turning around and heading out of her office.

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As House made his way out of the clinic and to the elevators leading up to his office, he sighed with relief that she'd bought his lie. Well it was technically half true but still, he'd lied to her. He couldn't risk her finding out what he'd gotten her and what else he'd been up to. House smirked as he thought about what he'd told her. He was proud of himself because he'd come up with that little lie on the spot and she'd bought it. He hoped she wouldn't be pissed when she found out that he'd lied. House hoped she'd be too distracted by what he'd gotten her that she wouldn't think about anything else.

As House entered his office, he grabbed his backpack and once more made his way out. He decided to exit the hospital through the back entrance so he wouldn't be spotted leaving by anyone that would tell Cuddy. He had an important appointment to get to today and he couldn't be late.

**Stay Tuned!**


	43. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

3:55 PM – Thursday

Bella and Lisa sat in the waiting room of Dr. Sloane's office. Bella was leaning against Lisa's shoulder as they waited for her appointment. It had been a busy week since she last talked to Dr. Sloane and there was a lot to talk about. This week was the last time that Lisa would be allowed to sit in with Bella but Bella had been thinking that she would be ok alone this time. She felt ready to talk to Dr. Sloane alone from now on. She looked up at Lisa.

"Lisa." She whispered in the quietness of the room. Lisa looked down at her.

"Yeah." She whispered in response.

"Um…would you be sad if I went by myself?" Bella asked her, looking into her eyes.

Lisa raised her eyebrows in surprise a slight smile coming to her face. "Of course not. I want you to do what you need to, Sweetie, ok? If you're comfortable with going in there alone, then I want you to do it. That's why we're here."

Bella nodded in understanding, glad that her feelings wouldn't be hurt. "Ok."

Lisa leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm proud of you." She told her softly, a smile coming to Bella's face at her words.

A moment later, the door to Dr. Sloane's office opened and Bella glanced in that direction, seeing the boy that is always ahead of her coming out. Every time Bella had come here she had seen the boy exit Dr. Sloane's office with red eyes from the tears he'd been crying, but today he was smiling. Bella felt happy for him, maybe if he could smile, so could she.

They waited a couple more minutes until Dr. Sloane's assistant called her into the office. Bella stood and nervously made her way over, turning to look back at Lisa as she stepped through the door. Lisa gave her an encouraging smile and it helped her feel more confident about going alone. As the assistant closed the door, Bella turned to see Dr. Sloane sitting at her desk writing something. When she looked up she was surprised to see Bella standing there alone.

"Lisa's not joining you today?"

Bella shook her head.

"All right. This is good, I'm proud of you for taking such a big step."

Bella nodded and made her way to sit on the couch. She laced her fingers together and watched as Dr. Sloane made her way to sit in the chair she always sat in during her session. She pressed the button on the digital player and smiled at Bella. "How have you been, Bella? Did you have a good week?" Dr. Sloan began.

Bella nodded.

"How are you and Lisa doing since we last talked? Is there still tension between you?" Dr. Sloane asked her.

Bella shook her head. "No." She mumbled.

"So everything is ok?"

Bella nodded and looked up at her.

"That's good to hear. So what would you like to talk about today?" Dr. Sloane asked softly, moving on from asking her about Lisa.

Bella thought for a moment. "Um…I met my Grandma." Bella told her.

Dr. Sloane arched her eyebrows. "That's right. How did that go?"

Bella smiled. "Good, I like her a lot."

She smiled at Bella. "Tell me about her."

"She's real nice. She's got pretty eyes like Lisa; they look a lot alike, and she smells good. I like her perfume. And she made me cookies and they're the best in the world, even better than my moms; my real mom's." She corrected.

"She sounds wonderful. Did you have a good time with her?"

"Yep, she's real funny and silly; she makes me laugh."

Dr. Sloan smiled. "I understand that you've never had a Grandma that you've known and spent time with before; I take it that you like it." She commented.

"Yep. Greg says Grandmas are supposed to spoil you."

She laughed at Bella, nodding her head. "That's true. Did she spoil you?"

Bella nodded happily. "I can't wait till I get to see her again."

"That's great, I'm glad that you both got along so well. You told me your mom used to make the best cookies. Did it make you sad that your Grandma makes better cookies?"

Bella shook her head. "Not really. I guess I was sad that I can't make cookies with my mom no more, though. But I'm glad that Grandma can make good ones too."

"Do you call her Grandma?"

"Yes. I didn't know what else to call her." Bella shrugged.

"I think it's great that you call her Grandma. It means you're accepting your new life and the new people and circumstances that enter into it. Do you agree?"

Bella nodded, before lowering her head and staring at her hands. "But does that mean I gotta forget my other life?"

"Absolutely not. I don't think you can, even if you tried. It's too much a part of who you are. You'll always remember something about your old life, but I also think that as the years go by and you become older, it might seem like a dream you once had. Does that make sense?"

Bella shrugged, not really understanding.

"Do you think you'll ever forget what you went through?" Dr. Sloane asked her.

Bella shook her head.

"Oftentimes, when anyone goes through trauma, it seems like they may never get past it. But as the years go by and if they have the proper help to get through it, they begin to move on and the trauma that they sustained doesn't seem as big anymore. I'm not saying that you'll forget what happened and that what did happen wasn't tragic, but it won't seem as daunting or scary. Do you understand?"

Bella nodded. "I think so." She replied.

"That's why it's essential that we have these sessions. Look how far you've come already. When you first got here, you were frightened and could barely look at me, and Lisa had to hold you just so you'd feel comfortable. Now, you're here by yourself talking to me about your old life. You're making progress, Bella, I want you to see that." Dr. Sloane stressed to her.

Bella nodded, the corner of her lip quirking.

"Let's talk a little bit more about how things are going at home."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you still happy with Lisa?"

Bella nodded without hesitation.

"You're still happy with her as your mother?"

Again, Bella nodded.

"Good. You seem happier this week, did something happen other than your Grandma visiting?"

Bella thought about it and remembered that she'd gone to Maya's birthday party on Saturday. "My friend, Maya's, birthday party was Saturday and it was a pool party. Greg took me cuz I don't know how to swim and he watched me."

"Oh, well that sounds like fun. Were you scared of getting in the water?"

"At first, but Lisa bought me tons of floats and I was safe. I played in the shallow end with Maya, Simon and Ellie. We had a water fight." She told her.

Dr. Sloane nodded with a smile. "I believe that you had fun at the party but I don't think that's the difference I'm seeing in you. You look more peaceful…you don't look as tired and your overall disposition seems better. Are you sure nothing else happened?"

Bella suddenly knew what she was talking about. She knew that Dr. Sloane was referring to her having told Lisa and Greg about Mattie. She didn't know that was the reason, but Bella knew that's what she meant. Bella had felt much better after that night even though she'd still had nightmares but she felt a weight lifted from her. She didn't really want to go into the story but she thought it might be ok to tell her that she was talking about Mattie with Greg and Lisa instead of her.

"I had a bad nightmare the other night…and I told Greg and Lisa about my brother, Mattie." Bella mumbled, her head down as she stared at her hands in her lap.

Dr. Sloane arched her eyebrows in surprise and after a moment, she nodded in acknowledgement. "That's good, Bella. You're talking about it, that's good. I don't know what happened; so I can't advise you on what to do to help you, except to say, keep talking about it. I don't mind that you talk to someone else as long as you talk and as long as it helps you. But if there's ever anything you need that they can't help you with, I want you to promise me that you'll give me a chance to help you. Can you do that?"

Bella thought about it for a moment and nodded her head.

"Thank you. I hope you know that all I want to do is help…I know it isn't easy to talk about, but look how much better you feel now that you've opened up to Greg and Lisa." She told Bella with a warm smile. "It's working, isn't it?" She added softly.

Bella nodded once more.

"How is school going?" Dr. Sloane asked, changing the subject.

Bella looked up at her. "Good. Some of my lessons is hard but Lisa helps me and Mrs. Decker helps me too. And there's only two weeks left of school, but I still have to do lessons with Mrs. Decker."

Dr. Sloane nodded. "So you can take your placement test later in the summer." She interjected.

"Yeah." Bella confirmed.

"Do you still like school?"

"Mmhm."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." She replied, making a note in her notebook before glancing back up at Bella. "Are there any problems at school that you'd like to talk about?"

Bella shook her head. "No. I like it there."

"How are your friends doing?"

"Good."

"Ok. What else can we talk about?" Dr. Sloane asked with a tilt to her head.

"Ummm…I got Lisa a Mother's Day present." She told Dr. Sloane with a smile.

Dr. Sloane smiled. "It's her first, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I got her a necklace and I drew her somethin'."

"You sound very excited about it, that's great."

Bella nodded. "I'm happy she's my Mom."

"Do you have anything else planned for that day?"

"I wanna make her breakfast. My Dad use to help me and Mattie make breakfast for Mom on Mother's Day and now I want to do it for Lisa."

Dr. Sloane nodded. "I'm sure she'll love it." She commented softly before continuing. "Have you been thinking about your Mom more since Mother's Day is coming up?" Dr. Sloane asked her gently.

Bella hung her head and slowly nodded. "But I don't want Lisa to know, because it's her first Mother's Day and I want it to be special."

"It will be special and she'll love anything you do for her because you're her daughter and she loves you. And because she loves you, she'll do anything for you." Dr. Sloane told her. "Have you been to visit your Mom and Dad lately?" She asked softly.

Bella looked up at her, surprised that she'd asked. She hadn't thought about going to visit them. She hadn't been to the cemetery since their funeral. Bella shook her head at Dr. Sloane's question.

"You should go visit them…talk to them. Tell them how you're doing."

Bella frowned in confusion. "They can't hear me, they're dead." Bella told her as if she were crazy for suggesting it.

"I know. But sometimes it helps _you_ to talk to them even though they can't hear you and can't respond to what you say. It might seem strange at first and it may even seem silly, but believe me, it'll help."

"Do I have to?"

"No, Bella, you don't have to. I'm not going to make you but I think it would be a good idea. It can help you in the process of moving on with your life."

"Can I think about it?"

"Yes, I encourage you to think about it. You can even ask Lisa if you feel comfortable doing so. Talk to her about it, and get her opinion as well. I'm sure she would be able to help you decide if it's a good idea."

Bella nodded. "Ok."

Dr. Sloane looked at the time. "Well, it looks like our time is up. I'm very proud of the progress you've made. I can see you changing into a more confident and happy young lady already." She commented as they both stood up. Dr. Sloane escorted Bella to the door, opening it for her. "Great job today, Bella."

Bella turned around with a smile as she stood in the doorway. "Thanks."

Bella made her way over to Lisa with a grin on her face as Lisa stood up. "Hey. Did everything go ok?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah."

Lisa smiled and put her arm around Bella. Lisa thanked Dr. Sloane and they made their way out of the office.

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7:00 AM – Sunday – Mother's Day

Bella slowly and quietly tiptoed down the hallway to Lisa and Greg's room. Today was the day she'd been waiting for all week. She'd been dying to give Lisa her present since she got it for her. Once she reached their bedroom, Bella quietly opened the door, seeing two sleeping lumps in the bed and hearing soft snoring sounds coming from Greg. Bella quietly made her way to Greg's side and poked him with her finger, receiving a grunt in response. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh and wake Lisa. She poked him again, receiving the same response and tried a third time with the same outcome. Bella rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder with impatience. He startled awake with a look of confusion on his face. Bella smiled and put her finger up to her lip, shushing him. He furrowed his brow and lifted his head off the pillow, looking at the time. He dropped his head back on the pillow and rolled his eyes at the early hour. Bella looked at him with a smile. "You promised." She whispered, her face inches from his.

He sighed and nodded his head. "Wait for me in the kitchen." He instructed.

Her mission accomplished, Bella smiled happily and quietly made her way out of the bedroom.

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House heard the door to the bedroom close quietly before he turned his head to look at Cuddy. She was sound asleep so he carefully sat up rubbing his leg and reaching over for his Vicodin bottle. He popped two pills in his mouth and continued to rub his leg for a few minutes. He suddenly felt movement behind him and turned his head, seeing Cuddy's eyes flutter open. She looked up at him and frowned with concern, reaching her hand out to rub his back in comfort.

"Hey, you ok?" She asked softly.

He nodded and shifted his body to face her. Her frown deepened and she moved to sit up but he placed his hand on her shoulder, stilling her. "Don't get up." He told her quietly.

"Why?"

A smirk appeared on his face and he removed his hand from her shoulder and stood up. "You didn't hear it from me, but the kid is in the kitchen waiting for me so she can surprise you with breakfast."

Cuddy smiled, laying her head back on her pillow and nodded. "I'll act surprised." She told him.

He nodded and moved around the bed to leave the room but before he did he leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. "Go back to sleep." He told her softly.

House straightened and made his way out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Bella sitting on a stool at the island in the center of the room with all the ingredients for pancakes sitting out. She perked up when she saw him, smiling with excitement.

"I got everything out." Bella told him, hopping down off the tall stool she was sitting on.

"I see that; aren't you finished making 'em yet?" He teased with smirk on his lips.

Bella pulled a face and replied, "Maybe if you wasn't such a slowpoke."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to tease cripples?" He snarked.

"No. Didn't nobody ever tell you that you was a baby cuz you whine so much?"

House narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, your Mom." He replied, intending his comment to be offensive but he realized that Cuddy had actually told him that before and it ceased to be funny, his joke falling flat. He rolled his eyes. "Come on let's do this before I change my mind." He told her, moving over to stand at the island next to her and beginning to mix the ingredients on the pancake recipe that Bella had found. He mixed the ingredients pretty quickly and let Bella stand at the stove and fry them up while he sliced some strawberries, placing them in a bowl. House looked over to make sure that Bella wasn't too close to the hot skillet and about to burn herself. He smirked as he watched her watch the pancakes, holding the spatula in her hand, ready to turn them at the right moment. She wanted breakfast to be perfect for Cuddy and she was trying so hard. They cooked in relative silence, not wanting to 'wake' Cuddy. House hoped she'd managed to get back to sleep but he doubted it. House pulled some blueberries, raspberries and blackberries out of the fridge and made his way to the sink to wash them. Bella gasped and straightened her spine when she saw the first bubble in the batter, indicating it was almost ready to flip. She looked over at him with a smile and back at the pancakes. He watched her while he threw the berries in the same bowl with the strawberries. She took the spatula and carefully maneuvered it under the pancake. Once she had it on the spatula she quickly twisted her wrist and flipped the pancake over, splattering some of the batter on her face and pajama top. House chuckled at her surprised expression. Bella looked over at him and giggled.

"Woops." She replied, turning her attention back to the pancake she'd just turned over.

"Hope that doesn't happen with the rest of them or you'll be covered from head to toe in pancake."

Bella chuckled and scooped the first pancake out of the skillet and onto a plate that House and placed beside her on the counter. She looked at it before smiling up at him proudly. "I didn't burn it." She commented happily.

House nodded with a small smile, amused that not burning the pancake was so important to her. "Good. You'll be a pro at this in no time. Make the rest of the mix and I'll start on the eggs." He told her.

"Ok."

Bella continued with her task while House made his way to the fridge to grab the eggs. He scrambled them up at the same time he kept his eyes on Bella, making sure she was doing ok with the pancakes. Once she was finished, she set the table and placed the pancakes in the center with the butter and syrup as well. House placed the eggs in a bowl when he was finished with them and started frying some bacon. He knew Cuddy wouldn't eat it but he and Bella loved it so he decided to make some. He didn't like fruit on his pancakes like Cuddy did and he decided he didn't want to be starving in two hours because he didn't eat enough. Bella had finished setting the table and was watching House as he fried the bacon. He glanced at her, noticing she was standing too close to the stove. "Back up a bit, kid or you'll get popped. Why don't you go make some of that coffee you like to brag is better than mine?"

Bella chuckled smartly. "Well it is. When you make it, you put too much water and it don't look right." She told him.

"Maybe it tastes right, you don't even know, smartass."

Bella shrugged and rolled her eyes, making her way over to grab the coffee off the shelf. House liked to tease her about the coffee but only because he didn't want to admit it was much better than his. Her dad had taught her well and he hoped one day he could teach her something like that that she would remember forever because her 'dad' had taught her. House was becoming more and more comfortable with the thought of being her dad. He didn't mind being there for her, especially knowing what she went through every night with her nightmares. He glanced over at her curiously; she hadn't come into their bedroom last night to crawl in bed and she hadn't awakened he and Cuddy with her screams like she normally did.

"Hey kid."

Bella looked over at him.

"You have any nightmares last night?"

Bella's lip quirked in a smile as she shook her head. "No. I don't know why, but I'm glad."

He smirked and nodded at her. "Good." House turned his attention to not burning the bacon but after another minute he glanced back at her. "Are you doing ok? We haven't talked anymore about what happened the other day…about Mattie." He said gently. He didn't want her to get pissed but they needed to talk and he wanted to gauge her reaction.

Bella averted her eyes but she didn't look mad. "I'm fine." She mumbled.

House sighed, knowing she wasn't going to tell him anything more. Nodding, he let it go for today. He didn't want to piss her off and ruin her day as well as Cuddy's. "My coffee done yet?" He asked with a smirk.

Bella looked up with a small smile. "No." She responded smartly.

House took the bacon out of the pan, setting it on a plate, a smirk still on his lips. "Go wake your mother, kid." He told her and watched as she ran out of the kitchen.

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Cuddy lay awake in bed, listening to House and Bella as they made her breakfast. She was lying on her side with her back to the door, when she heard the doorknob turn and Bella's bare feet walking across the hardwood floors in her bedroom. Cuddy had her eyes closed, wanting to make sure Bella got to 'wake' her with a surprise breakfast. She felt the bed dip as Bella crawled over to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek and gently shook her shoulder. "Lisa." She whispered.

Cuddy slowly opened her eyes, seeing Bella lying on her side with her head on House's pillow, a smile on her face. Cuddy smiled at her sweetly, hoping it looked like she'd just woken up.

"Hi, baby."

"Happy Mother's Day…me and Greg made you breakfast." She told Cuddy proudly.

Cuddy's smile grew at her words. "You did?" She asked with surprise in her tone, sniffing the air. "Mmm, smells good." She complimented her. "Thank you, Sweetie."

Bella lay there with Cuddy, a smile still on her face. "I hope you like it."

"I know I will." Cuddy told her, reaching over and gently rubbing Bella's back. "That was very sweet of you."

Bella shrugged. "It's Mother's Day."

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Yeah…but I've never had one before so it was very sweet of you to do that for me."

Bella nodded. "I wanted to make you happy."

"I am happy; I'm always happy, now that I have you with me."

"Me too." Bella responded.

After a moment, Cuddy noticed a furrow appear on Bella's brow and she wondered what she was thinking. Before Cuddy could ask, Bella spoke up.

"Umm, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Bella hesitated and averted her eyes, seemingly unsure if she should ask. Cuddy brushed Bella's hair away from her eyes, giving her time since she seemed uncomfortable asking. Another moment passed and Bella finally looked up at Cuddy.

"I know it's your Mother's Day but…can I go visit my Mom?" She asked in a small voice with a bit of uncertainty as she lifted her gaze to Cuddy's. Cuddy noticed a slight pout on Bella's lips and she knew how hard it was for Bella to ask her that.

Cuddy looked at her with compassion and empathy and slowly moved closer to Bella on the bed, gently placing her arm around her. "I would be happy to take to visit your Mom, Sweetheart. Don't ever think that I wouldn't want you to do that, ok?" She whispered in response.

Bella nodded. "But today is _your_ Mother's Day." She reiterated, still sounding uncertain.

"It's hers too. She was your Mom, Sweetie, and you miss her. It's ok to miss her. I _expect_ you to miss her…and I would never want you to forget about her, ok?"

"You wouldn't be mad?"

Cuddy shook her head. "Never."

Bella nodded in acceptance, moving her arms around Cuddy's waist and burying her face in her neck. "I love you." Bella told her, her voice slightly muffled.

"I love you too…so much." Cuddy replied, placing a kiss on Bella's head.

"Hey!" Cuddy heard House yell from the kitchen. "Hurry the hell up, I'm starving."

Cuddy chuckled and released Bella from her hug. Bella looked up at her. "He's such a baby." She commented with an eye roll.

Cuddy laughed, nodding in agreement. "You have no idea how true that is, Sweetie." Cuddy responded as they both got out of bed and made their way to the kitchen. House was already sitting at the table waiting for them.

"It's about damn time." He mumbled.

Cuddy chuckled at him and shook her head. "You are so impatient, I'm surprised you haven't already started without us." She said, taking a seat at the table.

Bella took her hand and pulled at her arm, wanting her to stand up. "No, you sit here; this is your plate." Bella instructed, indicating the head of the table.

Cuddy noticed a single pink rose lying across her plate. It was beautiful and as she sat down she smiled, picking it up and sniffing it. Her eyes shifted to House, her smile growing. "Thank you." She whispered.

House smirked. "Not from me, that was all her." He told Cuddy, pointing at Bella.

Cuddy looked over at Bella, an apology on her lips, but before she could say anything Bella spoke. "Pink means grace and elegance; and it's 'sposed to con-…con-…." Bella looked at House for help.

"Convey." House finished for her.

"Yeah…convey appre-ci-ation." Bella told Cuddy with a proud smile, having successfully relayed what she had seemingly memorized to tell Cuddy.

Cuddy looked at Bella with awe. She was so sweet and Cuddy couldn't believe she'd thought to do all of this for her. Cuddy smiled sweetly at Bella, her eyes tearing up a little. "Thank you so much, Bella. This means a lot to me, I can't believe you did this."

Bella smiled happily. "Greg helped me." She shrugged.

Cuddy looked at House and reached her hand out to take his that was lying on the table. "Thank you."

House nodded. After a moment he looked between Cuddy and Bella. "Can we eat now? All this sentimentality is going to make me puke."

Cuddy and Bella rolled their eyes as they watched him dig in, not waiting for their answer. Cuddy chuckled and set her rose down beside her plate. Bella handed her the pancakes and bowl of fruit and Cuddy smiled with gratitude. "I can't believe you two did this." Cuddy repeated after a moment as she popped a raspberry in her mouth.

"Its just breakfast, Cuddy." House told her, shoveling a huge forkful of pancake into his mouth.

Cuddy looked at him with a bit of disgust at the amount of food he just stuck in his mouth and watched him chew. Bella began giggling and Cuddy and House both looked in her direction, her giggles quickly turning into uncontrollable laughter as she watched House chew his mouthful, his cheeks puffing out because of his overstuffed mouth. Cuddy couldn't stop the smile that broke out onto her face.

"What?" House asked with his mouth full as he continued to chew, pretending to be unaware of why she was laughing so hard.

At his question, Bella laughed harder, dropping her head on her arms that were propped up on the table, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. Cuddy's smile turned into laughter as well, watching Bella's reaction to House's childishness. She looked over at House, who had yet to crack a smile as he chewed and swallowed his food. He started to take another bite but Cuddy reached out and stopped him, a smile still on her face. She shook her head and saw a smirk appear on House's face, switching his fork to his other hand so she couldn't reach it. He dramatically opened his mouth and shoveled another forkful in. Bella lifted her head, still laughing.

"I don'f fee whapf fo funny." House replied dryly, with his mouth full.

"House." Cuddy complained. "God your gross." She responded, trying to sound agitated but not pulling it off as a chuckle escaped her mouth.

He looked at her; a smile finally making it's way onto his face. "Hapfy Muver's Day." He told her, his mouth still full, showing her the contents. Bella made a face as she saw the chewed up food in his mouth, but continued laughing.

"Thanks a lot." She replied dryly, rolling her eyes.

They continued eating and after House almost choked on his food he finally stopped messing around and took smaller bites. Sometimes she felt like she was raising two kids. Cuddy was enjoying her breakfast that they'd prepared for her while Bella told her that she was the one that flipped the pancakes and managed to not burn them. She'd done a really good job, despite some of them having odd shapes to them, but it gave them that special Bella touch, Cuddy thought. As they ate, they planned out the rest of their day. Cuddy learned that Bella had gotten her a present and that had surprised her. She hadn't expected anything. When they told House about going to the cemetery, he had looked at them with surprise and when asked if he wanted to go he declined. She knew he wouldn't want to go but Cuddy wanted to ask anyway; he liked to surprise her sometimes, which he immediately did by changing the subject to tell them that he'd made reservations for dinner that night. Cuddy smiled at him with surprise and gratitude. This was turning out to be the best first Mother's Day she could've ever imagined.

When they finished eating, Bella stood up with an excited smile on her face. "Ok, you stay there, I'm going to go get your present." She told Cuddy, running out of the room in a flash.

Cuddy chuckled and glanced at House. "Did you pay for it?" She asked him with a smirk.

House shook his head. "Nope. She got it on her own."

Cuddy frowned, about to ask him where she'd gotten the money, but Bella came running back into the room with a big gift bag in her hand. Bella gently placed it on her lap, her smile never waning. Cuddy smiled as well, looking at Bella lovingly; she had never expected any of this.

"Open the big one first." Bella instructed, backing up and carefully shuffling onto House's lap to watch her open the presents.

"Ok." Cuddy answered, lifting the bigger present out of the bag. It felt like a picture frame. Cuddy started to carefully unwrap the gift, not wanting to tear the paper.

House rolled his eyes. "Just rip it, Cuddy, you're not going to save the damn paper anyway." He told her with impatience.

Cuddy glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes. "Leave me alone, House, it's my present."

He sighed, holding Bella on his lap as they both watched Cuddy open her present.

She pulled the wrapping paper off and turned the frame over, looking at what Bella had drawn for her. Cuddy's jaw dropped as she looked at it. It was a drawing of her and Bella, her favorite picture of them together that they'd taken back when she lived at the James's house. Bella had made a detailed drawing of the photo. "Oh my god." Cuddy whispered in amazement. "Bella…this is incredible." She told her, looking up at Bella and seeing the smile on her face.

"Do you like it?" Bella asked.

"I _love_ it, it's beautiful." She answered, always in awe of Bella's incredible talent. "Oh my god." She repeated. "This going up in my office." She stated, holding the frame up and looking at it. "When did you do this?" Cuddy asked suddenly.

"I been workin' on it for a long time, I just never told you."

"Sweetie, thank you so much. I just…it's amazing."

Bella smiled. "Thanks." She mumbled shyly.

Cuddy held it up for House to look at. "Have you seen this?"

House nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Who do you think helped her frame it?"

Cuddy smiled, looking at them sitting in the chair together watching her. She felt so lucky to have them both in her life. She loved her little family. They weren't a traditional family, but they were hers and she loved them. "Thank you." She replied.

"There's another one." Bella told her, pointing at the bag in Cuddy's lap.

Cuddy set the framed drawing down on the floor and leaned it against the chair before looking inside the bag and taking out the small box within. She unwrapped it to reveal a red box with the name of a jewelry store etched on the top. Cuddy lifted the lid to the box and saw a velvet box inside. She took it out of the red box and opened the velvet box. She gasped when she saw what was in it. It was a sterling silver necklace with a pendant cradling a pearl with the word 'mom' etched on the bottom. It was so beautiful.

Cuddy felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she admired the necklace. She took it out of the velvet box and gently held the pendant in her hand. Cuddy glanced up at Bella, noticing her smile. "It's gorgeous." She whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. Cuddy reached out for Bella and she moved off of House's lap and into Cuddy's arms. "Thank you so much." She whispered into Bella's ear.

"You're welcome." Bella replied into Cuddy's neck.

Cuddy pulled back and placed a kiss on Bella's cheek. "Happy Mother's Day." Bella told her softly.

"Thank you." Cuddy answered before holding the pendant out to her. "Will you put it on me?" She asked Bella with a smile.

Bella nodded, smiling as well, taking the necklace from her and moving behind Cuddy, bringing it over her head as Cuddy swept her hair out of the way. Bella latched it and moved back where she was standing before. Cuddy looked down at it with a smile and placed her hand protectively over it for a moment before she shifted her eyes to Bella. "How does it look?"

"It looks real pretty on you." Bella told her. "Don't it, Greg?" Bella asked House, turning to look at him.

House nodded. "It accentuates your boobs." He replied.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and Bella giggled at his comment. Cuddy stood up and placed her presents back in her gift bag before she began gathering and stacking the dirty dishes on the table. House stood up with a smirk on his face and gently placed his hand on her wrist, stilling her movements.

"It looks nice, Cuddy. Now leave those alone, the kid and I will clean up." He told her. "Go take a shower or soak in the tub or something." He added.

Cuddy let a smile appear on her face before she nodded. "Thank you for breakfast." She told him. Cuddy looked at Bella. "And thank you for your wonderful gifts, I love them."

Bella gave her a brilliant smile and nodded her head. "You're welcome."

Cuddy made her way out of the room with a smile on her face. She still couldn't believe they'd done that for her and how truly lucky she was to have them both in her life. She thought of what her life was like just a few months ago and she would never have imagined this would be her life now. A few months ago she was a lonely single woman who had given up on ever having a meaningful, loving relationship with a man as well as having a child. Now she had both and she still found it hard to believe that she did.

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2:00 PM

Bella sat in front of her parent's gravestones, her legs crossed Indian style as she solemnly looked at their names chiseled out on each headstone. She held two small bouquets of flowers in her hands, one for each of them. She sat in silence for a few minutes, feeling shy about talking to them. Dr. Sloane said she should talk but she felt kind of stupid doing it. Lisa was standing at the car several yards away, giving her some privacy. Bella looked down at the neatly mowed grass, trying to think of what to say. She wasn't crying, but she felt an overwhelming sadness in her heart. She missed them so much. Bella sighed and swallowed, before opening her mouth to speak.

"Hi Mom…Hi Dad." She started off in a mumble. "Sorry I ain't been to see you…it's a long story." She cleared her throat. "Um…you probably already know that Mattie ain't here, cuz he's with you." She continued, her throat tightening as she tried to hold back her emotions. "Tell him I said hi, ok? And I miss him." She said. "You don't got to worry about me…Lisa's taking real good care of me. You don't know her, but she's my new Mom. I hope you don't mind that she is…she's real nice. Don't worry, I won't ever forget that you're my real Mom and Dad, but since you're gone, she wanted to take care of me. Me and her already been through a lot together…she helped me get through some stuff and she's still helpin' me. She don't got other kids, just me. And she's a doctor, too. You would like her, she loves me a lot." She told them, her confidence growing as she spoke. Bella sat in silence for a few more minutes. She reached out and drew her finger over the names of each of her parents. She set the flowers down in front of their headstones. "I brought you these." She told her parents. "Lisa said they was the most beautiful ones and I should bring 'em to you." She smiled. "I hope you like 'em. Today is Mother's Day and I wanted to come see you, Mom. I miss you." She added softly, her eyes welling up with tears. "I hope you can hear me, Mommy. Lisa said you probably could cuz you're in Heaven and people that don't hear on Earth can hear in Heaven cuz it's a special place." She said as a tear escaped her eye. Bella wiped it away and took in a deep calming breath. Bella sat for another moment in silence before speaking once more, her words directed at her father's grave. "I didn't tell you about Greg. He's Lisa's boyfriend…they love each other a lot, like you and Mom did. I'm hoping he'll want to be my new Dad, but he's a little scared of that. I don't know why he is…he already does a good job." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Bella grew quiet again. She turned her head to see if Lisa was still watching from the car: she was. Bella waved her hand to her, beckoning her to come over. Lisa made her way over there, walking up to her and squatting down beside her.

"You ok, Sweetie?" She asked softly.

"Yeah. I just wanted you to meet my Mom and Dad. I told them about you and that you take real good care of me."

Lisa smiled at her and brushed her hair away from her eyes. "I'd love to meet them."

Bella nodded. "That was my Mom. Her name was Claire and that was my Dad. His name was Nathan." She told Lisa, introducing her parents to her.

Lisa nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"Do you want to talk to 'em?" Bella asked.

Lisa looked at her in surprise and shook her head. "It's ok, Sweetie, I wouldn't know what to say."

"Come on, you can say anything. It's weird at first but then it's like they're there and your just talking to them." She explained, shrugging her shoulders.

Lisa nodded, sitting down on the grass beside Bella. Lisa was mindful of the dirt on the ground as she sat down since she was wearing a nice floral summer dress. She slid off her sandals and crossed her legs, mimicking Bella's position in front of the headstones. Lisa cleared her throat.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Porter. I'm Lisa Cuddy. Uhm…your daughter is an amazing little girl and I love her so much. I promise to take care of her for the rest of my life. Thank you for sharing her with me. I'm so sorry that she lost the people she loved most in the world…from what she's told me, you were wonderful parents. I want you to know that I will do my best to give her the happiness that she deserves in her life. She's such a joy to have as my daughter, and I am thankful that she _wants_ to be my daughter. I've always wanted to be a mother and I am beyond lucky to have found Bella. She means the world to me and I will protect her and love her in a way that would make you proud."

Lisa looked over at Bella when she was finished, giving her a small smile. "Was that ok?" She asked.

Bella nodded. "Yeah, that was great." She told her with a smile.

Lisa's smile grew and Bella leaned her head over on her shoulder as Lisa brought her arm around Bella. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Lisa placed a kiss on Bella's head, tightening her hold on her. Bella laid her hand on Lisa's knee and sighed.

"Thanks for bringing me, Lisa."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart. I'm happy you got to spend some time here. We can come back as often as you want."

Bella smiled and looked up at Lisa. "Really?"

"Of course."

Bella nodded. "Ok.

Lisa nodded with a smile. "Do you want some more time alone?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I'm ready to go now."

"Ok." Lisa said, moving to stand up.

Bella stood as well and watched as Lisa placed her sandals back on her feet. Bella took Lisa's hand and they began walking back to the car. About halfway there, Bella stopped and Lisa turned around to face her.

"You ok?"

Bella nodded. "I forgot to say something to my Mom. Can I go back by myself?"

"Sure, I'll wait in the car…take your time."

Bella nodded and turned around, making her way back to her parent's graves. Once she reached them, she stood at her Mom's headstone.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom." Bella said softly before standing silently for a few moments. She looked down at the ground, feeling shy about saying what she came back to say. "Mom…if it's ok with you, can I call Lisa Mom too? She's a really good Mom to me since you ain't here. I told her once that if you could pick anybody to be my new Mom that you woulda picked her. I know you would have, cuz she's the best. You'll always be my Mom, but she's my Mom now too and she deserves to be called that…ok?" Bella said, softly speaking to her mother. "I love you, Mommy and I miss you a lot." She continued, her voice breaking as a tear dropped down her cheek. "I promise to come see you again soon." She looked over at her father's grave. "Bye Daddy, I love you too."

Bella wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned, making her way back to the car where Lisa was waiting for her. She opened the passenger side door and climbed in, buckling her seatbelt. Lisa smiled over at her and brushed Bella's hair behind her ear. "Ready to go?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah." She replied softly.

Lisa started the car and drove them out of the cemetery. Bella kept her eyes on the scenery outside her window, thinking about what she'd said to her parents and happy that she'd had the chance to go see their graves. Bella felt peace in heart about her parent's death. She felt like her parents would be happy if they could see her today and how she'd grown up. They would be happy that she had found a woman that could take care of her like they had taken care of her when they were alive.

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7:00 PM

House, Cuddy and Bella sat in a small elegant restaurant. It was crowded because of the occasion and they were sitting at the back close to the wall. The place was beautiful and there was a man sitting at the baby grand piano in the corner of the restaurant several feet away from them. The soothing music he was playing added to the ambiance of the restaurant. They had gotten an early reservation because Bella had school tomorrow and she needed to be in bed on time. They had been there for half an hour and their meals had arrived about ten minutes ago. House was enjoying his steak while Bella ate her cheeseburger. Cuddy had gotten a delicious pasta dish that she knew she'd never finish even though she wanted to. She knew she'd have to run her ass off tomorrow to burn all the calories she was ingesting. As they ate, Bella was keeping them entertained, talking about something one of her classmates did the other day.

"And then Jeremy dared Adam to stick it up his nose and he did." Bella finished with a giggle.

"How stuck did it get?" House asked her.

"_Really_ stuck." Bella replied, laughing at the memory. "He had to go to the principals office after they finally got it out; he was cryin' and everything."

House chuckled at Bella's enjoyment of her classmate's idiocy. Cuddy shook her head but couldn't stop herself from chuckling as well. "I bet he'll never play with marbles again." She commented. "Did you help him get it out?" Cuddy asked, not wanting to encourage Bella to be mean and make fun of other kids.

Bella shrugged. "I told him not to do it but he didn't listen. It ain't my fault he's stupid."

House laughed at her response, no doubt happy with her conclusion. Cuddy didn't share his point of view. "He's not stupid, Sweetie, I don't want you calling people that."

"Oh please, that kid is an idiot; no doubt raised by idiots who taught him everything he knows…which isn't much apparently." House interjected.

"House, don't teach Bella to think it's ok to call people idiots. I don't want _her_ raised like that. I will admit that what he did was stupid, but that doesn't mean _he's_ stupid. The smartest people in the world sometimes do very stupid things, and I can name at least one person in this room that fits that description." She replied, looking at him pointedly.

"Aww Cuddy, don't have such a low opinion of yourself. It's not healthy for the kid." He retorted.

She glared at him. "Funny."

They continued talking as they finished their meals. Bella wanted dessert and House decided to pass, as did Cuddy. House stood up and told them he'd be right back, heading back to the restrooms. Cuddy and Bella talked for a few minutes as they waited for the dessert to arrive. The server brought it to their table fairly quickly and Bella dove into her brownie and ice cream.

"You want a bite?" Bella offered, holding her spoon out to Cuddy.

Cuddy looked at the dessert, thinking that it looked delicious but she knew she didn't need it after the pasta she just ate.

"Come on, it's good." Bella told her, dipping the spoon in the ice cream before cutting into the brownie and taking a piece onto her spoon. She held it out for Cuddy to take. "It's Mother's Day." Bella added with a smile.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes, the temptation too great. "Fine…one bite." She replied.

Bella's smile grew as Cuddy took the spoon from her and placed it in her mouth. She closed her eyes, enjoying the taste. She hadn't had a brownie in ages and it was delicious. It was rich and chocolaty and the vanilla ice cream was the best she'd ever tasted. As Cuddy savored the taste, she suddenly froze at the sound of her name over the microphone in the restaurant.

"Lisa Cuddy." She heard House's voice say.

Her head whipped around and located House sitting at the piano with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. There was a hush in the restaurant and Cuddy felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. What the hell was he doing up there? She wondered, trying not to panic, knowing that he was going to do something to embarrass her. Her eyes were wide in shock and she quickly glanced at Bella, who also seemed surprised. She shrugged at Cuddy, indicating that she had no idea what he was doing either. Cuddy turned her attention back to House and noticed that everyone was looking in her direction. She grew even more embarrassed as her eyes shifted to House once more.

"Happy Mother's Day." He said as he began to softly play the piano. "You've waited a long time to become a Mom and you should know that you're a great one. You've doubted your capability of being a good Mom and the reasons for those doubts are my fault. I don't know why the hell you ever listened to a word I said in regard to that because you know what a jerk I am." He said, garnering laughs from everyone in the restaurant.

Cuddy's lips quirked in amusement as she felt her eyes tear up at what he was confessing to her and everyone in this restaurant.

"I hope the fact that I'm embarrassing my ass off up here will get me off the hook for that." He added with a smirk, as laughter once more filled the restaurant. "And I hope this song will tell you that I mean what I say when I tell you that I'm proud of you and that you're the best damn mother that kid of yours could ever have." He finished as he began playing the song he'd written for her.

Cuddy couldn't believe her ears. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks at his words and they kept falling when she heard the song he was playing for her. She couldn't believe he'd written a song for her. Cuddy swiped at her tears as she continued to listen to the song he was playing. It was indescribably beautiful. She'd never heard anything like it before; it was magical. It started off slow and melancholy and became stronger with a faster tempo as it progressed. Cuddy listened in awe to the sounds escaping the piano and she watched in amazement, the man that she loved, playing those notes because of her. She couldn't take her eyes off of House as he played with his eyes closed, his head bowed and slightly tilted to the side as the music flowed out of him. He opened his eyes occasionally as he played, lifting his head and glancing over at her briefly before turning his attention back to the piano. Cuddy suddenly felt Bella scoot in close to her and lean her head on her shoulder. Cuddy lifted her arm and draped it around Bella's shoulders, hugging her tightly as they were both mesmerized by the song. It was long, lasting almost ten minutes, and it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard.

When he finished, the restaurant erupted with applause. House sat on the bench for another moment before he stood up and made his way back to the table. Everyone in the restaurant watched him as he reached the table and Cuddy stood up and threw her arms around his neck as his arms wound around her waist.

"Thank you." Cuddy whispered softly in his ear, tears still flowing down her face. She leaned back and placed a kiss on his lips. She released him and Cuddy saw Bella stand up in the chair she was sitting in and practically jump in House's arms. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he held her tightly in his arms. Cuddy wiped her tears from her eyes as she watched House hold Bella in his arms. She released him, looking at him with a smile as she kissed his cheek. "That was awesome." She told him, drawing a laugh from House.

"Glad you approve." He told her, setting her back down on the floor.

Cuddy took his hand in hers and laced their fingers together. House leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear. "So am I getting laid tonight?" He asked with a smirk.

Cuddy laughed, standing on her toes to whisper her response in his ear. "Hell yeah. After that, I'll do anything you want." She replied, with a seductive smile before releasing his hand and taking her seat next to Bella once more. Most of the patrons in the restaurant had gone back to enjoying their meals, only a few still looking in their direction. House couldn't keep the pleased smile off his face at what she told him as he joined them at the table once more. Bella finished her dessert as she asked House if he would teach her how to play the piano. He looked at Cuddy with a smile. Cuddy noticed that he looked happy that Bella had asked him that. It was as if he wanted her to learn something like that from him. House nodded his head, affirming that he would teach her if she was serious about it because it took hard work and lots of practice. Bella nodded excitedly, letting him know she would work hard at it. A few minutes later, House paid the bill and they left the restaurant. Once again Cuddy thought of how lucky she was to have these two people in her life, wondering what she ever did to deserve them.

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8:48 PM

Cuddy made her way into Bella's room to see if she was ready for bed. She'd had a busy day today with the excitement of the day's occasion as well as visiting her parent's graves and Cuddy hoped that Bella could get some uninterrupted sleep. Cuddy was glad that she'd asked to go to the cemetery and that she seemed to find some peace in visiting them. She felt proud of Bella for wanting to visit their graves and Cuddy knew that Bella would continue to heal with every visit they made to the cemetery. If only she could feel that sense of peace with Mattie's death as well.

Cuddy found Bella in her tent with a sketchbook and pencil in her hand as she stepped into the room. "Hey, ready for bed?"

Bella looked up at her with a smile. "Yeah, I guess."

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yep, wanna smell?" She asked jokingly.

Cuddy chuckled. "That's ok, I believe you."

Bella giggled as she made her way to her bed. She climbed under the covers and rested her head on her pillow. Cuddy sat down facing her, propping herself up with her hand on Bella's other side, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you for the best first Mother's Day I could have ever had." Cuddy told her with a smile, feeling so much gratitude toward her for her thoughtfulness. Cuddy couldn't have had a better Mother's Day.

"You're welcome." Bella responded with a smile. "Thanks for taking me to see my Mom and Dad."

Cuddy nodded. "You're welcome, baby. I was happy to do that for you."

Bella nodded.

"Get some sleep, ok. You've got school tomorrow." Cuddy told her, leaning in once more and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Ok." Bella responded, bringing her arms around Cuddy in a hug.

Cuddy hugged her back before standing up and making her way to the bedroom door. "Goodnight, Sweetie. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight Mom." Bella answered.

Cuddy froze, unsure she heard what she thought she just heard. She turned around to face Bella, seeing a smile making it's way to her face as she watched Cuddy's reaction to calling her Mom.

"Bella." She whispered, tears beginning to well in Cuddy's eyes.

"I'm ready now." Bella told her, her smile still in place.

A tear made it's way down Cuddy's cheek as she nodded her head in understanding. "Ok." She replied, unable to make her voice come out any louder than a whisper.

Bella's smile grew as she nodded her head. A brilliant smile overtook Cuddy's face as more tears spilled down her cheeks, an embarrassed chuckle escaping her lips at her reaction to what had just happened. She wiped her tears away and nodded once more before turning around and walking out of the room after turning out the light. Cuddy closed the door, pausing for just a moment to take in what had just happened. She made her way into the living room, where House was laying on the couch watching some guy movie with explosions and car chases. He had told her he'd had enough sentimental crap for one day and he needed something manly. He looked up as she entered the room and furrowed his brow when he saw the tears in Cuddy's eyes. He rolled his eyes when he saw her smile as the tears streamed down her face.

"Do I even want to know?" He asked her.

Cuddy sat down on the coffee table across from him. "Bella just called me Mom." She told him, her smile never having left her face.

He smirked at her. "That's good, seein' as how you're her Mom." He snarked.

She knew he knew what she meant; he was just giving her a hard time. Cuddy leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and ignored his snark. "She said she was ready." She told him.

A small smile came to his face as he nodded. He reached over and took her hand, pulling her onto the couch beside him. She sat down as he readjusted his position so that she could lie next to him. As she did, he pulled her close to him, his manly movie forgotten. Cuddy wound her arms around him tightly and laid her head on the throw pillow against the arm of the couch. She couldn't stop smiling.

"You're face is going to freeze like that." He told her with a smirk.

Cuddy chuckled. "I don't care…I can't help it."

House smiled, rubbing his hand over her back. "Congratulations, Mom." He replied in a soft voice.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you for everything." She added, softly kissing his lips.

"I am pretty amazing." He replied matter of factly.

She laughed, tightening her arms around his torso. "And humble too." She said with sarcasm as she chuckled at him.

"One of my best qualities." He agreed.

"Mhm." She said dryly.

They lay there quietly for a moment before Cuddy glanced up at him. "You lied." Cuddy told him.

He looked down at her in confusion. "About?"

"You told me the other day that you were working on your mother's present all week. You were working on my song, weren't you?"

A smile spread across his face before he gave her a short nod. She smiled as well, shaking her head at him. "You're too good at lying and I don't know how I feel about that. I had no idea you were lying to me. Normally I can tell, but you were too convincing that day." She told him.

"Had to be…I didn't want to ruin the surprise." He responded, his smile still in place.

"You shouldn't be too proud of yourself…now I don't know if I can trust you." She replied with an amused smirk on her lips.

"You trust me because you know I did it for your own good. Did you want me to tell you the truth that day?"

She shook her head. "No, I loved my song and I loved the surprise." She told him, leaning in and placing a tender kiss on his lips. "I can't believe you did that for me." She added, kissing him again and again.

"Why not?" He asked, his voice quiet and his tone soft.

"It was romantic and you don't usually do romantic things."

"Oh…ouch, Cuddy. That hurts my feelings."

"It's true and you'd be the first to admit it." She told him, poking his chest with her finger.

He smiled at her. "Yeah well, the occasion called for it. But don't get too excited, it's a once a year sort of thing, so when your birthday rolls around, don't expect any romance."

"Well at least you warned me ahead of time so that when the disappointment sets in I can't blame you too much."

"As long as we're agreed." He replied.

She chuckled at him and softly raked her fingers through his hair before she kissed him once more. This time deepening it as she slid her tongue over his. He pulled her closer to him, his hand splayed across her lower back. After a few minutes of kissing he pulled back, looking into her eyes and a furrow appearing in his brow as he let go of her and reached behind him in the couch cushion. Cuddy frowned, wondering what he was doing. "House?" She questioned.

"There's something poking me in the ass back here." He told her. "I think the kid left one of her toys or something." He added, as he shifted a little bit to remove what was poking him.

When he pulled his hand out of the couch cushion, her eyes grew as big as saucers at what he had in his hand. It was a square gift box from Tiffany's. She had no idea what the hell that was doing in her couch. Cuddy looked at House with confusion and shock; she didn't know what to think right now, her mind was blank.

"Hmmm…your kid has expensive taste in toys." He commented, handing her the box.

"Wha- wh- uh, where…?" She stuttered, gripping the box in her hand as if it would bite her.

House laughed at her reaction.

Cuddy sat up and nearly fell off the couch, and would have if House hadn't grabbed her before she did. She looked at the box, her eyes practically bugging out of her head. She had no idea what was in it; it was too big to be a ring. Cuddy glanced at House. "What is this, House?" She finally managed to ask, her voice cracking a bit.

"Beats me…maybe you should open it." He answered, with a sly smirk.

"House…you bought me something from Tiffany's?" She asked him, shock still evident on her face and in her voice.

House didn't answer; he simply smirked at her and told her to open it. Cuddy shifted herself on the couch so she wouldn't fall, planting her feet on the floor. She lifted her shaky hand to untie the white bow. She had never received anything from Tiffany's before. With the bow untied, she lifted the top of the box, seeing a velvet box within. Cuddy carefully took it out of the blue gift box, holding it with care as if it would break if she held it too tightly. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking; she was so nervous and shocked about what she would find in the box. When she opened the lid to the velvet box, she gasped. "Oh my god." She whispered. "House…it's beautiful." She told him.

It was a watch; the most beautiful watch she'd ever seen. It was a Grand Quartz with a rectangular stainless steel white dial and a stainless steel bracelet. Cuddy gently ran her finger over it as it laid in its case. Her hands were still shaking as she looked at the beauty of it. "Oh my god." She said again in disbelief and shock. Cuddy tore her eyes away from the watch to look at House. "I can't believe you did this."

House sat up, shifting his body on the couch to sit beside her. "I wanted you to have something to remind you of your first Mother's Day; a day you've waited to celebrate for a long time. I wanted the watch to remind you that your time has finally come to be a Mom. It didn't happen the way you always dreamed it would, but it happened. I never understood why you wanted a kid so badly but I knew it was inevitable that you'd have one, one way or another, and you're _damn_ good at it, Cuddy. For some women it happens sooner than others, but that kid in there is yours and she was meant to be yours and it couldn't have happened any other time than now." He told her, speaking softly as he looked into her eyes.

Cuddy's tears had been silently flowing down her cheeks the moment he started to tell her the meaning behind the watch. She slowly leaned into him and wound her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. House brought his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. She felt his lips place a tiny kiss onto her neck, his arms gripping her tightly. Cuddy closed her eyes and cried. This was the sweetest thing he's ever done for her…and probably for anyone. House was a closet romantic and she was quickly learning that about him. He didn't show that side of himself very often but when he did…boy, did he go all out. Cuddy wanted to thank him, but she couldn't speak. She was still so emotional that any words she managed to string together wouldn't make any sense. So they just held each other in silence.

After a few moments, Cuddy had calmed down enough to let go of him and properly thank him. "House…" She sniffed, wiping the tears from her face, chuckling at her inability to speak. "Thank you." She whispered, her voice cracking. "I can't tell you how much your words mean to me about what this watch symbolizes. This is the most amazing thing you ever done for me." She told him.

He nodded, accepting her gratitude. House smirked at her. "Once a year." He repeated, no doubt wanting to lighten the mood.

Cuddy chuckled and nodded her head. "Well this was some year…can I expect more of that same next year?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"If you're a good girl or not."

"Ah. And by good girl I assume you mean if I let you off clinic duty?" She asked slyly, knowing that wasn't what he meant.

"Nope…although if you want to do that I wouldn't be opposed to it."

"Sorry…I have to maintain some of my evil tendencies or you wouldn't love me."

"Not true…I would love you _eternally_ if you let me off clinic duty."

"It's too late, you already love me eternally anyway."

"Hmf…try on your damn watch." He groused.

Cuddy chuckled and took the watch out of its case. She put it on her wrist and held it out for House to clasp for her. Once he had it clasped, she turned her wrist over to admire it. "It's beautiful, House. I love it." She whispered, looking up at him with a smile. "What do you think?" She asked.

House took her wrist in his hand, and gently ran his fingers over the watch, turning it over to look at it all the way around before turning her wrist back to admire the face of the watch. "I have good taste." He stated with a smirk.

Cuddy laughed, nodding in agreement. "You do." She replied, unable to keep her eyes off of the watch. "I'm never taking it off." She told him around a chuckle.

He glanced at her and made a face. "You are not keeping that thing on while we have sex, it could get snagged on…stuff."

Cuddy laughed again. "Yes I am…and when I die, I'm taking it with me." She told him, leaning in for a kiss.

He rolled his eyes at her just before she kissed his lips, pushing him down onto the couch and lying on top of him. "Oooo, aggressive Cuddy. I should've given you a watch a long time ago." He told her as she chuckled and bent down to run her lips over his neck, her tongue sneaking out for a taste of him. She hummed softly, enjoying the salty taste of his skin. Cuddy straddled his hips and moved her lips back up to his, wanting to show him how much she loved what he'd done for her today. She deepened the kiss and she felt his hands moving up and down her back, lifting the bottom of her tank top to feel her skin. Cuddy pulled back and looked into his passion filled eyes. "I love you." She told him in a whisper, kissing him tenderly on the lips.

"Me too." He replied, lifting his head to kiss her lips in return.

She smiled happily and kissed him again. "I love how you make me feel." She added in a whisper soft voice, her lips millimeters from his.

"How do I make you feel?" He asked, his fingertips running up and down her spine.

"Like I'm the most beautiful woman in the world. You make me feel special and every time I look at you, my heart beats faster and when you touch me I get chills all over my body. And when you kiss me…I feel like we're the only two people on earth."

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world and you are special. And the reason your heart beats faster when you see me is because it's trying to catch up with mine because I've just seen you. The chills you get when I touch you are because that's what I'm feeling when you touch me. And when I kiss you…." He said, pausing to kiss her lips. "You're the only one I see."

Cuddy's smile grew wider at his words, never imagining she'd hear anything like that coming from him. She leaned down and kissed him with all the passion and love she held within her. She felt his hands move her tank top up, trying to remove it from her. Cuddy briefly thought of Bella asleep in her bedroom. She didn't want to have sex on the couch for fear of Bella waking up and wandering into the living room. Cuddy pulled back, looking at House. "We should go to bed." She told him with a smile.

"A little early isn't it? I say we do it on the couch and then go to bed." He told her, tilting his pelvis up and drawing a gasp from her.

"We can't…Bella might wake up." She told him.

"Now that your Mommy brain has been switched on, it'll never turn off, will it?" He asked with a smirk on his lips.

She smiled at him. "Nope."

He nodded.

Cuddy sat up, her legs still straddling him. She looked at the watch he'd given her, running her fingers over it. House stroked his hands over her thighs, moving them up to her waist, his fingers hooking onto the waistband of her yoga pants, and pulling them down enough to see the thong panties she had on. Cuddy shifted her eyes to his hand, and then back to his face, noticing the smirk on his lips.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Just having a look into the future." He retorted.

She smirked at him. "A little antsy are we?" She asked, grinding her pelvis into his, a gasp escaping his lips.

"You better stop it or I'll forget about the bedroom and have sex with you right here."

She chuckled and moved to stand up, picking up the Tiffany's box as well as the velvet box that recently held the watch that was on her wrist. House sat up and grabbed his cane, placing his hand on Cuddy's hip as she stood in front of him. "Are you sure you don't want to have sex in here? We could do it to the soundtrack of gunfire and explosions from this movie I was watching." He told her, as he reached for the remote control.

Cuddy laughed. "No thanks…the only gunfire and explosions I'm interested in are ours."

"Was that your attempt at dirty talk?" He asked with a grimace on his face. "You need to work on that." He told her.

She smiled and took his hand in hers, pulling him along as she made her way to the bedroom. "Then let's go practice." She replied saucily.


	44. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

5:00 PM – Wednesday Before Mother's Day

"_This kid is good." _

"_Yeah." House replied in agreement. "So, is this going to help or not?" He asked Max, as they sat in the same diner they'd met in the last time. House had snuck away from the hospital after Cuddy had dragged him into her office to confront him about what he'd been doing that entire week. He had set up this meeting with Max to talk about Bella's sketchbook but he didn't want Cuddy to know, because he didn't want to ruin Mother's Day coming up. He knew she had enough stress at work and he didn't want to add to it by telling her about what he'd been up to regarding the investigation into Mattie's murder. He'd tell her after her special day. _

"_It can't hurt." Max answered. "Damn, we should hire this kid to work at the station." He commented, leafing through the sketchbook._

"_Told you they weren't stick figures." _

_Max sighed in disbelief at what he was seeing in the book. "Holy shit, House. This kid saw everything." He commented softly._

_House nodded, rubbing his forehead impatiently. "Yeah. So when do we find out if that book is going to help catch these bastards?"_

"_Calm down, House, it isn't that simple; you know that. I'll show it to my superiors and get their take on it, but this book may not help at all."_

_House rolled his eyes. "You just said it couldn't hurt. How the hell could it not help? Their faces are right there…find them and arrest them, it's that simple."_

"_Oh really? What are their names? Where do they live? Where do they work? How do we prove that they had anything to with this? This is just a book, House; a sketchbook that a kid drew in. _If _we manage to find these guys, I'll tell you exactly what their lawyers are going to say. They're going to say that this book doesn't prove anything. That it's the wild imagination of some kid who thinks she saw something she didn't. We _need_ evidence, House, otherwise they walk."_

_House shook his head in frustration. "This is bullshit, Max. It's laid out right there."_

"_Yeah, it is. And I believe what you're telling me, but I'll be the only one that does, trust me on that." Max sighed. "Look, I'll take it with me, show my superiors and the detectives on the case, but I'm not going to promise you this will get us anywhere."_

"_You can't take it, I need it back. The kid doesn't know I have it or that I even know about it."_

_Max sighed in frustration. "House, you've got to talk to her about this. If anything she might be able to tell us what we need to know; details about these guys. Maybe she knows their names."_

_House did not like the idea of talking to Bella about this and neither would Cuddy. Bella couldn't handle this right now. But he saw Max's point that Bella could provide them with information to catch these men. "I'll talk to her mother and let you know, but my kid isn't going to handle this well."_

"_It will be hard, but it might be worth it." Max told him. _

_House nodded with a sigh._

"_There's a Kinko's down the street…I'll make some copies of a few of these drawings so I can show them around."_

_House nodded in agreement. The meeting hadn't turned out like he'd hoped. He was hoping to hear some better news from Max about their chances of finding these men but he hadn't. The frustration he felt kept mounting with every bit of information he got about this case. It was turning out to be harder than he thought it would be. Once they had made a few copies of some of the drawings, House took the book from Max, telling him to call him with any news. He put the book in his backpack, mounted his bike, and made his way back to Princeton._

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1:45 PM – Tuesday – Two Days after Mother's Day

Cuddy had just stepped out of the cafeteria with a salad and a bottle of water in her hand as she made her way back to her office to eat her lunch. She was nervous today. Today was the day she had scheduled to talk to the Board about her relationship with House. They had already met with HR that morning and she expected everything to go well with the Board but there was always the possibility that it wouldn't. There was a chance that it could backfire and blow up in their faces. Cuddy sighed as she stepped into her office. When she did, she saw House sitting on her couch. She stopped mid-stride and looked at him.

"Hey." She greeted him with a small smile.

"Hey."

Cuddy frowned, making her way over to sit next to him, her salad and water still in her hands.

"That's all you're eating for lunch?" He asked, glancing over at her.

"I don't even want this." She told him.

"Nervous?" He asked.

Cuddy nodded her head. "Aren't you?"

House didn't answer for a moment, but reluctantly nodded in response.

"It'll be ok, House, we're doing the right thing."

"They might not see it that way. They could get pissed and end up firing one or both of us."

Cuddy shook her head. "They won't. They can't…we're not doing anything wrong. The only thing we're required to do is go to HR."

"Which we should've done months ago, Cuddy. They could see this as us flouting the rules." He told her.

She smiled at him. "You flouting the rules all the time, House, they won't be shocked."

"I do…but you don't. Cuddy, this job is your life. You're dating one of your staff and not just any staff…me. That's what's going to set them off; the fact that you're with me. If you were with Wilson, this wouldn't be an issue. Hell, they'd congratulate you."

"You're right, maybe I should be dating Wilson. My life would be a lot simpler." She snarked, looking over at him with amusement.

House glared at her, causing a chuckle to escape her lips.

"House, a few months ago I would've agreed with you about this job being my life. But now…things are different. I still love my job, but you and Bella are my life now. And I'm not looking to be congratulated on who I'm dating, it's not anyone's business." She told him, taking his hand in hers as it lay on the couch between them. "Anyway, I know them, some of them will be outraged but most of them won't care as long we don't let it affect our working relationship and the hospital." She added. "But we'll be watched closely, House. Every move either of us makes will be scrutinized. We have to be careful."

House nodded in agreement and sighed. "I'm not going to change who I am, Cuddy. And unfortunately for you I won't change any of the bullshit I put you through everyday." He told her, a smirk appearing on his lips.

She nodded. "I know. I wouldn't even know what to do if did." She replied, smiling over at him.

"So, what would they think if I had lunch everyday with my girlfriend?" He asked with a smirk.

She smiled at him. "I think they'd be ok with that."

"Good, I'll go let her know." He snarked, moving to stand up.

Cuddy grabbed his arm, pulling him back down onto the couch. "Sit back down here, smartass."

House smiled at her as he sat down on the couch once more. "Eat your lunch, love muffin, wouldn't want you to pass out in the middle of the meeting and bang your head on the table. They'll think I drugged you and made you tell them we're in relationship."

Cuddy chuckled at him and rolled her eyes.

After a moment of silence between them, House glanced at her. "Who's picking up the kid from school if we're going to be in a meeting to determine our ultimate fate?"

Cuddy chuckled. "Chase's surgery this afternoon got postponed so I asked him if he could pick her up since Wilson will be with us."

"So Chase is third in line to pick up your kid?"

"So what?"

"If Wilson is second and Chase is third, where am I on this list?"

"One, right next to me."

"That doesn't make sense…there can't be two number one's."

"Sure there can…why are we arguing about this?" She asked in confusion.

"Because of the sheer enjoyment it brings me to argue about pointless crap."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and moved to stand up. "You need to get back to your patient and I need to eat and finish my paperwork before the meeting." She told him, making her way to her desk.

House stood up as well and limped to the door. "I could just put an end to this whole thing and announce our relationship from the balcony."

"Yeah, because that would make everything better."

He shrugged. "Don't say I didn't offer."

"Go back to work." She ordered.

House smiled at her. "Still nervous?"

"Yes." She replied.

"Want to change your mind?"

"No."

"Good." He answered with a quick nod, turning and making his way out of her office.

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3:00 PM

Bella and Simon were playing on the front steps of the school waiting for their parents to come pick them up. Well, Bella was waiting for Chase because her Mom, Greg and Wilson had a meeting. The principal had told her that her Mom had made arrangements for Chase to come and get her instead. Right now, she and Simon were hopping up and down the ten stairs that led up to the school. They were racing to see who could reach the top first as they hopped like bunnies up the stairs.

"Ok on the count of three, Bella." Simon told her.

"Ok, but you can't cheat this time, Simon."

"I didn't cheat last time, I just won fair and square."

"No you didn't, I seen you take the last step with one foot not both." She told him, her hands on her hips.

Simon rolled his eyes. "Fine. But I'll still beat you."

"We'll see about that. Now come on, before I have to go."

"Ok. One, two, threeee." He counted, as they took off on three.

Bella and Simon hopped up one step at a time, both feet joined at the ankle. They started off on the same step but Simon took off, using his stronger legs to beat Bella up the stairs. As he reached the top step, he raised his arms in triumph and jumped up and down, victorious.

"Ha! I told you I'd beat you." He shouted, trying to catch his breath.

"At least you did it fair this time." Bella replied, rolling her eyes, breathing heavily as well.

"Bella." She heard her name called at the bottom of the stairs. Bella turned around to see Chase standing there with a smile.

"Chase!" She exclaimed happily, running down the stairs to greet him.

"Hey there, princess." He responded, hugging her as she reached him and threw her arms around him.

Bella looked up at him. "Hi. I missed you, I ain't seen you in a long time."

"I know, it's been too long. I think you've grown a whole foot since then." He replied.

Bella chuckled at him. "Maybe not a _whole_ foot." She responded with an eye roll, causing him to chuckle as well. "Do you want to meet Simon, he's my friend." Bella asked, suddenly remembering Simon was standing close by.

"Sure." He responded with a laugh.

Bella released him and turned to look at Simon, who was standing two steps up from the bottom of the stairs. "Simon, this is Chase, he's my friend too. He works for my Mom at the hospital."

Simon waved his hand at Chase. "Hi." He greeted him.

"Hello there, Simon. Pleasure to meet you." Chase said, holding his hand out to shake Simon's.

"You too. Are you from Austria? Bella said you was."

Chase chuckled at him and shook his head. "Australia. Austria is different country."

"Oh." Simon responded, raising his eyebrows. "Cool."

"I didn't say Austria, Simon." Bella rolled her eyes.

Chase laughed once more before looking down at Bella. "You ready to go?" He asked Bella, placing his hand on her shoulder.

She nodded, moving over to the corner of the steps to grab her backpack. She looked up at him when she returned to his side. "Ready." She replied with a smile.

Chase nodded and waved at Simon. "See you later, Simon."

"Bye, Chase. Bye, Bella, see you tomorrow." Simon replied, waving.

"See ya tomorrow." Bella hollered as they walked to Chase's car.

Bella looked up at him once she was in the passenger's seat and had buckled her seatbelt. "Is Mom and Greg in the meeting now?"

"I think so." He replied, pulling the car out of the parking lot. Chase looked over at her with a furrow in his brow. "You calling Dr. Cuddy Mom now?"

"Yeah…she's my Mom." Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah but before you called her Lisa."

"I know, but now I call her Mom. But sometimes I forget cuz I just started callin' her that on Mother's Day."

"Cool. I bet she likes that." He commented.

"Yeah. She always smiles when I call her that."

Chase smiled at her. "So, what do say I beat you at foosball when we get back?"

"Nuh uh, I'm gonna beat you." Bella challenged.

"We'll see about that. It's not like we're playing poker…you'll beat me at that for sure."

"True…we could play poker." Bella told him with a mischievous smile.

"No way, I'll hang on to my money, thank you." He replied.

Bella chuckled at him. "Chicken." She accused him.

"Am not. You've been hanging around House for too long." He stated.

"He didn't teach me poker." Bella replied with confusion.

"No, but I'm sure he taught you to manipulate people, right?"

Bella shook her head. "No, he didn't teach me that either." She responded somewhat cryptically.

Chase looked at her with a furrowed brow. "Who did then?"

Bella averted her eyes. "Nobody." She mumbled.

"Your brother?" He asked softly.

Bella whipped her head back to look up at him, a deep frown on her face. "How did you know that?"

"House told me."

Bella arched her eyebrows in surprise. "He told you about my brother?" She asked in shock, feeling a bit betrayed. 'How could he do that to her?' She thought as she clenched her jaw in anger.

Chase nodded. "That night we played poker at his place. You don't have to worry though, I promised I wouldn't mention it to anyone. I'm sorry about what happened." He told her with sorrow in his tone.

Bella turned her head to look out the window. Why had Greg told Chase about Mattie, it was none of his business? But Greg hadn't known that she had seen Mattie die back then because she hadn't told him until recently; or had he? What if he knew more than she thought he did? Bella frowned, still feeling upset at Greg for telling Chase her secret.

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3:30 PM

House and Cuddy sat before the Board, having just revealed to them that they were in a romantic relationship and had been for the last 6 months. Wilson was sitting beside them as well, having known about it the entire time they were going out. They had asked him to join them in the meeting in case they needed him to corroborate their story and be a witness to the fact that their working relationship hadn't changed during that time. There was a deafening silence in the room. Most of the Board members looked shocked, while some of them looked pissed. Cuddy had been right about their reactions and it was just as she had said it would be. House just hoped she would be right about the outcome of the meeting as well.

"Six months?" One of the Board members asked.

"Yes." Cuddy answered.

They looked from Cuddy to House in surprise, not knowing what to say, but after a moment it was like the dam had broken and the questions came at them in full force.

"Why haven't we been told sooner? How could this have been going on under our noses? This is inappropriate, Dr. Cuddy. Your conduct is inexcusable." They continued. "We cannot allow this to go on."

"Excuse me." Cuddy cut in, drawing their attention to her. "Thank you." She replied when the room was quiet once more. "I would like to point out that there is no rule against this, if there was, most of you wouldn't be married to your spouses." Cuddy told them. "Secondly, the reason you're shocked to hear this is because while our personal relationship has changed, our professional one, hasn't. No one in this hospital, except for Dr. Wilson, even knew about our relationship." That wasn't entirely true, but there was no need to mention that Cameron, Chase and Thirteen had found out about them. "Nothing has changed and nothing will change. I'm telling you this as a courtesy, not to get your permission. We've spoken with HR and they are already aware of our relationship. Thank you for your time regarding this matter but now I would like to move on to other business."

The room was quiet for a moment before one of the Board members spoke up. "Dr. Cuddy, it's true that there is no rule against this but you understand our concerns regarding your relationship with Dr. House? There are already complaints of favoritism between the two of you."

"Oh please." House interjected, rolling his eyes. "The last thing Dr. Cuddy expresses toward me in this hospital is favoritism. She can be a downright bitch when I ask for a procedure I need done on one of my patients. And don't even get me started on how often she harasses me to do my clinic duty. Trust me, there is no favoritism going on here. Ask Wilson, he's the one that has to listen to me bitch about it all the time." House stated, pointing his thumb in Wilson's direction.

"House." Cuddy replied, warning him to keep his mouth shut.

"See?" House pointed at Cuddy, her having proven his point for him.

"Dr. Cuddy, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We understand that we can neither stop you from having a personal relationship with one of your doctors nor take any action against you for doing so. But…if your relationship begins to affect this hospital, we'll be forced to take actions against one or both of you, understood?"

"Of course." Cuddy answered.

"Good, now if this matter is settled, let's move on to other business. Dr. House, thank you for your input, you may get back to your patient."

House gave a short nod, before glancing at Cuddy and making his way out of the boardroom, glad to get out of there and glad that everything had gone well. He had restrained himself from commenting during most of the meeting, wanting to call them all idiots for not noticing sooner, but not wanting to make anything worse for him and Cuddy.

House made his way to his office, wondering how his patient was doing and hoping to get an update from his team. As he stepped off the elevators he could see Bella in his office with Chase as his team sat in the conference room, hopefully talking about the patient. He went into his office first, wanting to see how the kid was faring with Chase. As he stood in the doorway of his office he expected Bella to jump up and greet him with her normal enthusiasm, but she didn't. She sat there in his comfy chair, looking up at him with a blank expression. He furrowed his brow before glancing at Chase and then back at Bella.

"Hey kid."

"Hey. Is the meeting over?" She asked, looking up at him.

House shook his head. "Just my part, your Mom is still in there."

Bella frowned at him. "But why? Did she get in trouble?"

"Nope…she's the boss, kid, she had to stay."

"Oh." She replied, returning her attention to the sketchbook she was drawing in.

"What's up with you?" House asked her as he made his way to the door between his office and the conference room.

Bella looked up at him, giving him a slight smile. "Nothing, why?" She asked.

"You pissed at me and trying to pretend that you're not?" House asked her, knowing something was going on but unsure what it was. Unfortunately, his patient couldn't wait for him to figure out why she looked pissed at him.

Bella chuckled. "No, you done something I should be pissed at you for?" She asked him, her eyes narrowing at him.

House narrowed his eyes at her in return and glanced at Chase as he watched their exchange with curiosity. "Is she pissed at me?" He asked Chase.

"I don't think so." He answered with uncertainty as he glanced at Bella before shifting his gaze back to House.

"Okay. See ya, kid. Make sure you head down to your Mom's office in a bit, she's expecting you down there." He replied before making his way into the conference room. "Soooo, what's the haps, peeps?" He asked, staring at his team expectantly.

Foreman, Taub, Thirteen and Kutner looked over at him as he entered the conference room. "You tell us…what's with Chase watching Cuddy's kid in your office?" Foreman asked.

"None of your business…patient?" He asked again.

"Is something going on?" Taub questioned next.

"Yes, our patient is dying and needs our attention." House replied.

"Is Cuddy ok? And why would she ask Chase to watch Bella?" Kutner interjected.

"I'm not really sure how many different ways I can say this, so I'll just stick with the original…_it's none of your business_!" House exclaimed, before looking over at Thirteen. "It's your turn now."

"That's ok…I already know, remember?"

"Oh, right." House replied, having forgotten and not minding that she had revealed that she knew about him and Cuddy since the entire hospital would be finding out about it soon anyway.

"You know what's going on?" Taub asked Thirteen with curiosity.

"PATIENT!" House yelled, before hearing the door between the conference room and his office open.

"What the hell's with all the yelling in here?" Chase asked, as he popped his head into the conference room.

House turned around and saw Chase standing at the door and Bella staring at them with a confused look on her face. He rolled his eyes and turned around to face his team once more. "If someone doesn't tell me what's going on with the patient, everyone in this room is fired. Except for me, I can't fire myself." House told them.

"And me, I don't work for you, you can't fire me…again." Chase told him.

House turned once more to look at Chase. "Then get out of here and go babysit." House told him, waving him off and winking at Bella so she wouldn't worry that he was upset. She gave him a nod in understanding and relaxed her features, resuming her drawing.

Chase closed the door as House turned back to his team expectantly. "Anyone?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

4:45 PM

Cuddy walked through the doors of the clinic, heading over to her office after the meeting with the Board. It had gone over due to the earlier discussion of her relationship with House and a disagreement about something in the budget regarding the pediatrics wing. She sighed as she entered her office, finding it empty. Cuddy had expected Bella to be in there already. She knew that she and Chase were in House's office and that they had been in the doctor's lounge for awhile as well, but she didn't know where she was now. Cuddy reached for her cell phone and dialed Chase's cell.

"Dr. Cuddy." Chase greeted as he answered his phone. "Bet you're wondering where we are?"

"Yes I am…I thought you were coming back to my office?"

"We did, but Bella got hungry so we're in the cafeteria."

"Oh…ok, just bring her to my office when she's finished."

"You bet."

Cuddy hung up the phone and leaned her head in her hands, her elbows propped up on her desk. She sighed tiredly. The meeting about her and House had gone well and by tomorrow, the entire hospital would be buzzing about them. Cuddy didn't look forward to the gossip she knew was inevitable, but she was glad that they didn't have to hide their relationship anymore. A small smile came to her face at the thought of them being a normal couple. She then chuckled softly and shook her head; they would never be normal. And she was ok with that.

About twenty minutes passed when she heard the door to her office swing open. Cuddy looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Lis-Mom." Bella said with a giggle, having almost forgotten to call her Mom. She was getting better though, at least she always thought of her as her Mom.

She chuckled as well. "Hey, baby, did you have fun with Chase?"

Bella looked up at Chase with a smile and nodded. "Yep, I beat him at foosball and he had to buy me ice cream." Bella told her as she made her way over to Cuddy and climbed onto her lap.

Cuddy hugged her daughter tightly, having missed seeing her all day. She placed a kiss on Bella's temple and glanced up at Chase. She chuckled as Chase rolled his eyes.

"I'll never live it down." He told her.

Cuddy laughed. "No you won't…she's too much like House."

Chase arched his eyebrows and nodded his head. "That's what I keep telling her."

Cuddy looked at Bella with a smile before glancing up at Chase once more. "Chase, thank you for doing this, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Cuddy; anytime."

"I owe you one." Cuddy told him with gratitude.

Chase smiled and nodded before shifting his eyes to the watch on Cuddy's wrist. "Nice watch." He commented, impressed by it.

Cuddy smiled and looked at it, still absolutely in love with the gift House had given her. It wasn't just about the watch; it was more about the reason he had given it to her that she loved. "Thanks."

"Greg gave it to her." Bella told him, running her finger over the watch.

Chase arched his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? That's…surprising." He replied.

Cuddy chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah well, there's a lot more to him than what he shows people."

Chase nodded with a look of uncertainty as to whether he believed that or not. After a moment he awkwardly replied, "I should get going." He made his way to the office door before turning around again and looking at Bella. "See ya later, kiddo. Next time, you'll be the one buying me ice cream, got it?" He challenged.

"You wish, Kangaroo Jack." Bella responded with a smug smile.

Cuddy chuckled at her name for Chase. Bella moved off of Cuddy's lap and made her way over to Chase, giving him a hug. Chase smiled down at her, hugging her in return. "I ought to start calling you House Jr." He replied shaking his head at her.

Bella giggled and released him from her hug. Chase turned around once more. "See you guys." He said.

"Bye, Chase, thank you again."

He nodded and left the office. Bella turned around, walking over to the couch and sitting down. She slumped down on the couch and sighed. "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah, just a minute, I need to grab a few things to take with me before we go."

"Ok." Bella replied, grabbing her backpack.

Cuddy looked over at her. "Did you finish your homework?"

Bella averted her eyes and slowly shook her head. "No."

Cuddy stopped what she was doing and looked over at her sternly. "Bella."

"Well, it's just reading, I don't got Math or English today. Mrs. Decker didn't give me none."

"How much reading?"

"The last two chapters of _James and the Giant Peach_." She explained.

"Bella, why didn't you do it as soon as you got here? You know the rules." She asked, upset that Bella hadn't completed her assignment before playing games with Chase.

"I don't know. I wanted to play foosball with Chase." She replied.

Cuddy sighed, shaking her head in frustration. "As soon as we get home your going to your room and reading those pages before you go outside to play, understand?"

Bella nodded her understanding. "Can I start reading it in the car?"

"If you can concentrate on what you're reading, you can." Cuddy told her. "Do you have to write anything about it?"

Bella shook her head. "No, we're just supposed to finish it cuz we're watching the movie in class tomorrow."

Cuddy nodded, her frustration decreasing at the knowledge that Bella didn't have to scramble to get a report written before tomorrow. "Ok." She replied and resumed what she was doing a few moments before.

"Is Greg coming over?" Bella asked.

Cuddy noticed she didn't seem hopeful that he would; she had tinge of bitterness in her tone. "He has a patient so I'm not sure if he'll make it or not." Cuddy answered, unsure what was going on.

"Oh. Ok." She replied, nodding her head.

Cuddy frowned at her. "Is there a reason you don't want him to come over?"

Bella shook her head in answer. "I was just wondering." She shrugged.

Cuddy nodded, still sensing that something was off with her attitude toward House. Had he said something to upset her? She'd have to ask House about it later. Once Cuddy had everything she needed, they both made their way out of the office and the hospital and into the parking garage, heading home after a long day.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:38 PM

Bella lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering why Greg would tell Chase about Mattie and wondering if he knew more about what happened to Mattie than she thought he did. How could he know anything about what happened unless she told him? Maybe she was just being paranoid. She would have to pay closer attention. What if Mom knew more too? Wouldn't she and Greg say something to her if they did? Bella sighed, throwing the covers off and climbing out of bed. She leaned down to grab her secret sketchbook from under the bed but didn't feel it down there. Bella frowned in confusion, knowing that she had put it back after the last time she had it. She leaned down further trying to see if it was down there. Bella saw the book but it was beyond her reach. She knew she didn't put it back there that far.

Bella crawled as far under the bed as she could get but with the trundle down there it was difficult. Finally she grabbed the book and pulled it out from under her bed. She sighed with frustration. Why was it back there that far? There's no way Splat would crawl up onto the trundle, he'd get stuck; so it wasn't him that pushed it back there. It had to be something else. 'What if Greg had found it and looked at it?' She wondered in panic, her heart beginning to beat faster. What if he showed Mom the book too? She thought as she moved to her tent and crawled into it. Bella felt the sting of tears but didn't let any spill over. She didn't know what she would do if they ever saw the horror she had seen. Telling them what happened was one thing, but them actually seeing her nightmares was another.

She opened the sketchbook and went through it page by page, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary in it. She needed to see if the pages had been bent or ripped because she knew by heart what every page looked like. As she flipped the pages she didn't notice anything so she thought maybe she was just being paranoid. Maybe Greg didn't tell Chase everything about Mattie and she was just overreacting. Bella sighed, her heart rate slowing as she laid down on one of her pillows. She rolled her eyes at her suspicions and the ridiculous thought of Greg going through her room and finding her sketchbook as well as him telling Chase about Mattie. There was no way he would betray her trust like that; he loved her. He wouldn't do that to her.

Bella closed the book and hugged it to her chest, thinking about Mattie and the day that was soon approaching. Soon it would the anniversary of Mattie's death. She couldn't believe it had been almost a year since he died. She was still so mad at him. The anger had dissipated for a while but it was always there under the surface. Why had he gotten involved with those men? They had argued that day that the men had come looking for him. And after he told her what he had done, he explained that he had done it for her and it had pissed her off because she never asked him to do that and it made it her fault that he was dead now. He had done what he did for her and he had gotten killed and it was her fault. That bastard. He was such an asshole. He never listened to anyone.

Bella wiped away the tears she felt streaming down her face but was unsure of when she had started crying. 'She was his sister, why had he not listened to her?' She asked herself, as she sniffed and wiped more tears from her eyes. After several more minutes of thinking about what had happened, she stood up and moved back to her bed, placing the sketchbook under her mattress instead of under the bed. Bella sighed, wanting to go to her Mom, feeling a new and strange desire to tell her about the upcoming anniversary. Bella moved to her bedroom door, opening it quietly and making her way down the hall to her Mom's room. She noticed the door was ajar and she knew that Greg wasn't there because when he was, they always closed the door. Bella peeked in and saw Mom lying in her bed, asleep. She opened the door and quietly stepped inside the room, making her way over to Greg's side of the bed. She carefully climbed onto the bed, startling Mom awake. She frowned in concern, still half asleep but awake enough to know something was wrong.

"Mommy." Bella whispered, her voice breaking as she looked into her eyes, scooting closer to her as she wound her arms around her Mom's waist.

"Bella? Did you have a nightmare?"

Bella shook her head. "No. I couldn't sleep." She answered in a small voice.

"Why not?" She asked, glancing at Bella and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Because."

"Baby, what is it?" Mom asked her gently, with concern.

"I…I was thinking." She stammered.

"About what?"

"Mattie." She answered after a moment of silence between them.

Mom hugged her close, brushing her fingers through Bella's hair. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Bella thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah."

"Ok." She replied softly, rubbing her hand over Bella's back comfortingly.

Bella took in a couple of deep breaths, steadying her nerves. This was the first time she had ever told anyone about this and the first time that she really wanted to talk about Mattie. Bella hugged her Mom tighter. "Mattie died…almost a year ago." She whispered, closing her eyes as she felt tears forming.

"Oh Bella. Sweetie, I'm so sorry." Mom responded, tightening her hug around Bella.

Bella cried into her shoulder as Mom comforted her by whispering softly into her ear that everything would be ok and that they would get through it together. She sniffled and allowed a quiet sob to escape her lips. Mom kissed her temple and hugged her, letting her cry as much as she needed to. That was one of the things she loved about having Lisa as her Mom; she did exactly what her real Mom would've done and that's why it made it easier for Bella to call her Mom. After a few minutes, Bella calmed down and allowed herself to just lay quietly in her Mother's arms. Bella released Mom from her hug and sniffed, wiping her tears away.

"Do you want to talk about him?" She whispered down to Bella.

Bella glanced up at her Mom and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't be mad at me for saying this but…he was an asshole." She told Mom softly, feeling anger at her brother.

"Bella…you don't mean that, Sweetie." She replied with a frown in her brow and sadness in her voice.

Bella nodded. "Yes I do. I'm really mad at him." She said as her voice broke and new tears appeared in her eyes.

"Why? What did he do, Sweetheart?"

"He…he promised he'd take care of me after Mom and Dad died and he did for a while but then he died and it was my fault." She cried, her lip quivering.

Mom shook her head and looked pointedly at Bella. "No…it was not your fault, Bella." She told her firmly.

"Yes it was, it was my fault." She repeated around a sob.

"Why? Why do you say it's your fault?"

"Because he did it for me and I told him not to and he didn't listen. He was just tryin' to take care of me and but he didn't listen." Bella answered, her sobs becoming stronger, causing a coughing fit.

"Take deep breaths, Bella. Breathe deeply. Just breathe, baby." Mom told her calmly, cupping Bella's cheek with one hand and placing the other on her back, helping her sit up and looking into her eyes to try and make her focus on what she was saying.

Bella focused on her words and began taking deep breaths. Her Mom nodded her head and wiped the tears from Bella's face. "That's it, deep breaths."

Bella continued breathing deeply as she looked into her Mother's calm and compassionate eyes. Once her breathing was under control, Bella closed her eyes and crawled onto Mom's lap. Her arms encircled Bella's tiny waist and wound around her back. Bella laid her head on Mom's shoulder and continued to breath softly into her neck. After several minutes of silence, Bella spoke softly.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Mattie lied to me and I hate him."

There was a moment of silence and Bella didn't know if Mom would be mad that she had said that about Mattie, but it was true. She hated her brother for dying and leaving her alone to fend for herself when he had promised that he would take care of her.

"Bella, you don't hate Mattie. I understand that you think you do because he lied to you but you don't. Because if you did hate him…everything that happened wouldn't hurt so much." She told Bella softly and as gently as she could.

Bella thought about that and realized that she was right. She wouldn't be feeling pain in her heart every time she thought about her brother. She wouldn't be feeling betrayed by him because he lied and had done what he had done to get himself killed. She wouldn't feel guilty that everything he'd done, he'd done for her and gotten killed in the process. And she wouldn't be feeling the tremendous loss of not having him with her everyday. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her Mom speak softly into her ear.

"Would you like some water, Sweetie?" She asked.

Bella shook her head. "Will you just hold me till I go to sleep?" She asked shyly, not wanting to leave the comfort of her Mother's embrace right now and not wanting to think anymore. She just wanted to sleep.

"Of course I will." She responded in a whisper, placing a kiss on Bella's temple.

They sat quietly within their embrace for several minutes until Bella finally fell asleep.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

_Bella startled awake at the sound of a door creaking open. She opened her eyes to see Mattie, with two bags of groceries in his arms, walking into the corner office of the abandoned warehouse they called home. She sat up on the old mattress she slept on, squinting from the brightness coming in through the windows as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She frowned, wondering where he had gotten all that food. Bella stood up, and walked over to him._

"_Mattie, where did you get this?" She asked with surprise._

"_Look, B, we're set for a couple of weeks." He told her proudly. "I got some money yesterday, a lot of money." He told her._

"_You did? You got a job, Mattie?" She asked, looking up at him happily._

"_Yeah, so today you get breakfast, B. I got your favorite." He told her, pulling a box of Pop Tarts out of the bag._

_Her smile grew and she took the box from him. She hadn't had Pop Tarts in so long and she missed them more than she realized. " Thanks Mattie!" She exclaimed, giving him a hug._

"_No problem, B. Now eat up, you need some new shoes and I got enough money here to get you a pair. I'm taking you shopping." He told her proudly._

_She furrowed her brow at him. "I don't need shoes, Mattie, we gotta save that money for food." _

_He shook his head. "No, I got enough, B. And you do need shoes, those are too small and your fucking toes are sticking out of 'em." He replied, pointing down at her feet._

_She looked down, seeing a hole at the tip of her right shoe and her toes peeking out of it. She giggled at the state of her shoes and looked up at Mattie with a nod. She pulled a Pop Tart out the box and opened the package. Bella stared at it for a moment, not believing that she was about to eat one. She glanced up at Mattie before taking a bite. As she chewed, she smiled, remembering the best taste in the whole world. These were her favorite; the strawberry with sprinkles on top. Bella chewed quickly and took another bite, savoring the taste. Mattie laughed at her and shook his head. _

"_I don't see why you love those so much, B." He commented._

_She shrugged. "They're the best." She mumbled with her mouth full of Pop Tart._

_Mattie rolled his eyes with a smirk and dug into his own breakfast, having chosen powdered donuts instead of the Pop Tarts._

_After breakfast, they were ready to head out to get Bella a pair of shoes when they both heard the main door to the warehouse slam open with a bang. The noise echoed through the entire building and Bella jumped at the sound, looking over at Mattie with wide eyes and wondering what was going on. Mattie ducked down and gestured for her to do the same. She did as she was told, her heart thumping in her chest and her breathing becoming rapid. She saw Mattie peek out of the window to see what was going on. He must have seen something because he ducked down, crawled over to the door and quietly locked it before leaning his back against the wall and squeezing his eyes shut. Bella frowned, concerned about what was going on. "Mattie?" She whispered._

_He opened his eyes and stuck his finger up to his mouth, shushing her. He gestured for her to come over to him very quietly and she nodded, crawling over to him on her hands and knees as quietly as she could. When she reached him, he pulled her into him and draped his arm over her shoulder._

"_Matthew Porter!" They heard a man yell out into the warehouse._

_Bella gasped, only to have Mattie place his hand over her mouth, looking down at her and shaking his head, wanting her to calm down and not make a sound._

"_We know you're here, kid." Bella heard another man call out._

_Bella squeezed her eyes shut, tears beginning to well in her eyes as she tried not to make a sound. Mattie held her tighter against him._

"_Come on, Mattie boy, show yourself and we might think about letting you off the hook once we straighten this out!" The first man called out tauntingly as his voice echoed through the building._

_Bella heard their footsteps right outside the door and her body stiffened at the fear she felt of them coming into the place they were hiding. She heard the doorknob jiggle and she held her breath, her tears streaming down her face. Suddenly she heard pounding on the door and she jumped at the sound. _

_Mattie looked down at her and shook his head, wanting her to stay quiet. He gestured for her to move to the other door that led out of the room. Bella crawled on her hands and knees as the pounding on the door continued. Tears were flowing down her face as fear gripped her. She turned around to see if Mattie was following and he was still sitting by the door. Bella scowled and waved for him to follow her. Mattie gestured for her to keep going and signed, telling her that he would follow her out as soon as she was through the door. Bella nodded in understanding and continued on her way. She quietly reached up and turned the knob, opening the door. Sunlight shone through and she quickly exited the building, turning around and waiting for Mattie. _

"_We know you're in there Matthew!" One of the men yelled through the locked door. _

_Bella's eyes grew wide when she heard them kick at the door. She waved frantically to Mattie, telling him to hurry up. Mattie crawled to the door as quickly as he could and went through it, closing the door behind him. Mattie grabbed Bella's hand and ran. They ran to the end of the alley and turned the corner onto the busy sidewalk. They turned to look behind them to see if they were being followed but they didn't see the men. Bella sighed with relief and looked up at Mattie._

"_Who was those men, Mattie?" She asked accusingly, knowing that he had done something he shouldn't have._

"_Nevermind, B, it 's my problem. You don't got to know about it."_

_Bella ripped her hand out of her brother's and stopped walking, glaring up at him. "I got a right to know Mattie, they was going to hurt us." She exclaimed, drawing the attention of passers by. _

_Mattie sighed and looked around. "Fine, but we can't talk here, let's go." He told her, grabbing her hand once more, making their way down the street to try and find somewhere they could hide until they could go back to their home._

_About an hour later they were sitting on a park bench near the playground in one of the parks in that area of town. Bella looked up at Mattie expectantly. "So, who was they?" She asked._

_Mattie sighed. "That money I got yesterday...I stole it, B." _

"_You said you got a job, Mattie."_

_He looked away from her, ashamed. "I lied, ok? I didn't want you to know because I didn't want you to be mad at me and I didn't want you involved."_

_Bella rolled her eyes. "That worked real good, Matthew." She replied with sarcasm._

_He whipped his head around to look at her, a scowl appearing on his face. "Hey, I'm trying here, Bella. You think I know how to take care of you like Mom and Dad did? I don't, ok? I'm trying to but it ain't that easy. I can't get a job because nobody wants to hire a kid. And the people that do want to hire kids to work for 'em are selling drugs, Bella. You know how pissed Mom and Dad would be if I sold drugs to other kids? It ain't right."_

"_Stealing ain't right either, Mattie."_

"_Yeah well, I'd rather steal than sell drugs, Isabella!" He yelled at her._

_Bella flinched, not expecting his outburst and the use of her whole name; he never called her that. She nodded after a moment of silence between them. "Sorry, B. I just didn't know how else to take care of you."_

"_But Mattie…who did you steal from? Who was those men?" Bella asked him._

"_They're the ones that was trying to get me to sell drugs to kids, B. I didn't want to do it, but I told 'em I would and when they wasn't looking I took their money."_

_Bella gaped at him. "You stole from the drug men, Mattie? Didn't you think they'd get mad at you and find you like they did?" She asked him, fear beginning to creep in once more._

"_I didn't think that far, I just took it, B." Mattie told her, regret filling his tone. "We have to leave, Bella. They'll find me again."_

"_Where are we gonna go?" She asked as anger suddenly filtered into her voice. "We had the perfect place, Mattie. It was perfect and now we have to leave again? That ain't fair!" She exclaimed._

"_You want them to find me, B? Cuz they will and when they do, I doubt they'll just want their money back. They'll probably kill me, Bella."_

"_You're so stupid, Mattie. How could you do this to us? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you? I told you I didn't want you to work for that man but you didn't listen!"_

"_I didn't work for that man, these ain't even the same guys, Bella."_

"_It don't matter does it? Cuz it's the same thing. Why do you got to be so damn stubborn, you asshole!" Bella asked, standing from the bench and stomping away from him._

_Mattie grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"_

"_I'm going back to our home." Bella told him._

"_You can't go back. We have to leave."_

"_I don't' want to leave!" She screamed, tears spilling down her eyes._

"_Well too bad, because we are! Forget all that shit back there, we don't need it. Now let's go."_

"_But all my drawings and books is back there, I want to go get it!" She cried._

"_No. B, we can never go back, you hear me? Never!"_

"_Mattie, no…I want my stuff!"_

"_I ain't telling you again, Bella. Now let's go!" Mattie told her pulling her along as they made their way out of the park._


	45. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

9:45 AM – Saturday – Two Weeks Later

Bella sat in the living room watching Saturday morning cartoons with a bowl of cereal in her lap and a spoon in her hand. She was giggling at a Tom and Jerry cartoon as Tom had just run into an iron skillet, molding his face into it. She laughed again when he swallowed a broomstick, his body once more taking on the shape of the broom. Bella took a bite of her cereal before she noticed Greg standing in the doorway of the living room in his pajama pants and t-shirt, leaning on his cane and looking at her with amusement.

"Watcha watchin', kid?"

"Tom and Jerry." She responded shifting her eyes back to the television and taking another bite of her cereal.

"Where's your Mom?"

"Runnin'. She left a note on the fridge." Bella responded, pointing in the general direction of the kitchen while keeping her eyes on the TV.

Greg made his way into the room and sat down next to her, grabbing the cereal box and digging out a handful. Bella looked over at him with a frown.

"Hey, that's my cereal. Mom bought you your own." She complained, trying to take the box out of his hand.

Greg held the box out of her reach. "Didn't Mom teach you how to share?" He asked her, stuffing his mouth with the cereal.

"Give it back, you're going to eat it all." She whined. The last time she had her own cereal, she had only gotten to eat two bowls out of it because Greg had eaten most of it.

"When did you become such a whiny baby?" He taunted.

"When you decided to eat all my cereal. Gimme it back." She demanded, her hand held out in front of her.

"You're going to spill your cereal on the couch and then Mom's gonna get pissed and you'll never get any again."

"Give me my cereal, Greg, you're being a pain in the ass." She shouted, her temper flaring at him.

He scowled at her with a mixture of disbelief and confusion. "What the hell's your problem? You've been pissed at me for two weeks, I think it's time you tell me what the hell crawled up your ass." He replied firmly, his own temper beginning to flare.

Bella opened her mouth to retort but wasn't given the chance.

"House!" They both heard Mom exclaim from the doorway. They looked in her direction; she had her hands on her hips and her brow knitted as she looked at Greg with wide eyes. She had just come from her run so she was breathing heavily and her skin glistened with perspiration. "Don't talk to her like that. What is wrong with you?" She continued.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _her_? She's had this little pissy attitude for the last two weeks and it's beginning to piss _me_ off." He answered, before turning his stare back to Bella. "What the hell did I do, huh? And don't tell me it's about your damn cereal." He asked, his voice rising a bit in anger.

"House, stop it, talking to her like that isn't going to make her want to tell you anything, now calm down."

Greg stood from the sofa, setting the cereal box down on the coffee table and making his way out of the living room. Bella glanced at her Mom as she watched Greg leave, heading toward the kitchen. Bella bowed her head, looking into her bowl, suddenly losing her appetite. She had been pissed at Greg since she had found out that he told Chase about Mattie. Bella didn't want anyone else knowing about her past, it was none of their business. She set her bowl down on the coffee table and felt the couch dip beside her as Mom sat down next to her.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Bella nodded.

"What happened?" She asked softly.

Bella shrugged. "I was just eating my cereal and watching Tom and Jerry and he started eating my cereal too, but he has his own and last time he ate all mine. I told him to give it back and he wouldn't." Bella explained.

"This is all about cereal?" Mom asked doubtfully with a furrow in her brow.

Bella shrugged once more. "Not all of it." She admitted.

"You've been upset with House for the last couple of weeks. Do you want to tell me why?" She asked gently.

Bella shook her head.

"Bella we need to straighten this out. If House upset you for any reason I want to know about it. I can't fix it if I don't know what it is."

Bella sighed. "He told Chase about Mattie." She answered indignantly, tilting her head to look at Mom.

Mom frowned at her with confusion on her face. "Bella he wouldn't do that."

"Well he did, and that's why I been mad at him. I didn't want nobody to know about Mattie. It ain't nobody's business."

"You're right, it isn't anyone's business but there's probably a good reason he told Chase. I don't think House would do it for no reason." Mom told her calmly.

Bella lowered her gaze to her hands in her lap. "What reason then?" She asked, bitterly.

"I don't know. But I think you should ask him, don't you? Give him a chance to explain?"

"No. I don't want to."

Mom sighed softly and shook her head. "Well, I can't let you go on being upset at him. That's not how I want us to deal with things in this family. He deserves to know why you're mad, Bella. Wouldn't you want to know the reason if he were mad at you?"

Bella nodded. "I guess." She mumbled.

Mom nodded her head as well. "Ok. Then why don't you talk to him?"

Bella looked up at her with a frown and sighed. "Can't you talk to him?"

"No…I want you to tell him why you're upset. He needs to hear it from you, Sweetie."

Bella lowered her head once more and slowly. She stood up and made her way to the kitchen to talk to Greg. Bella stood in the doorway, watching him as he tried to make coffee. She rolled her eyes, noticing he put too much water in the coffee machine. Bella stepped inside the room. She didn't have any shoes on so she wasn't sure if he knew she was there. She was standing there trying to figure out what to say when he spoke.

"Come to apologize?" He asked, keeping his back to her.

She scowled at him, becoming upset at his question to her; he should be apologizing to her. "No, I came in here to ask why you told Chase about Mattie when it wasn't none of his business." She asked, confrontationally.

At her words, he turned around, looking completely confused by her accusation. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't tell Chase about Mattie."

"Yes you did, he said you told him at the poker game at your house."

Greg narrowed his eyes at her, seemingly thinking about what had happened at the poker game several weeks ago. After a moment, a look of realization came over his face. "Kid, if I remember correctly, you're the one that mentioned Mattie to him and made him ask _you_ who he was, not me. And when you left the room all I said was that you had a brother who died. I told him never to mention it again, which apparently didn't stick and I'm going to have to kick his Aussie ass on Monday. That's all I said and that's all he knows." He explained.

"But he said he was sorry about what happened. You told him I seen him die!" She exclaimed.

"No I didn't." He replied softly, shaking his head. "I wouldn't tell him that, kid, I promise."

"Did you tell James?" She asked, not relenting the bitterness she felt toward him.

Greg sighed and lowered his head, staring at the floor and tapping his cane on the tiles. After a moment he nodded, glancing back up at her. Bella furrowed her brow in anger, tears welling up in her eyes, her hands balling up into tight fists. "You lied to me." She accused him. "I hate when people lie to me." She told him sharply, the anger in her voice evident.

"Bella." She heard her name spoken softly but sternly.

Bella turned around to see her Mom standing in the doorway, having heard what she'd said to Greg. Her tears spilled down her face and she turned her attention back to Greg. She wiped her tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand and sniffed softly. Bella felt her Mom's hand on her shoulder, her touch calming her. Bella's breathing slowed as she tried to control her temper and keep it from flaring any further. They stood in the kitchen in silence for several minutes. Bella wanted to scream at Greg for telling James about Mattie but she didn't. After another minute, Greg spoke up.

"You ever have a best friend, kid?"

Bella frowned in confusion at his question. She shrugged, not understanding what that had to do with anything.

"Has there ever been someone in your life you could tell anything to…someone who liked you no matter how screwed up you were?" He asked.

Bella shook her head.

"Well, you will someday. Wilson is _my_ best friend and so is your Mom. I tell them things because sometimes it helps to talk to someone. I don't tell them everything, but I'm working on that. I told Wilson about Mattie because he's my best friend and I trust him. You know James; he would never tell anyone what happened to you, would he?" He asked her.

Bella shook her head.

"I told him, because what happened to you upsets me…a lot…and I needed to talk about it. You can be angry all you want but I can't take back what I did, so it's your choice. Anyway, I needed his help that day we went to get your stuff so he had to know."

Bella looked down at the kitchen floor, thinking about what he'd just said. She didn't have a best friend but she thought she understood what he meant. The closest people she had to best friends right now were him and Mom. Bella nodded in understanding but kept her eyes on the floor. After a moment, Greg spoke again.

"Hey, look at me." He told her softly.

Bella did as she was told, lifting her head to look up at him.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. I shouldn't have done that and I don't want you to ever be afraid of me, understand?"

Bella shook her head. "I wasn't afraid." She told him truthfully.

He nodded, a look of relief coming over his face. "I still shouldn't have yelled and I'm sorry."

Bella nodded, accepting his apology. She walked up to him and held her arms up for him to hold her. He leaned his cane against the cabinets and lifted her into his arms. She wound her arms tightly around his neck and he buried his face in her curly hair, holding her tightly to him.

"Sorry I got mad at you." She whispered.

He nodded in acknowledgement of her apology and after a moment, he shifted his head so that he could whisper into her ear so only she could hear. "I love you, kid, you know that right?"

Bella nodded her head.

"And I would never do anything to hurt you."

Bella nodded once more, knowing that he wouldn't hurt her no matter what.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

30 Minutes Later

Cuddy had just finished rinsing the shampoo out of her hair and was about to turn the water off, when the shower door suddenly opened, letting all the steam out. She gasped at the sudden intrusion, closed her eyes and sighed when she realized it was House standing there wearing a smirk on his face and nothing else. He stepped inside the shower with her and closed the door once more.

"What are you doing?" She asked him with a furrow in her brow.

"What does it look like? I'm showering." He told her, gently moving her aside and stepping under the spray.

"House, you could've waited two seconds, I was almost finished." She replied, moving around him to open the door to step out of the shower.

House wound his arm around her waist and brought her back to him, holding her tightly against his chest and winding his other arm around her as well. He leaned his head down to her ear, gently brushed her wet hair behind it and whispered. "I'm sorry I yelled at your kid."

She relaxed into him, laying her head back on his shoulder. "I know, I heard you apologize to her in the kitchen." She replied softly.

"But I didn't apologize to you." He responded, still whispering as he tightened his grip around her.

"It's ok, House, I know you didn't mean it."

He nodded and kissed her temple. "I'd never hurt her, you know that right?"

Cuddy turned her head to look in his eyes. "I know that. The thought never entered my mind that you would."

His lips quirked at her words and he nodded, accepting what she'd told him. He softly brushed his lips against hers, holding the kiss for a few seconds before he leaned back, looking into her eyes. "I don't want to become my father."

Cuddy turned around in his arms and took his head in her hands, looking at him pointedly. "You will _never_…become your father."

House shook his head and averted his eyes. "Cuddy…"

"Never, House." She repeated, tilting her head to find his eyes, wanting him to understand that she believed what she said and wanted him to believe it too.

He found her gaze and nodded his head in understanding. House leaned down, kissing her lips tenderly. Cuddy slid her hands into his wet hair as she responded to his kiss. House moved his fingers lightly over her back, caressing her as they spent a few minutes enjoying the feeling of being with each other this way. The feeling never got old and when House was like this with her she never wanted to leave his embrace. House tilted his head and deepening their kiss, drawing a moan from her. He pressed her up against the wall of the shower, her arms winding themselves around his neck as he moved his right hand to cup her breast. At this point, the need for air was too great and they pulled apart, their hearts hammering in their chests and their breaths mingling as they stared at each other. They smiled and House kissed her once more on the lips before moving them over her jaw and down her neck. Cuddy moved her arms around his back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips on her neck as he nipped, kissed and sucked gently. She moved her hands down to his hips and pulled him even closer to her. She dropped a kiss on his shoulder and rubbed her hands over his back once more before moving her lips to his again. As they kissed, there was a sudden knock at the bathroom door.

"Mom." Bella called out, knocking once more.

Cuddy's eyes snapped open and she wrenched her lips away from House's. "Just a minute, Bella, I'm almost finished." She replied back, her breathing irregular and heavy.

"You will be in a couple of minutes." House interjected, with a lecherous grin on his face as he moved his hand lower.

She rolled her eyes and removed his hand. "Stop it, I have to get out before she comes in here."

"Relax, I locked it."

She sighed with relief and leaned her head back against the shower wall, before looking up at House. He smiled at her and leaned down for another kiss. "Come on, she can wait a few minutes." He told her, nuzzling her neck. Cuddy smiled, loving the feel of his scruffy chin against her neck.

"I'm ready, Mom, and you're taking forever." Bella yelled through the door.

Cuddy laughed as House groaned against her neck. "Make her wait." He told her.

"I can't, I'm taking her over to her friend's house to go swimming for the afternoon and I have to get the house ready for when they come back."

House lifted his head to look at her with a scowl. "Ready for who?"

"Her friends are spending the night tonight."

House's jaw dropped in disbelief. "And when was I going to be told about this?"

"Right now?" She responded with amusement.

"Oh, haha, Cuddy. Shit, how many of them?"

Cuddy tried to hide her smile as she answered him. "Bella plus two."

House rolled his eyes. "Great." He replied, before narrowing his eyes at her. "You did this on purpose. Waited to tell me before it was too late for me to leave."

"No I didn't. You're free to leave if you want. Call Wilson; go bowling. I don't care."

"And you're going to handle three kids on your own?" He asked with arched eyebrows. "I'd like to see that, actually." He told her, his head tilted to the side as he tried to imagine that.

"Fine. Stay then." She said, giving him a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm not helping and you have to keep those brats away from me." He said, before moving away from her and ducking his head under the spray of the shower.

"Uh uh, if you're staying, you're staying to help. They'll be outside most of the time, anyway, House. It's not like their toddlers and you have to watch them every second."

"No…instead, they're 8-year-olds and you have to watch them every second."

"Mom!" She heard Bella once more behind the bathroom door.

Cuddy huffed. "House, I have to go. Stay or leave, whatever you want to do." She told him, moving to the shower door and making her exit.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

4:00 PM

House was sitting on the couch, his arm wrapped around Cuddy and his fingers gently combing through her hair as she leaned into him, their eyes on the movie they were watching. Cuddy had spent the afternoon cleaning the house and he had spent the afternoon sitting on his ass. He finally talked her into watching a movie with him instead of mopping the kitchen floor since the kids would have it dirty again within the first thirty seconds of their arrival. They were supposed to be there in 30 minutes, having received a call from Maya's Mom a few minutes ago. House wasn't looking forward to having a house full of kids, but there wasn't much he could say about it since he didn't really live there. A situation he had been thinking about more and more lately. He had come close to asking Cuddy if he should move in but had stopped himself at the last second every time the thought came up. He just couldn't do it, not yet. Especially after what had happened this morning. He was still pissed at himself for losing his patience like that with Bella and yelling at her. The doubts of whether he should be a father still plaguing him. He didn't want that to ever happen again.

He felt Cuddy place a kiss onto his cheek. House looked down at her, surprised by her action. "What was that for?"

"You looked like you needed a kiss, so I kissed you."

He smiled at her and pouted his lip. "What about now?" He asked through his pouty expression.

She chuckled at him. "Now you just look like an idiot."

"An idiot who needs a kiss?"

"No…just an idiot." She snarked, before kissing him anyway. "What were you thinking about? You looked upset."

"Nothing."

"I'm your best friend, House, you have to tell me." She replied with a sweet smile.

House rolled his eyes. "I knew you'd use that against me."

Cuddy laughed at him. "Come on, maybe I can help." She asked after a moment.

He shook his head. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but when I am, you'll be the first to know."

She nodded in understanding. "Ok." She replied, settling back into his arms once more to watch the rest of the movie.

About 45 minutes later, the movie was over and House was standing in the kitchen making a late afternoon snack, since he just learned that the pizza that Cuddy ordered wouldn't be there for an hour. The kids still hadn't arrived and House was just relishing the few minutes of peace and quiet until the storm hit. The second the thought passed through his head, he heard the door open as Bella and a herd of elephants came stomping through the house, running to her bedroom.

"We're here." She called out.

House rolled his eyes, deciding to stay in the kitchen but hearing Cuddy greet Maya's Mom at the door as they talked about how things went that afternoon as well as getting instructions about when the other kid's parents would be by to pick them up tomorrow. House took a bite of his ham sandwich and made his way to the front door. He saw Maya's Mom standing there with a smile as she talked to Cuddy. As he walked up to them, they turned their heads, acknowledging his presence.

"Oh, hello Greg, it's nice to see you again." Maya's Mom replied. He didn't even remember her name but he thought it started with a K. Oh what the hell did he care?

"Hi!" He greeted overenthusiastically. "What a pleasure to see _you_ again. We're both so happy to have the little tykes over. Don't you worry about a thing, they're in good hands." He told her.

She smiled at him, nodding her head. "Thank…thank you, Greg." She replied, seemingly unsure if he was being genuine or sarcastic.

House took a huge bite of his sandwich and nodded, glancing at Cuddy before limping into the living room and leaving her alone with the woman once more. He knew he would hear it from Cuddy but he didn't care, she deserved some grief after not telling him about this until this morning and then doing it when she was naked. That had been unfair.

He sat down on the couch and flipped on the television. He'd been watching TV all damn day and he was getting tired of it. He should call Wilson over to share some of the torture he was sure he was going to endure tonight. Or maybe he could talk Wilson into going bowling. House pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Wilson's number.

"Hey, House."

"Wilson, you've got to help me. I think I've died and gone to Sesame Street."

"What? You're going to need to clarify."

"Bella and her friends are having a sleepover and Cuddy didn't tell me about it until this morning."

Wilson laughed at him. "Well, it sounds like you've got you're hands full."

"No, I had my hands full this morning in the shower with Cuddy until she dropped that little bomb on me."

"Ugh, House. Please refrain from placing images of you and Cuddy together in my brain."

House smirked. "Well I just thought I'd share the action I'm getting and you're not."

"Thanks…how very nice of you." He replied dryly. "So you're stuck in munchkinland and you're dying to get out. Hmmm, sorry can't help, I have a date tonight." He replied non-sympathetically.

House perked up. "A date? With who, the chesty radiologist?" He asked with interest.

"With whom." Wilson corrected, knowing it would annoy House and putting extra emphasis on the M at the end of the word. "And…wouldn't _you_ like to know?"

House rolled his eyes. "Yes I would, that is why I'm asking…with _whom_ are you going on a date with, Smartass?"

"It is a rare occasion that I have the upper hand on Gregory House and I think I'm going to enjoy it. Goodbye, House." He replied, hanging up on him.

House's jaw dropped to the floor as he looked at his cell phone in his hand. He narrowed his eyes and placed the phone back in his pocket. 'Wilson was going to pay for that.'

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

5:45 PM

Bella, Maya, and Ellie sat at the dining room table eating the pizza that Mom had ordered. Bella was munching on the cheese pizza while Maya ate the pepperoni and Ellie had the ham and pineapple pizza. Mom had ordered that one cuz Ellie said it was her favorite. Bella had tried it for the first time and thought it was surprisingly good; she usually didn't like fancy stuff on her pizza, but decided she liked ham and pineapple. Maya said it was disgusting because fruit wasn't supposed to be on pizza.

As they sat there, they were laughing at something Simon had done today at the pool when Mom walked into the dining room.

"Hey, how's it going in here?" She asked.

"Good." They replied at the same time before giggling.

Mom chuckled as she watched them having fun together. "Well, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks for the ham and pineapple, Miss Lisa." Ellie said.

"Hey, that's Dr. Lisa to you, kid." Greg interjected, winking at her as he swooped in and grabbed a slice of the ham and pineapple pizza.

"Don't listen to him, Sweetie." Mom told him, patting her gently on the shoulder.

She chuckled and continued eating her pizza.

"Yeah, Ellie, Greg is a scrooge." Bella said, looking up at Greg with amusement.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am n-."

"Uh uh…don't even start, you two. House take your pizza and leave them alone."

Greg took a huge bite of his pizza and snarked, "yes, Mommy," before turning and making his way out of the dining room. They chuckled at him as he limped back to the living room.

When everyone was finished eating, they all went outside to the backyard. Last week, Grandma had sent Mom some money for Bella, telling her to get Bella something to play with in the backyard. Mom had suggested a swing set but Greg had rolled his eyes and asked if she thought Bella was 4-years-old or something. Bella had agreed, thinking a swing set would be boring. She had suggested one of those big trampolines because she had always wanted one, but Mom wasn't too thrilled with that idea, saying that she'd fall off of it and break her arm. Bella had pretty much begged her for the trampoline and after a couple of days, she'd agreed as long as they put one of those enclosures on it. Bella had had the trampoline for a few days now and she was having a blast jumping and doing flips on it. She knew it made Mom nervous but it was fun, so she did it anyway. Now, Bella, Maya and Ellie were bouncing and taking turns doing flips. They had just eaten so Mom had told them to be careful not to make themselves sick.

They spent about an hour outside before going back into the house once more to watch a movie. Mom and Greg were in the living room as well, having decided to watch the movie with them. They were arguing back and forth between watching _Bedtime Stories_ and _Hotel For Dogs_. Ellie wanted to watch _Bedtime Stories_ because she'd already seen the other movie, but Maya and Bella wanted to watch _Hotel For Dogs_. Mom had suggested that they watch one of the movies tonight and one of them tomorrow before Maya and Ellie had to leave. With that compromise, Bella and Maya decided to let Ellie watch her movie tonight because they thought it would be weird to watch a movie called _Bedtime Stories_ in the morning.

All three of them settled down on the sleeping bag that Mom had laid flat for them on the floor in front of the TV. She had moved the coffee table so they'd have enough room. Greg was lying on the couch and Mom was making her way back into the room with two big bowls of popcorn. She set one of them down for the girls and she handed one of them to Greg. When everyone was settled, Greg started the movie.

The girls were laying down on the sleeping bag eating the popcorn and Bella glanced back at Mom and Greg as they were cuddled on the couch. Greg caught her eye and winked at her. She smiled at him and turned her attention back to the movie. She was having so much fun today with her friends. They'd had fun swimming at Maya's house this afternoon and when they left, Simon went home while they came back to Bella's house for the sleepover. Simon said he didn't want to have a sleepover with a bunch of girls because it would be weird and he didn't want to get made fun of at school. She supposed she could understand that and hadn't felt offended by it.

Bella thought about what had happened this morning with her and Greg and how today had started out sucking because of that, but she was glad that they had worked everything out. The anniversary of Mattie's death was in a few days and her nightmares had not relented. She hoped she didn't have one tonight while her friends were there. She had never told them anything about her past and she didn't know if she ever would because she didn't think they would understand and she thought it might scare them. She thought if anyone wouldn't be scared it would be Simon, but she didn't feel comfortable telling him either. Bella just wanted to forget that ever happened to her and she didn't see the point in telling any of her friends about it anyway.

Almost two hours later, the movie was over and they had all really enjoyed it. It was funny and incredibly entertaining. Even Greg had laughed at some of the parts in the movie.

"Alright girls, it's after 10 o'clock, time to get ready for bed." Mom told them as they sat on the sleeping bag and talked about a few of the funny moments in the movie.

"Awww, can't we stay up a little longer?" Bella asked.

"You can get ready for bed and then go to your room and talk quietly for a few minutes before lights out." Mom told them.

"Ok." She relented, leading the way to her bedroom so they could change into their pajamas.

As they changed, Maya looked at Bella with curiosity. "What happened to your Dad's leg, Bella?" She asked quietly, not wanting to be overheard.

Bella glanced at her, surprised by her question. "Um…he had a operation on it and the doctors couldn't fix it all the way so he has to use a cane." She answered. "His leg hurts everyday and he has to take medicine for it. He tries to hide it and he thinks I don't see him take it sometimes, but I do."

"How come he tries to hide it?" Ellie asked. "Isn't he supposed to take it?"

"I don't know why." Bella shrugged her shoulders, unsure why he tried to hide it from her all the time. It wasn't a big deal to take medicine for pain.

"I like your Mom and Dad, they're nice." Ellie told her. "But you're Dad is kinda weird sometimes." She added with a chuckle.

"Tell me about it." Bella agreed, chuckling along with her friends. "He's the best though." She added.

"I wish my Dad was like your Dad. Mine is always too 'busy' to play or do whatever I want to do with him. Every time I go to his house, all he wants to do is watch TV or go golfing." Ellie replied, rolling her eyes. "At least your Dad let's you do stuff you like and does it with you."

Bella nodded, saddened that Ellie's Dad didn't seem to care enough about her to do things with her. "Sorry, Ellie. Maybe you can come play here instead of going to your Dad's, maybe he'd miss you more if he didn't get to see you, you know?" Bella suggested.

Ellie shrugged. "Maybe."

"Greg ain't really my Dad, you know? I want him to be, but he ain't." Bella told her friends.

"How come he's not your Dad?" Ellie asked her.

"He's afraid to be a Dad because when he was growin' up, his Dad was mean to him and he's afraid he'd be mean to me, cuz his Dad was mean to him. I don't think that's true and Mom don't think it's true, but Greg does." Bella explained.

Maya and Ellie looked at her with confusion. "That's stupid." Maya commented.

"Yeah." Bella replied. "But Mom says I just got to show him that he's worth it. I told him before that he's a good Dad, but I got to show him too."

Her friends nodded in agreement. They continued talking for a while until Mom knocked softly on the door and peeked her head in.

"Hey, you girls ready for bed?"

"We didn't brush our teeth yet." Bella answered.

"Ok, go brush your teeth real quick." Mom told them, smiling at them before leaving them to go do what she asked.

They noisily made their way into the bathroom as they laughed and joked with one another, taking turns brushing their teeth. Maya had a mouthful of her toothpaste when she laughed at something Ellie said and sprayed the toothpaste all over the mirror, dripping some down her pajamas as well.

"Eww!" Ellie and Bella exclaimed, laughing along with Maya.

Maya cleaned herself off when she stopped laughing before cleaning off the mirror as well. When they were finished, they started to leave the bathroom, seeing Greg pass by them in the hallway.

"Oh it's you three." He stated. "I thought I heard a cackle of hyenas in here." He replied, shrugging his shoulders and walking past them toward the kitchen.

The girls looked at him with confusion and made their way back to the bedroom. When they came back, the trundle had been pulled out and Bella sighed inwardly with relief that she'd switched hiding places for her secret sketchbook. Mom had apparently come in there and pulled it out for them and placed linens on it as well.

"I'll sleep on the trundle, Bella, cuz I kick in my sleep." Maya told her with a chuckle. "One time I kicked my sister when we had to sleep in the same bed at the hotel we stayed at on our vacation a few years ago. I made a big bruise on her leg." She told them with a chuckle.

Bella nodded, chuckling as well. Splat jumped up on the bed and Maya and Ellie squealed in surprise, not knowing that he was in the room. They laughed when they realized it was him, drawing laughter from Bella as well. She picked him up and cuddled him to her chest, placing a kiss on his head.

"I didn't know you had a cat." Ellie commented, moving over to pet him, scratching behind his ears.

"Me neither. Where was he all this time?" Maya asked, petting him as well.

"He likes to hide under Mom's bed and sometimes he stays on his perch by the window." Bella answered.

"Girls, time for bed." Mom told them, walking into the room.

Bella put Splat down on the bed before climbing in herself. Ellie climbed in beside Bella and Maya laid down on the trundle. Mom made her way over to Bella and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Sweetie."

"Night, Mom."

"Goodnight, Maya and Ellie. If you need anything, don't be shy, you can come ask me ok?"

"Ok, thanks Miss Lisa." Maya replied.

"Yeah, thanks Miss Lisa." Ellie chimed in.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

Mom moved to the door and turned out the light. She closed the door and bathed the room in darkness.

"Bella?" Ellie spoke up in whisper.

"What?" She responded, looking over at her.

"Do you like being adopted?"

Bella smiled. "Yeah. I like being adopted by my Mom. I been in other places that I didn't like and I was glad I wasn't adopted there."

"Cool. Do you miss your real Mom and Dad?"

"Yeah, but I'm glad I have another family now that loves me like they did."

"You're lucky you got to pick your family." She commented.

Bella frowned at her comment. "Yeah I guess." She replied softly. "You have a good Mom at least." She added.

"That's true. Goodnight, Bella. Night, Maya." Ellie said.

"Night." They replied.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:45 PM

Cuddy lay in bed, on her side, facing the door with her back to House. She was trying to sleep, but he was up reading a medical journal. She turned around and looked over at him.

"House, are you going to be up long?"

He looked in her direction; his reading glasses perched on his nose. "Cover your head with the blanket." He told her, before turning his attention back to his magazine.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "House, go read in the living room."

"No." He answered, distracted as he read whatever article he was reading.

Cuddy looked away from him before she sat up and grabbed her pillow. She made her way to the door when she heard House call after her. "Hey."

She stopped, turning her tired gaze on him.

"Get back here, pouty." He told her, nodding his head where she had been laying previously.

"I'm not pouting, House, I need sleep and I can't sleep with your lamp shining in my eyes."

He set his magazine down on his lap. "You want to have sex, then?"

She glared at him. "No, I want to sleep."

"If we have sex first, you won't have trouble sleeping."

"I'm having trouble sleeping because of the light shining in my eyes, not because of insomnia." She told him. "I'm going to the couch." She added tiredly.

House leapt across the bed and grabbed her wrist. "No you're not, c'mere."

"House…" She complained.

"C'mere, grouchy." He insisted, sitting her down on the mattress between his legs, and moving his hands onto her shoulders as he began to massage them gently.

She melted into his touch, her head falling forward as he used his thumbs to massage the muscles of her neck and shoulders. She sighed, enjoying the gentle, yet firm touch of his hands.

"You just need to relax. You've been running yourself to death all afternoon trying to make everything perfect for your kid and friends. You're muscles are tight, your body is tense; it's not the light that's keeping you awake." He whispered into her ear as his thumbs moved up the base of her skull and back down her neck.

"House, that feels so good." She mumbled.

He didn't respond; he just kept massaging the tense muscles in her neck and shoulders. He moved down her arms, massaging her biceps and moving down to her forearms until her reached her fingers where he intertwined their fingers together, holding her hands. She had dropped her pillow on the floor the moment he began massaging her neck. House kissed her neck, massaging her this time with his lips, tasting her skin with his tongue. Cuddy sighed once more, feeling her muscles begin to relax. He hugged her to him, their fingers still locked together. She leaned her head back on his shoulder, turning her head and laying her forehead onto his cheek.

"Bella had fun today." He said, quietly.

Cuddy smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, she did."

"The anniversary of Mattie's death is soon." House said after a moment.

Cuddy's smile fell and she nodded once more. "I know."

"I need to tell her what I found out, Cuddy. She needs to know that I found him."

"I know…I just wish you didn't have to tell her. I wish I could erase all of this."

"She's going to hate me. Did you see how she reacted to me telling Wilson?"

"She won't hate you. She'll be mad, but she won't hate you." Cuddy whispered to him. "She forgave you, House."

"This time."

Cuddy tilted her head up to look at him. "She'll forgive again. She loves you, and as much as you may not be ready to deal with it…you're her Daddy."

House nodded. "Yeah." He whispered, accepting that as fact.

"You're not alone in this…you won't be the only one she's mad at."

He nodded once more.

Cuddy placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for the massage."

"Welcome." He answered back. "Now would you turn your light off so a man can get some damn sleep around here?" He asked with a smirk.

Cuddy smiled at him. "You're such a grouch."

They disentangled themselves from each other and lay down in bed. Cuddy picked up her pillow as House turned the light out. He curled his body around Cuddy's, holding her close as they both soon drifted off in sleep.

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4:00 PM – Sunday – The Next Day

The day had gone by pretty quickly. Maya and Ellie had stayed until noon and then had each gone home, their Mother's having picked them up. Bella had had a lot of fun with her friends this weekend and she hoped she'd get to do it again soon. Right now, Bella sat on the floor in her bedroom with photos spread out on the floor along with some frames that Mom had bought her to use. Some of them were photos of her and her friends at Maya's birthday party a few weeks ago and some were of her, Mom and Greg on Mother's Day. There were a few of her and Grandma as well and she was excited to finally have them to put in a frame. Greg had printed them off for her and she was organizing and placing them into different sized frames to display around her room. These pictures were important to her because they were pictures of people she cared about and that she would keep forever. She knew her Mom and Greg would always be there to take care of her but if something ever happened, she wanted photos to remember them by.

There was one particular picture that wouldn't fit in one of the frames and she needed to cut it down a little but she didn't have any scissors. She knew Mom had some somewhere but she wasn't sure where. Bella stood and made her way out of the room to go look for some. She looked in the drawer in the kitchen where the phonebook was kept but she found nothing but pens, pencils, notepads and of course the phonebook. Bella thought she'd try the office; surely there would be some scissors in there. As she looked around in the desk drawers she found a pair but remembered using them once and they were super dull and wouldn't cut anything. She rolled her eyes; she needed to remember to tell her Mother to buy a decent pair of scissors. Bella put those back and decided to go look in Mom's bedroom, maybe she had some in there.

Bella made her way into the bedroom and opened the nightstand drawers on her side before checking Greg's side. All she found were books, a flashlight, some headache pills, a few pens and pencils and few other things that weren't scissors. She sighed with frustration, thinking she'd have to use the dull ones in the office. There was one more place to look; Greg's nightstand. She opened the top drawer and found similar items. There was a bottle of pills that she didn't recognize that had Greg's name on it. She didn't know what kind they were but she suspected they were the pills he took for his leg.

"Vic-o-din." She sounded out the name. "Vicodin." She said aloud. She looked at the full bottle, shaking it and hearing the rattle of the pills in the bottle, before placing it back in the drawer. She shouldn't mess with them, Greg might get upset if he knew she had found them. Bella continued looking for the scissors. She rifled through some papers until she thought she spotted something familiar. She squinted her eyes and moved a few papers out of the way, trying to get a better look at what it was. 'But it couldn't be.' She thought. It was face down so she wasn't sure, but once she picked it up she knew. Her eyes widened in astonishment. What she found took her breath away as she gasped in utter shock. What she found, she never expected to see again in her life. She stared at it, feeling as if she were going to vomit. Bella lifted her trembling hand and moved her finger over the photo of her family that she hadn't seen in a year. The only photo that she and Mattie had with them when they left their foster home. The photo that was in Mattie's pocket the day he died. And she knew it was the same photo because there were small traces of his blood on the back of the photo.

Bella's eyes welled up with tears and she felt her stomach turn. She was going to throw up. She ran to her Mom's bathroom as quickly as she could, with the photo still in her hand, and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. The questions that flew through her mind in a matter of seconds were many. How did this picture get here? How did Greg know about this? Did he know everything about Mattie? Did Mom know everything too? How long has Greg had this picture? Why didn't he tell her? How could he do this to her?

Bella threw up again. Tears were flowing out of her eyes and she began to sob. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps running into the room.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Mom asked, alarmed as she came up behind her and knelt down, her arm draping over her back.

Bella cried; coughing and dry heaving into the toilet. She held the photo tightly in her hand as she hugged the toilet. Mom must've seen her holding something because she reached around to see what she had in her hand. Bella heard a gasp from her. "Oh my god." She whispered.

Bella turned her head to look at her Mom, realizing that she'd known about the picture. She backed away from the toilet and away from her Mom, sitting down on the floor near the door, feeling betrayed and confused. Bella noticed Greg standing in the doorway of the bathroom as well, and she looked up, seeing the shock in his eyes at what she held in her hand. Bella couldn't stop crying. She looked at the two faces that she trusted most in the world and realized that they were liars. They had lied to her and she hated when people lied to her. Mattie had lied to her a year ago; now Greg and the person she came to know and love as her Mom had lied to her. Her heart was broken again. She thought it had started to mend itself but now it was broken into a million tiny little pieces and she knew it was hopeless that it would ever repair itself.

Bella quickly stood up and fled the room.


	46. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Cuddy heard Bella's bedroom door slam shut. Bella was angry and had been angry for months, now it was finally boiling over. This is what Cuddy and House had been trying to avoid. Now it was too late, they had screwed up…big, and Cuddy didn't know if it could be fixed. Cuddy's vision became blurry from the tears that welled up in her eyes as she realized the damage that had been done. She never expected Bella to find that photo and now that she had she didn't know how they were going to fix it. At the thought of having done permanent damage to her daughter's fragile emotional state, Cuddy fell apart. She crumbled in on herself as she sat on the floor from her kneeled position next to the toilet. She let a soft cry escape her lips and after a moment, she felt House kneel down next to her and take her into his arms, hugging her to his chest. Her hands gripped his shirt tightly as she hugged him back, her shoulders shaking from her cries.

"We'll fix it, Cuddy." He whispered his promise to her.

Cuddy shook her head, unable to imagine how they would begin to fix this. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard glass breaking. The sound came from Bella's room and Cuddy lifted her head to look up at House, her eyes wide as she stared at him in shock. She stood up and ran out of her bedroom and toward Bella's room, with House following after her as quickly as he could. When Cuddy opened the door, she saw Bella's photos all over the floor, ripped to shreds. Bella had taken one of the pictures out of the frame and thrown it against the wall, shattering the glass and breaking the frame. She had another in her hand ready to throw when Cuddy stepped through the door.

"Bella, no!" Cuddy exclaimed, just before the frame flew toward the wall and shattered.

She hadn't thrown it anywhere near Cuddy but the sound made her flinch. House squeezed through the door and made his way over to Bella, grabbing her arm before she could throw another one. "Stop!" He told her firmly. "You're going to hurt yourself or one of us, now knock it off!" He exclaimed.

"Get the hell away from me!" She screamed at him, ripping her arm out of his grasp and running toward her tent in the corner of her room. Bella's cries had not subsided and her sobs became muffled as she buried her head in her pillow.

House glanced back at Cuddy. She took a few steps toward him and gently placed her hand on his arm in reassurance. He had done the right thing; Bella was going to hurt herself if she didn't calm down. She grabbed House's hand and led him over to the corner of Bella's room where she lay under her tent. Bella was lying down, curled into a ball with her back to them, still crying into her pillow.

"Bella?" Cuddy said her name softly, as tears began streaming down her face once more at the sound of Bella's brokenness. Cuddy released House's hand and kneeled down beside her, placing her hand on Bella's back. Bella shrugged her hand away.

"I said get away from me!" She screamed, turning her head with hate in her eyes as she glanced at Cuddy.

"Bella, please let us explain."

She didn't respond to Cuddy's plea except to continue crying as she turned away from her. Cuddy wiped the tears from her own eyes and tried once more to talk to her. "Will you let us explain?"

Bella turned her head to look at her once more, her eyes red from the tears she was shedding. "You lied to me! I hate when people lie to me!" She exclaimed, her voice breaking from the emotions that were pouring out of her.

Cuddy could see how broken her heart was right now and it broke Cuddy's own heart to see how hurt she was. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, Bella." Cuddy replied, breaking down at seeing the pain her daughter was in. "Please? I'm so sorry." She continued, leaning down toward Bella, needing to put her arms around her to express the depth of her sorrow for what they had done to her.

"Don't touch me." She told her sharply, shrugging away from Cuddy.

Cuddy flinched at her sudden movement and felt House place his hands on her shoulders, backing her away from Bella. "Cuddy, give her some space." He told her gently.

Cuddy leaned back, sitting down with her back against the wall as she continued to watch Bella cry as she held the photo of her family in her hand. House kneeled down beside Cuddy, placing his cane against the wall. He glanced at Cuddy before shifting his attention to Bella. Cuddy knew he couldn't stay in that position for long before his leg protested, but he didn't move.

"Hey, kid." He tried, his voice soft. Bella didn't respond. "I know you think we lied to you and I guess we did, technically, and we're sorry about that. We kept some things from you because we wanted _you_ to tell us what had happened to Mattie. And we even asked you about it several times but we didn't push you too hard, you know why? Because we knew you had to tell us in your own time. We couldn't force it out of you, kid, you weren't ready to tell us and we understood that. When we found out what happened to you, it wasn't easy for us not to tell you that we knew. We wanted to but we were afraid of what would happen. And I guess that was stupid, because we knew you'd get pissed either way. Since you know we had that photo, we should probably tell you everything we know." He told her, glancing at Cuddy. She nodded in agreement and he turned his attention back to Bella

Bella's crying had tapered off a bit as she listened to him. Cuddy watched her as she held the photo tightly in her grasp. Cuddy reached her hand out and cautiously placed it on Bella's forearm. This time she didn't shrug away from Cuddy. She sighed with relief and slowly moved closer to Bella. Cuddy gently stroked Bella's arm with her thumb.

"We've known about how Mattie died for a long time." House continued. "I figured it out when I started looking into your family. You know me, kid, I'm curious about stuff and I can't let it go. So I started snooping around. I figured out that you had seen something happen to him by the way you reacted when you talked about him. It wasn't hard to see that something terrible had happened to both of you. I needed to know what it was. I suspected that you and Mattie had run away to New York City when you left your foster home because it was the biggest city where you two could disappear fairly easily. After then I started trying to find your brother…which your Mom protested to, you should know that. She didn't want me looking into your brother's death because she knew what it would do to you if you found out. But I didn't listen, kid. I kept looking into it and that's how I found that photo. We also know about your sketchbook, your Grandma found it one day when she was cleaning up in here. I'm sorry you found out this way, because I was going to tell you. We both knew you needed to know about all of this but we just…it was hard to tell you, kid." House finished, looking down at Bella.

There was silence in the room for several minutes except for the sound of Bella's sniffles as she tried to control her emotions and Cuddy wasn't sure if Bella was going to respond to what he had just told her. Cuddy watched her closely for any sign that she would respond and finally Bella licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak.

"You pretended you didn't know nothing…you lied to me." She said evenly, and Cuddy could hear the anger in her voice, just beneath the surface. Her nostrils flared, her hands were fisted tightly and tears were streaming down her face once more. "Even when I told you about Mattie, you pretended." She stated, emotionally. "The whole time I knew you and you pretended you didn't know nothin'." She added, her voice breaking once more.

"Not the whole time, Sweetie." Cuddy told her softly.

"_Most_ of the time." She replied sharply, moving her arm away from Cuddy's reach.

Cuddy closed her eyes in disappointment and leaned her head against the wall. "Yeah." She whispered, opening her eyes once more and glancing at Bella.

"Can you leave me alone, now? I want to be alone." Bella asked angrily.

"Not if you're going to start breaking stuff again." House told her.

"I ain't, so just leave me alone." She answered, never once taking her gaze off of the photo in her hand.

Cuddy glanced at House before shifting her eyes to Bella once more. "Sure." Cuddy responded softly, her voice breaking as she held onto the emotions that were threatening to escape again. House stood and held his hand out to Cuddy, helping her stand to her feet. Cuddy handed him his cane and they quietly made their way out of Bella's room.

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4:30 PM

Bella lay in her tent, thinking about everything that Greg had told her. They had known everything. She couldn't believe they knew. They had even seen her sketchbook and knew about the horrible nightmares she had and what she had seen the night that Mattie was killed. They knew _everything_. Even Grandma knew. In a strange sort of way she felt relieved that she didn't have to tell them, but at the same time she felt such a strong sense of betrayal. She was so angry and she wanted to punch something. They had lied to her and she hated when people lied to her! Lying to people that claimed to love you pissed her off and she hated it more than anything in the world. She didn't know if she could ever forgive them for this.

Bella stared at the picture of her family. She looked at her Mother's face; the face she had forgotten. She ran her finger over the photo as a tear escaped her eye. She missed them so much and she wanted them back. She wanted them so much. Bella felt more tears spring from her eyes at the thought that she'd never see them again and the reminder of what had happened in her current family. Her real family would've never betrayed her this way and it put doubt in her mind as to how much Mom and Greg actually loved her. They couldn't love her that much if they could lie to her face like that for all these months. Bella closed her eyes and let her tears run down her face. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore and finally fell asleep.

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5:00 PM

House stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as Cuddy stood beside him with a cup of tea in her hand, staring out the window, seeing nothing and lost in her thoughts. They hadn't spoken a word since they left Bella's room 30 minutes ago. He didn't know what to say; _was_ there anything to say? This situation was impossible and he wanted desperately to fix it but he didn't know how. It was his job to fix it, but he was failing miserably. He wasn't used to failing and it pissed him off. House lowered his gaze to the floor, bowing his head in utter defeat before closing his eyes. How was he going to fix this? He had to figure something out; all of this was his fault. The fact that Bella found that picture was _his_ fault. It should never have been in the house.

House heard Cuddy move beside him and he opened his eyes to see her move into his arms, laying her head on his chest and closing her eyes. She rubbed her hands over his back soothingly and he wrapped his arms around her in return, gently laying his head on top of hers.

"Stop it." She told him in a whisper soft voice.

"What?" He asked just as softly.

"This isn't all your fault. Stop blaming yourself."

"It is my fault, Cuddy. I should've listened to you and left it alone."

"No, it's just as much my fault, House. We both did this and we both have to fix it."

"How?" He asked. He felt lost and he needed to find a way out of this for all of them.

"I don't know." She answered almost inaudibly, sounding just as lost as he felt.

They held each other for a long time. House had no idea how long they'd been standing there but his leg was starting to protest. He needed to sit down or lie down before he fell and took Cuddy with him. He placed a soft kiss on her head before dropping his arms and placing them on her hips. She leaned back and looked up at him questioningly.

"Come on, let's go sit down."

He could tell she knew why he wanted to sit down, seeing the look of realization come over her face. They made their way to the living room and curled up on the couch together.

"Maybe I should go check on her." Cuddy remarked.

"Leave her alone for awhile, Cuddy, she needs to process everything. She needs to decide if she's going to forgive us or not."

"Do you think she will?"

"I don't know." He replied solemnly.

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9:00 PM

Cuddy had been lying with House on the couch for several hours, in and out of consciousness as they slept from the total exhaustion they felt after everything that happened earlier that day. She had gotten up at about 7:00 to check in on Bella and try to talk to her once more, but she had been asleep and Cuddy didn't want to disturb her. She had made some soup and sandwiches for dinner and she and House had eaten some but neither of them were hungry. After that, they had both laid back down on the couch and fallen asleep once more. Now, as she was curled up with House on the couch, she listened to his even breathing as he slept. Cuddy still felt heartsick about what had happened today. She still couldn't believe it; everything was out in the open now. Bella knew that they knew and now it was up to her to find it in her heart to forgive them for not telling her.

Cuddy carefully stood up from the couch, making sure not to wake House, and made her way out of the living room. She quietly walked down the hallway toward Bella's room and stood in front of her closed door, staring at it. She wanted to check on Bella again to see if she was awake. She needed to talk to her; to fix this. Cuddy reached for the doorknob and quietly turned it, opening the door as quietly as she could. The room was dark and she couldn't tell if Bella was awake or not. All she could see as the light from the hallway illuminated her bedroom was a small lump in the bed and her curly head lying on her pillow. Cuddy stepped into the room and made her way to Bella's bedside. She looked down at her, her lip quirking slightly as she noticed that Bella was pretending to be asleep. Cuddy always knew when she was asleep and right now she wasn't. She gently sat down on the bed and looked at her daughter. She was the most beautiful little girl she'd ever seen and she loved her dearly. Her eyes began to tear up as she thought of the days' events once more and she decided to try and talk to Bella.

"Hi, baby." She whispered into the darkness. "I know you're not asleep…I can always tell when you are and when you're not. Don't worry, Sweetie, you don't have to say anything I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for everything. I know you think we must not love you because we didn't tell you we knew about Mattie, but we do, Bella. House and I love you _so_ much." She continued, her voice breaking as she went on. "And it breaks my heart that we broke your heart today." Cuddy told her, as a sob escaped her lips. She wiped her tears away and sniffed softly, taking in a steadying breath. "I'm so sorry. That's all I wanted to say. I'll call Mrs. Decker in the morning and tell her you're not feeling well, ok? I'll be here when you wake up. I love you." She told her softly, standing up and quietly making her way out of Bella's room, hoping that what she'd said would help.

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"_Come on, man, let's get outta here!" The other man yelled._

_The man who was holding onto her arm, let her go, placing his gun in the waistband of his jeans and running away from her. Bella was still paralyzed as she heard the men's footsteps running down the dark alley. After a few minutes, Bella looked over at her brother but quickly closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. Sobbing so hard at seeing her brother like that, she vomited on the cold pavement in the middle of the alley. She curled up in a ball, hugging her legs to her chest. _

_After a few minutes, she slowly crawled over to him, keeping her gaze away from his face, his eyes open but vacant of all life. Bella lowered her head onto his chest and sobbed. She grabbed a fistful of his sweater in both of her hands, shaking him gently, trying to wake him. After getting no response from him, she began shaking him more forcefully. "Wake up." She sobbed quietly into his chest. "Mattie, wake up." She begged. Still no response from him, she screamed. Wake up!" Nothing. She continued sobbing but had stopped shaking him as forcefully as a moment ago. She slowly looked up, still keeping her eyes averted from his face. She flexed her hands open and closed on his bloody sweater. Bella closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she slowly turned her head towards his face. Upon seeing his lifeless expression, his head turned to the side and his eyes open, she began screaming and shaking him once more. "No! Mattie, wake up!" She screamed, sobbing into the dark night, the sound of traffic nearby as no one could hear her cries of anguish for her brother. "Mattie!"_

_After getting no response from him, she stopped all movement and lowered her head onto his bloody chest once more. She closed her eyes and mourned for her brother, crying loudly into the stillness of the alley. "Mattie." She cried, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face. She sat there beside him for a long time, crying into his chest. Bella didn't know how long she had been sitting there with him but she couldn't just leave him there in the alley. She didn't know what to do; she was alone. There was no one left to take care of her. Her parents were dead, her brother was dead, and she was alone. She had no other family in the world to rely on and she couldn't go back to the Bedfords'. She would never go back to that place. Mattie had warned her never to get caught by anyone that could send her back to the place where they take kids that don't have moms and dads. He was the one that always looked out for that possibility, now, she had to look after herself. _

_After several minutes passed, Bella had stopped crying but she hadn't changed her position. Her head was lying on Mattie's chest, facing away from him so she couldn't see his face. She didn't want to see his face like that again. Her ear was just over his heart and the other times she had laid her head on his chest like that, she could hear it beating; but now it was dead. There was no heartbeat; she couldn't hear anything. Her brother was dead. She began crying softly again, unable to believe this was happening to her. _

_Bella lay there until she felt the blood on her hands dry. She tried wiping it off on her pants but it wouldn't come off. She focused her eyes on her hands, unable to stop staring at Mattie's dried blood. It was in her fingernails, between her fingers and in the creases of her skin. It was everywhere; even on her clothes. There was a deep red stain on the knee of her jeans where she must've knelt down in a puddle of his blood. Her sweater was stained as well. Suddenly, Bella heard a noise at the end of the alley. She turned her head in that direction but didn't see anything. A few moments passed before she heard a voice. She gasped and turned her eyes to look down at Mattie, unintentionally looking at his face. She quickly turned her head away. Bella heard the voice again and it sounded like a drunk man wandering in her direction. He was going to see her and Mattie. Bella stood up, seeing the drunk man getting closer. She was going to have to leave Mattie there; she couldn't let anyone find her. Bella regretfully looked down at her brother, probably for the last time in her life as tears began falling down her face once more. She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again and running in the opposite direction._

Bella opened her eyes, looking around her dark bedroom and vividly remembering her dream just now as well as the memory that had spawned it. She remembered how lost she felt just after Mattie's death and again feeling that same sense of loss now. She feels like she lost her family again. They were still alive but she still felt like she'd lost them. She felt alone.

She sighed softly into the quiet darkness of her room as she sat up in her bed. She remembered what Mom had said to her earlier and how sorry she sounded. But was she really sorry or was she pretending again. She couldn't trust her…or Greg; not anymore. Bella got out of bed and went to her closet, pulling out her backpack. She gathered a few items of clothing and stuffed them in her bag before pulling out her memory box where she kept her most treasured photos. She looked through them before placing them in her bag and stuffing the money she'd made in the poker game, into her pocket. She had about $275 left and that would be enough for a little while.

Once Bella was packed, she quietly opened her bedroom door, looking up and down the hallway and listening for any sign that Mom or Greg were awake. She couldn't get caught leaving. Bella looked down at her feet, seeing Splat rubbing against her leg. She picked him up, cradling him to her chest. There was no way she was leaving him here; she didn't want to be completely alone. Bella tiptoed down the hallway toward the kitchen so she could get some food to take with her.

After stocking up on some food, she quietly opened the door to the backyard, thinking that it would be quieter, instead of using the front door. Bella looked back before closing the door, knowing she would miss this place. She would miss Mom and Greg too, but she had to leave; she couldn't stay with people that didn't really love her and had lied to her. Her eyes became blurry with tears as she thought of never seeing them again and probably never seeing James, Chase, Allison or Remy again either. This was goodbye forever. She rubbed her eyes and quietly closed the door, turning her back on a life that she loved so much to return to the lonely life she seemed to be called to.

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7:00 AM – Monday

"HOUSE!"

House jerked awake at the sound of his name being screamed at him from somewhere in the house. It was Cuddy and he had never heard that much panic and fear in her voice in the twenty plus years he'd known her. He sat up, knowing something was terribly wrong. House got out of bed as quickly as he could, ignoring the searing pain in his thigh as he limped without his cane down the hallway toward the sound of Cuddy's distressed voice.

"Cuddy?" House called out, unsure where she was.

"House." Cuddy repeated around a sob, the agony in her tone frightening.

House made his way into Bella's room, fear gripping him as he thought of something having happened to Bella. As he stepped through the doorway of Bella's room, he saw Cuddy on her knees on the floor, sobbing into her hands. He looked around for Bella but didn't see her anywhere. House made his way over to Cuddy and kneeled down, placing his hands on her back and moving her hands away from her face.

"Cuddy…" He said softly.

"She's gone." Cuddy sobbed in anguish.

House looked at Cuddy in shock, turning his head to look around the room, seeing Bella's closet open, as well as some of her drawers with a few clothes missing. "Cuddy…"

"She's gone, House!" She said again, becoming slightly hysterical. "Gone. She took her stuff, she took Splat…she isn't coming back!" She exclaimed.

House stood up looking around the room once more, seeing that what Cuddy said was true. Bella had packed up everything she could carry and took her cat with the intention of never returning. House's panic came in the form of anger. He could feel it building in his chest. He was angry with himself for what he'd caused to happen. His breathing became rapid as he continued to look around at the empty room. What had he done?

"Dammit!" House exclaimed in anger. If he had his cane with him he would've snapped it in half.

Cuddy flinched at his sudden outburst. She stared at him in shock as tears continued to flow down her face. "House." She cried, reaching for his hand.

"Fuck!" He screamed as he released his anger that stemmed from the fear he felt at having lost Bella.

Cuddy took hold of his hand, her touch calming him. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breathing was labored as his eyes wandered around the room, looking for any clue that she was coming back. House knew that she was angry but he honestly didn't think that she would run away. He heard Cuddy sniffle and squeeze his hand as she remained in a kneeling position on the floor, probably having collapsed when she realized that Bella had run away. He knew she needed him to keep himself together because she was ready to fall apart and she needed his strength. House took her hand in his as he knelt down beside her and took her into his arms, holding her up so she wouldn't crumble to pieces. He took a few minutes to allow his anger to subside before speaking.

"Cuddy, we'll find her." He promised her. "We have to call the police and report her missing. We know she ran away so the first thing we need to do is call the cab company's in town to see if anyone picked up an 8-year-old kid."

"House, no cab would take a child her age…alone." She replied, looking up at him as if he were crazy.

"Yes they would, it's happened before and she's smart. She probably made up some story to get them to accept her fare." He replied. "We also need to check the bus and train stations to see if she got on one of those."

"You think she left Princeton?" She asked with shock.

"I think she went to New York City."

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4:38 AM – 2 ½ Hours Ago

Bella sat on the benches at the bus station, carefully watching everyone that came and went. She needed to get a ticket but she'd need to get creative on how she went about it. No one would let a child on the bus alone so she'd have to find a way for them to let her on with someone else. She looked around trying to find someone who would be an easy target. She saw a man standing at the vending machines who looked old enough to be her father or someone she could get close to so she could get what she needed. She made her way over to him and stood next to him, watching him fish for the correct change in his hand.

"Hi." She greeted him with a smile.

He looked at her with a frown, looking around to see if anyone was missing a child and wondering why she was there talking to him. "Are you lost?" He asked.

"No, I came to get a snack but I need a nickel, do you got one?" She asked him, pulling out her change.

"Uh, yeah…here." He said, handing it to her.

"Thanks. I like your t-shirt, that's pretty cool." She told him. Her goal was to get him to like her and want to talk to her. She needed him to recognize her. "My brother has a t-shirt just like that. Do you need a quarter, cuz I got one." She told him, handing it to him.

He smiled at her. "Thanks, kid."

"My name's Bella and I'm going to New York to visit my brother. He's older than me and he lives there. Do you live in New York?"

"No, I'm making my way to Chicago." He told her with a smile, before looking around. "Are you here alone?"

She laughed at him. "Yeah right, mister, like my parents would let me take a bus to New York alone. No way, they're in the bathroom." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

He nodded, buying her story. "Didn't they ever teach you not to talk to strangers?" He asked her with amusement.

"Yeah, but I ain't one to listen to my parents most of the time. Besides, you don't look strange to me." She told him, smiling as sweetly as she knew how. "And you look just like my Uncle."

He laughed at her and nodded his head. "You're alright, kid, I like you."

Bella held her smile. "Thanks. Well, I better go, my Dad gave me money and he said I could get my own ticket like a grown up."

He chuckled at her. "See ya, kid…thanks for the quarter." He told her.

"You're welcome…what's your name?" She asked before making her way to the ticket counter.

"Jeff."

"Thanks, Jeff!" She replied, waving at him as she finally made her way to the ticket counter.

She stood there until the woman noticed her, giving her a sweet smile. "Hi Sweetheart, how can I help you?"

"I'm going to New York with my Uncle Jeff, he's over there…Uncle Jeff!" She yelled, waving at him and watching him wave back with a smile. "…and he told me I could come and get my own ticket like a grown up." She explained with her most charming smile.

"Oh well, I'm afraid I can't sell you a ticket without an adult present, sweetie."

Bella's face fell, making huge crocodile tears appear in her eyes. "Please? I had to beg him to let me and now I have to beg you too? Please?" She asked, one of her tears slipping down her cheek as her bottom lip trembled.

"Oh alright, but you can't tell anyone, ok? This is my first week working here and I don't want to get fired."

Bella smiled, wiping her tear away. "I won't tell nobody." She promised.

"How old are you, sweetie?"

"8." Bella told her.

"Oh, well that's good news for your Uncle's wallet, sweetie, its half price for children under 11."

Bella sighed with relief that she wouldn't be spending as much as she thought. She handed the lady the money and waited for her ticket. When she handed her the bus ticket, she smiled sweetly once more and made her way back over to where Jeff was sitting on the benches near the vending machines.

"I got my ticket." She told him with a smile.

"Good for you…all by yourself, huh?" He replied with a smile.

Bella nodded. "Well, I gotta go sit with my Dad, nice to see ya again." She told him, standing up and making her way over to where a man with a red baseball cap was sitting, reading a magazine.

"Bye kid, have a safe trip." He told her.

"You too, Jeff."

Bella made sure the ticket counter lady wasn't watching as she made her way over to the man with the red baseball cap. "Can I sit here, sir?" She asked, engaging him in conversation as well, so that Jeff would see her talking to him.

"Sure, kid." He told her, glancing at her, before shifting his attention back to his magazine.

Bella sighed with relief that she was able to get her ticket without too much trouble. She opened her backpack the rest of the way, having left it open halfway so that Splat coulf breathe. She checked on him, giving a scratch behind the ears and a pat on the head before closing it halfway again. Now, all she had to do was wait for her bus to take her back to the City she hasn't been to in almost a year.

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7:30 AM

House was on the phone with the cab company trying to find out if Bella had taken a cab somewhere. Cuddy was on the phone with the hospital, telling them that she had a family emergency and needed to take some time off but she didn't know how long. She had called and made sure there was someone there that could fill in for her while she was gone for a few days.

"Thank you." House replied, hanging up the phone and sitting down on the couch with defeat. A moment later, Cuddy hung up as well, looking at him questioningly.

He shook his head. "Nothing…she must've taken the city bus, Cuddy." He told her, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh my god, House, how are going to find her?" She asked him, the fear she felt evident in her voice.

"She's a pro at this shit, Cuddy, she'll disappear." He replied, still pissed at himself for causing Bella to run away. House stood up and began pacing the room.

Cuddy stood up as well. "No, I will find my daughter, House!" She told him emphatically.

House stopped pacing for a moment, staring at her as she stood next to him with fear and determination in her eyes. He sighed and nodded in agreement; he knew Cuddy wouldn't stop until she found her…neither would he. "I'll call Max…tell him to keep an eye out for her at the bus stations."

About 20 minutes later, after getting assurance from Max that he'd do what he could to find Bella, House made his way into the bedroom to find Cuddy. She was just stepping out of the bathroom after having taken a shower, a towel wrapped around her body as she towel dried her hair. "I'm going to New York. I have to find her, House."

House sighed already knowing she had been thinking about going because he knew she wasn't going to sit around here and not look for her daughter. He nodded. "I'm coming with you." He told her.

She smiled at him and nodded her head. "Thank you. I don't think I could do this without you, House."

"I want her back too." He told her sincerely.

Her smile grew as they stared at one another for a few moments. "We should go soon, she could be anywhere by now."

House nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"Do you think we should call Wilson and let him know what's going on?" She asked as she looked through her underwear drawer and pulled out matching bra and panties and began dressing.

"Sure. And while you're at it, give him the day off so he can get his ass to New York and help us find our kid." He told her as he made his way into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

House smirked when he heard her close the drawer to her dresser a moment later as what he said clicked in her brain, just before he heard her bare feet on the hardwood floors, making her way into the bathroom in her bra and panties. He turned around, seeing a questioning look on her face.

"Our kid?" She asked him.

House gave her a short nod before his lip quirked in a smile, drawing a smile from her lips. She made her way over to him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. House snaked his arms around her and whispered to her. "I want in, Cuddy."

He felt her nod her head, as a happy chuckle escaped her lips. She sniffed and released him from her hug, looking at him briefly with watery eyes before she placed a kiss on his lips. Cuddy looked into his eyes and kissed him once more. "I love you. Now let's go find our daughter." She replied.

House nodded with a smile as they separated. He undressed and got in the shower as Cuddy got ready in the bedroom and called Wilson to let him know what was going on. He took a 5-minute shower and got dressed in 10 minutes. He had been thinking about what he'd told Cuddy about wanting to become Bella's father; he meant it. He did want to help raise her, having become attached to her; but he hadn't realized it until the fear of never seeing her again had reared its ugly head. He had become her father without intending to and he couldn't live without that kid now that he'd had the chance to know her and love her. He never expected that to happen but it had.

Never seeing Bella again was a definite possibility. She knew how to take care of herself and she knew how to disappear, and in a city like New York City, it wasn't difficult. Cuddy knew that it was a possibility as well, but she wasn't letting herself think about that part. House needed to make sure she didn't delude herself into thinking they were going to get to New York and find her within an hour or two of being there. It could be days or weeks, but he didn't want to think about that either. He wanted to find his kid and never let her go again.

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30 Minutes Later

Cuddy opened the front door, knowing it was Wilson on the other side. She had called him to tell him everything that had happened yesterday and that Bella had run away last night and that they thought she had run to New York City. He had been shocked, of course, and didn't hesitate to volunteer his help. Cuddy was grateful for it and he had gotten there as quickly as he could after having to reschedule some of his appointments for the day. Luckily, House didn't have a patient and she knew if he did he'd ignore the case and let his team handle it. She hoped they could find Bella soon because she didn't know if she could handle it if something happened to her.

"Hey." She greeted Wilson, opening the door and allowing him to enter and close it behind himself as she rushed around to get her stuff ready before they left.

They had decided to stay in the City if they didn't find her today. Cuddy had booked them a hotel in case they needed it because there was no way she was leaving New York City without her daughter.

"Hey." He replied. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm…fine. I just want to find her, Wilson. I can't…I can't think about anything else right now."

He nodded in understanding. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uh, can you take this out to the car?" She asked, handing him her bag.

"Sure." He replied, taking it from her and making his way to the car.

"House, are you ready? Wilson's here." She called out.

"It's rude to rush a cripple." He shouted from the bedroom.

"Hurry your ass up, House, I want to find my daughter." She responded.

"Our daughter." He corrected, bringing a smile to her face.

"Our daughter." She replied softly with a smile.

Just then, Wilson came back inside the house, his eyes wide with shock and a questioning look on his face. "Did I miss something?" He croaked out.

"Yes, and we don't have to explain. Go put this in the car." House replied as he made his way down the hall, throwing his bag at Wilson.

Wilson smiled at his friends. "I see you finally decided to grow up." He commented to House.

"Bite me, Wilson. Let's get the hell out of here so we can find our kid." House replied, pushing Wilson out the door before taking Cuddy's hand and leading her out of the house.

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12:00 PM

Bella's stomach growled and she placed her hand over her tummy, rubbing it gently. She was hungry and she needed to get something to eat soon. She had been wandering the streets for hours now with no particular place to go but she had somehow made her way to Central Park. She had forgotten what it was like to be on your own. These last few months with Mom and Greg had been amazing and she had gotten used to having a family again. But now she needed to get used to being alone. She couldn't go back home now. Mom would be mad at her for running away and she would never want her again…it was too late now. She had to deal with being on her own again. She heard Splat meow as he was curled up in her backpack and she knew he was hungry too. Bella hadn't fed him that morning like she normally did and now he was starving.

Bella sat down on the steps leading down to Bethesda Fountain. She loved it there; it was one of her favorite places that she and Mattie had gone to. They had gone there a lot and to see it again, reminded her of all the great times they had there together. She remembered the time that she had pushed him in the fountain, and ran away from him, laughing hysterically. It was rare that she had gotten the upper hand on her brother, but that time had been the best. Bella laughed at the memory, seeing in her mind's eye as she shoved him in. When he had caught up with her, soaking wet, he had been so pissed but had started laughing along with her when she couldn't stop the laughter had bubbled up out of her.

As Bella sat there, she thought of her Mom and Greg, wishing that they were there with her. No, she couldn't think like that, she needed to forget them; there was no turning back now. They had lied to her and she hated when people lied to her. All the same though, she had found herself forgiving them without intending to. Now that she was alone, she missed them and she couldn't help but forgive them for lying to her. Maybe they _had_ done it to help her, just like they'd said. It was too late now, she reminded herself; no turning back.

Bella stood up and pulled out some money; she needed to eat. She made her way over to one of the hot dog stands, bought herself some food and went back to sit down on the steps. As she ate her lunch, she pulled out a can of cat food for Splat, setting it down next to her so he could eat as well. Afterwards, she would need to start thinking of where she was going to sleep. Bella sighed, remembering all too well how hard it was to find somewhere warm and safe to sleep at night. But she would have to get used to it again…there was no other choice.

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7:00 PM

House, Cuddy and Wilson had been everywhere. At least it seemed like they had been everywhere. House had done more walking than he'd done in years and his leg was killing him. It felt like his leg was chewing itself off. House had his eyes closed as they sat in the diner where they were supposed to meet Max in a few minutes. He was trying to ignore the pain but it was too intense. He was sweating from the pain his leg was causing him. House pulled out his Vicodin bottle and took 2 pills before he started rubbing his thigh to make the pain go away. He had wanted to take more, he really did, but he couldn't. He needed to be clear-headed so he could find Bella.

"House, maybe we should go to the hotel." Cuddy whispered to him as they waited on their food. "Your leg…."

"I'm fine." He told her, cutting her off.

"House, you're not fine, you're sweating." She replied.

"It's hot in here." He answered dismissively.

"Cuddy's right, House, maybe you should call it a night." Wilson interjected.

"No!" He replied sharply and a little too loudly as other patrons turned to look in their direction. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not giving up this early." He told them firmly.

Cuddy sighed. "House, I want to find her too, but you need to rest your leg. It's not going to do you any good if you can't walk at all tomorrow and it's not going to do Bella any good either. We will find her, but you can't keep going like this."

"Cuddy, it's still daylight outside, we can still look. I thought you of all people would be insisting that we scour the city for her at every opportunity." He insisted.

"By the time we finish in here, it'll be dark. And we have been scouring the city and we'll continue to scour until we find her. But we can't kill ourselves doing it."

House sighed before agreeing with a nod. Their food arrived and they began eating. House wasn't very hungry and he noticed Cuddy was just picking at her food and Wilson was just as bad. He knew none of them would get any sleep tonight. They ate silently for several minutes until House put his fork down, unable to eat anymore. He hadn't even eaten half of it, but he just couldn't make himself eat anymore. Cuddy looked over at him, placed her hand on his left thigh and moved closer to him for comfort. House draped his arm over the back of the booth and gently ran his fingers over her shoulder.

A moment later, House spotted Max at the entrance to the diner. He made his way over to them and held his hand out to shake House's in greeting.

"Good to see you again, House. I just wish it weren't under these circumstances."

House nodded, shaking his hand. "This is Lisa Cuddy, Bella's Mom, and James Wilson."

"Ms. Cuddy, Mr. Wilson." He greeted as he sat down.

"Lisa." Cuddy responded as she shook Max's hand.

"James." Wilson replied, shaking Max's hand as well.

Max nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, I wish I had good news to give you, but not surprisingly we've had no luck. Do you have a photo of her so I can make some copies and pass them out to the guys to keep a look out for her?"

Cuddy reached inside her purse and grabbed a photo of Bella that she kept with her at all times. She handed it to Max. "That was taken a few weeks ago." She told him.

Max nodded. "Good, this will help. She's a beautiful young lady, Lisa, and we'll do our best to find her." He told Cuddy sincerely before shifting his attention to House. "Uh, here's the information you asked me for, House." Max said, handing him a folded piece of paper.

Cuddy looked at him with curiosity. "What information?"

House glanced at her. "The location where Mattie was killed. I thought it would help in case she decides to show up there."

Cuddy nodded. "That's a good idea. The anniversary of his death is just a few days away, maybe she'll go back there to say goodbye."

"That's what I'm counting on." House replied.

"Well, good luck to you all and call me if you need anything else. We'll keep an eye as well." Max reassured them.

"Thank you for everything, Max." Cuddy told him.

"You're welcome. Get some sleep, you'll need it." Max replied, standing up and making his way out of the diner.

House looked over at Cuddy. "We should go." He told her softly before looking at Wilson. "You staying?" He asked.

"I have an appointment in the morning that I couldn't reschedule, I have to get back." He told them regretfully.

They made their way out of the booth and moved to the register to pay the bill. As they walked outside, House extended his hand toward Wilson. "Thank you, Wilson." House told him sincerely.

Wilson nodded. "We'll find her." He assured them, shaking his friend's hand.

"Thank you for your help, Wilson, it really means a lot." Cuddy told him softly, reaching around him in a tight hug. Wilson placed a kiss on her cheek and pulled back, looking into her eyes.

"I know you're blaming yourself, but this is not your fault; or yours." He said, looking at House as well. "We'll find her." He said again. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Cuddy nodded and glanced at House before watching Wilson walk away. Cuddy took House's hand, lacing their fingers together as they turned and walked in the opposite direction. Wilson had driven separately because he knew he'd have to go back to Princeton for his appointment. As they made their way to the hotel, House noticed Cuddy looking out the window and he knew what she was doing. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. They had done this before when they were looking for Bella the first time all those months ago.

"This is familiar, Cuddy." He said softly.

She turned her head to look at him, knowing what he was referring to. She nodded and turned her attention back to the street, leaning her head back on the headrest. A moment later he heard her sniff and a soft cry escape her lips. House looked over at her, taking her hand in his, squeezing gently in reassurance. There wasn't anything to say that would make it better, so he didn't say anything. House found himself wondering where Bella was. Was she safe? Was she warm and fed? Where was she…where was his daughter?

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9:05 PM

Bella had wandered around Central Park for hours looking for somewhere she could sleep tonight. She had stopped when she saw a playground and decided to hang around there until dark. She hid in the surrounding trees when no one was looking and later crawled into one of the playground structures that would offer her some shelter if it rained as well as a little bit of warmth. Bella had thought to pack a small blanket and a jacket in her backpack because she knew the chances that she would need them would be great. She was curled into a ball under her blanket with Splat lying next to her, asleep. It had been a long day and she had no idea what she was going to do tomorrow. She needed to find somewhere permanent to stay but she didn't know where. Her mind was so tired; she'd think about it tomorrow.

She missed her bed and her room. She missed her home and her Mom and Greg. She was quickly realizing that leaving had been a mistake and she wanted to go home. But she couldn't go home. Bella felt tears rolling down her face as she thought of never seeing her home again, and never seeing her Mom and Greg again. A soft cry escaped her lips as she longed to hug her Mom and tell her how sorry she was for leaving.

"Mommy." She mumbled softly as she cried.

She was afraid that if she ever went back, that Mom and Greg would be so angry with her that they would decide that they didn't want her anymore; that she was too much trouble to deal with. She didn't even care anymore that they knew about Mattie and that they didn't tell her about it. It seemed so stupid now. Her mistrust in them had waned since last night and the moment she had decided to run away. Bella hadn't completely thought through what she had done. Right now, she just wanted to feel her Mom's arms around her, holding her tight and telling her that everything would be ok. But she knew that wasn't true, they _had_ to hate her for what she'd done. As Bella cried, she realized that she had lied to Mom too, telling her that she would never run away again, but she had and Bella knew that mistake could cost her her Mother's love.


	47. Chapter 46

**Sorry for the delay, folks. Thank you, everyone for your continued interest in this story. **

**Hope you enjoy this chap…took me long enough. Sorry.**

**Chapter 46**

8:00 AM – Three Days Later

"This is it." House replied, parking the car on the other side of the street from the two buildings that were separated by the alley where Mattie had been killed.

Cuddy turned her head to see the location where her daughter's brother had been taken from her. She couldn't believe this was the place that haunted Bella's dreams. But she could recognize the side of the buildings that made up the alley from Bella's drawings. The fire escape that wound its way down the side of the building, something she remembered from the sketchbook. The alley was narrow and dark, even in the daylight, and Cuddy could only imagine what Bella had felt that day. The neighborhood looked just as frightening. Everywhere she looked, there were stares; she knew they didn't fit in in that neighborhood and she hoped they wouldn't run into any problems. This place looked dangerous and she couldn't believe that Bella used to live there. Cuddy took in a deep, calming breath and glanced over at House.

"I can't believe we're here. I recognize parts of it from her sketchbook."

"Yeah." House agreed, looking across the street.

"Do you think she'll come?" Cuddy asked softly.

"I think there's a chance that she will, given what day it is."

"I hope she's ok." Cuddy replied, as she stared across the street, looking for any sign of Bella. "House, this place makes me nervous, how could she and Mattie have lived here alone…it's insane."

"They did what they had to, to survive, Cuddy." He replied softly.

Cuddy sighed, looking around once more before turning her attention back to the alley. She wished she could be there for Bella. Today was a year that Mattie had been killed and she knew that Bella must be hurting. She wanted to put her arms around her and never let her go. She wanted to take the pain away and assure her that everything would be ok.

Cuddy reached out and took House's hand, holding it tightly as they waited to see if Bella would show up.

They had been sitting there for an hour when Cuddy noticed House grab his thigh, rubbing his hand over his scar. He reached into his pocket and fished out his Vicodin, taking two pills. House looked over at her.

"I need to get out of the car. Want to walk over there with me?" He asked her.

Cuddy glanced across the street toward the alley before nodding her head. She needed to get a closer look at the place that made a regular appearance in Bella's nightmares.

They got out of the car and House waited for her to round the vehicle toward him, before holding his hand out to her, making their way across the street together. They stood at the front of the alley for a moment before House took a step forward, still holding onto her hand as he gently gave her hand a tug, wanting her to follow him.

"Come on." He said softly.

Cuddy slowly took a step toward House, following behind him as he led her into the alley. It was a frightening place, especially for a little girl like Bella. Or maybe it was just that she knew what had happened here and that's what made it seem like a frightening place. A few yards away, Cuddy could see a lump in the shape of a man lying next to the building; a homeless man. She glanced up at House, wondering if he'd seen him too. He had, and he started making his way to where the man was lying under a thin blanket.

"What are you doing?" Cuddy whispered to him, stopping in the middle of the alley.

"I'm going to ask him if he's seen our kid." House told her.

"House…he could be dangerous." She replied with concern.

"That's what this is for." He answered, holding up his cane. "Stay here." He ordered, releasing her hand.

She shook her head. "House, don't. He could pull a gun on you." She told him, her voice filled with concern and a bit of fear.

House rolled his eyes. "He doesn't have a gun. I'll be fine, Cuddy, it's broad daylight, nothing's going to happen."

"What if he decides he wants your wallet, House?"

"Then he'll be disappointed, I don't have my wallet. Stay here." He told her once more, turning and making his way over to the man.

She held her breath as he approached the man. She saw House begin talking to him, unapologetically waking the man up and thrusting a photo of Bella in the man's face. She couldn't make out what he was saying but she could see the perturbed look on the man's face. Cuddy sighed; House was going to get himself hurt if he wasn't careful. The man sat up with a dazed look, glancing at the photo as House spoke to him. The man shook his head and Cuddy's heart fell, knowing that the man hadn't seen Bella. House made his way back to her, shaking his head as well, letting her know they'd had no luck.

"Doesn't mean she won't show up." He told her softly.

Cuddy nodded before looking around the alley. "I wonder where it happened." She said, her voice soft as she thought about where Mattie had been killed.

"I don't know." House shook his head.

"So what should we do? Wait here for her or go back to the car?"

"Let's stay here for awhile." House replied. "Over there, let's sit down." He said, pointing at a spot on the ground that looked like it didn't have any mud or strange or questionable goop on it. House took her hand and led her over there, sitting down first and patting the ground next to him. Cuddy sat down, leaning into him and hooking her arm through his on his right side.

"What if she sees us and runs?" Cuddy asked.

"Let's just hope that doesn't happen." House replied.

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10:30 AM

Bella was back in Central Park after having found a place to sleep the last couple of nights a few blocks away from the park. She had stayed clear of the places that she and Mattie used to go because she didn't want to be reminded of her past there. She needed to start a new life, but she knew that was going to have to wait for today. Today was the day she had been dreading for a long time. It was the anniversary of Mattie's death and she wanted to spend the day going to the places that they had had the most fun together. She wanted to remember him in a good way instead of bad. There was no way she was going anywhere near the alley he was killed in…not today at least. She wanted to smile today, not cry.

She remembered that Mattie had taken her to the zoo once, and it was one of the best days they'd had together. She wasn't sure how Mattie managed to get them inside, but he had and they'd had tons of fun that day. Of course they had visited other places in this great city but the zoo seemed to have the best memories, so she had chosen to visit there. Most of their time in New York was spent trying to survive and it was a rare occasion that they got to have any fun. Her favorite animals in the zoo had been the polar bears; they were so cute and she remembered wanting to take one home with her.

Bella still had some money, so she got herself a ticket and entered the zoo. She made her way to the polar bears first, since they were her favorite. She remembered that Mattie had liked the snow leopard so that was her next stop. Bella was on the top level, looking down at the bears. They were in the water, swimming and playing. She smiled, looking at them as they played with the balls and other toys that were in the water with them. Mattie told her once that those bears were actually black, but that they had white fur to blend in with the snow where they lived at the North Pole. He had impressed her with how much he knew about the animals at the zoo. Every animal they visited, he seemed to know a ton of information about them. It wasn't until later that she realized he had been reading it from the signs that were posted next to the animal's cages. Bella chuckled at the memory. Mattie was always trying to show off and pretend he knew everything.

Bella made her way to the second level, wanting to get a little closer to the bears. She looked around her, seeing all the kids, happily smiling and holding their parent's hands. She wished Mom and Greg were with her. She wished she'd never run away, but it was done now…no turning back. She had decided that three days ago.

She shook the thoughts of Mom and Greg out of her mind and concentrated on spending her day thinking about and remembering Mattie. The last time she had come to the zoo was that day she had spent with him so as she was there, watching the people and watching the polar bears, her memory of that day was fresh; she remembered every detail, from the moment they'd arrived to when they had eaten lunch in the gardens to when they watched the sea lions being fed by the trainers. It had been the most amazing day.

Bella walked down to the bottom level, wanting to see the bears under the water. She loved their feet and how big they were. Mattie said they were bigger than her head and that if she got in there with them, they'd eat her alive. She had smacked him and told him to stop ruining her love of the beautiful white bears. Mattie had even gotten her a small stuffed polar bear that day, which she had lost when they left their home in the abandoned warehouse after the bad men came looking for Mattie. She wished she still had it; maybe she'd get another one, just to remind her of the zoo day she'd spent with Mattie.

After spending time with the bears, Bella moved on to the snow leopards, spending equal time with them, reading about them and watching them sit there and do nothing; they were kind of boring. She didn't understand why Mattie loved them so much. She did kind of feel sorry for them though, because they looked sad in their cages. After that she made her way to one of the gift shops to buy a snow leopard instead of the polar bear. She thought the snow leopard would remind her more of Mattie than the polar bear would. She had bought the smallest and cheapest one they had because after today she'd have to watch how she spent her money because she didn't know when she would get more.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the other animals, as she visited each one that she and Mattie had seen. Each animal she visited had a memory of him attached to it and they had made her smile as she thought of them. Bella had pulled out the family photo that Greg had found and that she'd brought with her. She stared at it for a long time as she made her way through the zoo. Bella barely remembered when that picture was taken, but it was one of hers and Mattie's favorites of their family and that's why they had chosen it.

At around 4:30, Bella made her way out of the zoo, having spent an adequate amount of time there. She decided to walk around the park and find something to eat before making her way back to her 'new home'. She had left Splat in the place she had found to sleep and she wanted to get back to him, afraid that someone may have found him or that he'd decided to chase a mouse or something and had run off. Once she found some food, she made her way back home, thinking about Mom and Greg and where they were. Were they at home worrying about her or did they even care that she was gone. She thought maybe, if they were telling the truth that they loved her, then they would be looking for her. What if they were? Where would they be right now? Would they still be in Princeton looking for her or would they be there in New York?

Bella slouched her shoulders as she returned to the building she'd been staying in. It was an apartment building that seemed to be under construction and she had holed up in one of the vacant apartments. She had to be careful though, because there were plenty of places where she could fall and hurt herself. There were also people around that she had to hide from; the people that were fixing the building would show up every once in a while to check the place. Bella didn't know how much longer she'd be able to stay there, but she hoped it was for a while. Mattie would be proud of her for finding this place.

Now that the anniversary of Mattie's death was over, she could think about what she was going to do next. She still needed to visit the alley where he'd died, because she needed to try and make peace with what had happened to him. Dr. Sloane said it would help to talk, and she had been right. When she went to visit her parent's graves, it had helped her immensely to move on and now she wanted to do the same thing with Mattie. She just had to get up the nerve to go back to that place. She really didn't want to do it, but she knew she needed to; hopefully soon.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

5:45 PM

"I'm starving." House said, leaning his head back against the headrest of the driver's side car seat. They had been sitting there all day, waiting for Bella to show up, but she hadn't, and House knew that she wasn't going to…not today. What the hell had she been doing today if she hadn't come to visit the site of Mattie's death? He hoped the fact that she hadn't shown up here on such an important day, didn't mean that something terrible had happened to her.

Cuddy was busy looking out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bella, when she turned her head in his direction. "What do you want? I'll go get you something down the street."

House shook his head. "No, let's go somewhere, I don't want to eat in this damn car for another meal."

"House, I don't want to leave, what if she comes while we're gone?"

"I don't think she's coming, Cuddy. We've been here all day and she hasn't shown up yet…I really don't think she's going to."

"You don't know that." She stated, turning her head away from him, not wanting to believe that Bella wouldn't be showing up there.

House sighed. He knew it would be like this…she wasn't willing to give up on her daughter; their daughter. House wasn't willing to give up either but he knew when to move on and start looking other places. "She's not coming, Cuddy. Let's go get something to eat and drive around afterwards."

Cuddy shook her head. "No…House, let's just stay until dark. She might still decide to come. I'd never forgive myself if we left and she showed up an hour or two later."

"Cuddy, be realistic. If she was going to come she would've done it already."

"I'm not leaving." She replied with conviction.

"Yeah well. I'm pretty sure I'm the one with the car keys." He responded with a smirk in his face.

"House, stop being an ass. This is my daughter…our daughter." She corrected herself. "We have to do what it takes to find her because God knows what could happen to her out here. I want her back…and I will not give up on her." She told him emphatically.

"I'm not asking you give up on her, Cuddy. I'm saying that she's not going to show up here today…she probably couldn't bring herself to come, did you ever think of that?"

Cuddy sighed, closing her eyes as she slowly shook her head. "No. I guess I didn't." She whispered. "But I still don't want to leave yet…please, House?" She asked, opening her eyes as she looked at him pleadingly.

House looked into her eyes, seeing the pain and worry she was feeling for Bella. He swallowed, feeling the same emotions as she was and trying desperately not to let them show. Finally, he nodded his head. "Fine, we stay until dark."

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11:45 AM – Tuesday – Two weeks later

Cuddy sat behind her desk, staring at the paperwork in front of her but not really seeing it. She had read the same page 5 times already but her mind had been on Bella. She and House had stayed in New York for a week looking for her. Three days after Bella had run away was the anniversary of Mattie's death and they had made their way to the location where Mattie had died and waited there for Bella all day to see if she would show up but to their surprise, she never had. Cuddy was sure she would make an appearance there, especially on that day, and it made her wonder where Bella was then and what she had been doing.

Cuddy was a nervous wreck for the past two weeks, she had no appetite, she hadn't been sleeping well and her lack of sleep and the stress she'd been under caused her to burst into tears at unexpected moments. She knew that House was trying his best to be supportive but Cuddy also recognized when he was pissed that she couldn't control her emotions. They had been arguing a lot this past week and she knew it was because they were both scared to death of something happening to their daughter. House was moody and on edge and she could never tell when he was about to go off on her or anyone who happened to be around them at the time.

Cuddy sighed and tried once again to concentrate on reading the chart in front of her. After a moment, she heard the door to her office open. She looked up to see Wilson walk in and sit down in front of her desk.

"Any news?" He asked her softly.

She shook her head solemnly. "No." She responded simply.

Wilson nodded. "Come on, let's go get some lunch. You need to get out of this office." He told her softly.

"I'm not hungry, Wilson, and I need to get these charts finished." Cuddy replied, looking down at the chart in front of her.

"You've been reading that same chart for the last 10 minutes; you need a break."

Cuddy glanced up at him with a furrow in her brow. "You've been watching me for the last 10 minutes? That's creepy, Wilson." She replied.

Wilson chuckled at her. "Yes it is…but I figure, since House is upstairs yelling at his team and making all of them wish they were dead, then it was my place to take over for him in the creepy stalker department."

"How thoughtful."

"Come on, Lisa, you need to eat. You're going to need the energy for when Max calls to tell you they've found her."

Cuddy sighed, knowing he was right but not in the mood to eat. She nodded, closing the chart and standing to her feet. She looked at Wilson with an appreciative smile, making her way out of her office with Wilson beside her.

Once inside the cafeteria, they bought their food and made their way to one of the booths. Cuddy wasn't in the mood for conversation, so she sat there, quietly eating her salad. After a few moments she heard Chase's voice as he stood beside them.

"Hey guys, mind if we join you?" He asked with a smile.

Cuddy glanced up at Chase and Cameron before looking at Wilson. She didn't really want them to sit down because she knew they'd ask about Bella and she'd have to explain what happened. Wilson must've picked up on her discomfort.

"Actually guys, it's a business lunch, maybe another time?" Wilson told them.

Chase and Cameron looked at him, looking as if they didn't believe a word he said, but nodding anyway. "Sure. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." He apologized.

"It's ok." Wilson reassured them.

Chase and Cameron walked away, knowing something was up and Cuddy sighed, not wanting them to start speculating and therefore unintentionally starting a rumor that she and House had broken up or something stupid.

"Chase, Cameron." Cuddy called after them. It was easier just to tell them the truth, especially since they knew and liked Bella.

They turned around.

"You're welcome to join us." Cuddy told them.

They made their way back to the booth with their trays in their hands, standing there with confusion. "O-k." Chase answered, sitting down beside Wilson as Cameron sat down beside Cuddy.

"What's going on?" Cameron asked with concern. "Are you and House ok?"

Cuddy sighed, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again to look at both of them individually. "I don't want this talked about in this hospital, understand? If you want to discuss it amongst yourselves, do it at home where no one can overhear. Am I clear?" She asked, shifting her eyes between them.

They nodded their understanding, still looking at her with confusion and now, even more concern.

"Two weeks ago…Bella ran away from home." She told them in a whisper, her eyes tearing up at saying the words out loud. "We think she's in New York City, that's why House and I weren't here a couple of weeks ago." She explained, her tears threatening to spill over her eyelids. Cuddy took in a calming breath before continuing. "We have the police looking for her, but there's not much any of us can do."

Chase and Cameron looked at her in shock. "Oh my god, Cuddy, I'm so sorry." Cameron replied after the shock had worn off. "Is there anything at all we can do? I mean, have you looked around Princeton? Why would she go to New York?" Cameron asked.

"It's a long story, but we're sure that's where she is."

"My god."

"Is this because of her brother?" Chase asked.

Cuddy shifted her eyes to him and nodded.

"The brother that died?" Cameron spoke up.

Once more, Cuddy nodded her head. "Mattie." She answered softly. "I can't tell you any more than that, I'm sorry."

They both nodded in understanding. "Can we help?" Cameron asked her softly.

Cuddy shook her head. "There's nothing we can do but wait. If the police haven't found her soon though, I'm going back to look for her. I can't just sit here and not do something."

"We'll help." Chase told her. "We want her back too. I don't know her whole story, but she's an amazing kid, she shouldn't be out there on her own."

Cuddy gave him a small smile, nodding her head. "Thank you…I'll let you know."

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4:15 PM

House was pacing in his office. These last few days looking for Bella had been a nightmare. He and Cuddy and Wilson had been looking for her everyday until they'd done all they could and had to come home and wait for the police to try and find her. Cuddy had to get back to the hospital, unable to spend anymore time away, and House had several cases that couldn't wait any longer.

House had grown more and more agitated with every day that they couldn't find her. Cuddy was a mess as well, and he knew she needed him right now, but he was trying to deal with this the only way he knew how. And apparently that was to piss everyone off that was anywhere near him. He was pretty sure his team was ready to murder him, especially Foreman, because of House's moodiness. They had managed to keep the reason for their moods a secret from everyone at the hospital, except for Wilson of course. House would rather people think that he and Cuddy had broken up than for them to know the real reason for why they were at each other's throats this last week since coming back from New York. Ever since the entire hospital had found out that he and Cuddy were together, there had been a pool started on how long it would be before they broke up or killed each other…or both. He wondered what it was up to now and if it had gone up, since they had returned to work last week in such horrible moods.

As House paced his office, trying to concentrate on the latest case he was working on, his mind kept going to Bella and if she was ok and how they were going to find her. Where the hell would she go in New York City? He wracked his brain to try and remember if there was any place she had mentioned that she'd been or liked to go, but he was pretty sure she never told him or Cuddy anything like that.

House had just turned away from the door as he paced the length of his office, when he heard the door open. He turned around, seeing Wilson walk into the room.

"Hey, how are you doing?"

"How the hell do you think I'm doing?" House bit back.

"House, we'll find her." Wilson told him, trying to sound reassuring but not pulling it off.

House didn't reply; instead he turned around and limped to his desk. His leg had been bothering him even more this entire week because of all of the stress he had been putting it under. They had walked miles everyday for a week and he had been popping more Vicodin than he knew was safe, but what else was knew about that? That was one of the things that he and Cuddy had been arguing about. House sat down at his desk and rubbed his leg.

"It's been two weeks, Wilson, she could be dead for all we know." He told Wilson.

Wilson sighed and walked over to the desk. "House you can't think like that…and I certainly don't recommend you saying that in front of Cuddy."

House glanced up at him and rolled his eyes. "She's thought it too, but she won't say it out loud."

Wilson sighed. "Have you seen her today?" He asked with concern.

"Duh, Wilson, we practically live together, remember?" He snarked.

"No I mean have you _seen_ her? She's lost weight, she's got dark circles under her eyes and I bet that's because she hasn't slept a wink since Bella left. I'm really starting to worry about her." Wilson told him.

"I know." House replied in an even tone. How the hell could he not know?

"House, you can't let her keep going like this, she's going to end up…"

"I know, Wilson!" House shouted at him, pounding his fist on the desk. He stood up and grabbed his cane, angrily making his way out of the office.

House rode the elevator down to the lobby, making his way to Cuddy's office. When he rounded the corner into the clinic, he caught site of her. She _had_ lost weight and she looked tired as she massaged her temples before propping her head up in her hands.

He sighed and continued into her office, causing her to look up at him with a frown in her brow.

"Let's go, Cuddy." He told her, grabbing her briefcase and handing it to her.

"What? I can't leave, House, I have too much to do."

"We're leaving and I'm not taking no for an answer. Let's go." He insisted.

"House, I told you…"

"And I told you that we're leaving. You look like shit, Cuddy. You haven't been eating or sleeping, now get your ass out of that chair and let's go home."

Cuddy stared at him for a moment. "I can't." She repeated in a soft whisper.

"You can and you will, even if I have to carry you out of here."

"I can't go home, House. I can't…look into her empty room and…"

"Then let's go to my place." He suggested, his voice softening.

After another moment, she nodded her head in agreement. "Ok." She whispered.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:42 PM

"I ate too much." Cuddy groaned as she lay in House's bed, her back against his chest as his arms held her close to him.

"Good, you haven't been eating and you've lost weight you didn't need to lose." House replied, gently rubbing his hand over her bare stomach underneath her tank top as he placed a kiss on her shoulder.

Cuddy chuckled softly. "What about my fat ass you're always complaining about?" She said with a smile, slightly turning her head to look at him.

"I'm pretty sure I've never complained about your ass." He replied, moving his hand down to give her ass a squeeze. "Admired would be the word I'd choose."

She flinched, laughing at him and bringing his arm back around her waist as she moved her arms over his that held her close. House placed a soft kiss on her head before burying his nose in her hair. "You smell good." He whispered. "Different than your other stuff."

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah. Do you like it?" She replied just as softly.

He buried his head further as his nose took in the new scent, nodding his head. "Vanilla." He replied.

Cuddy smiled and brought his hand up to her lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of it as she laced her fingers with his. There was a moment of silence between them. Cuddy thought about Bella; the same thoughts that had been occupying her mind for the last two weeks. Where was she? Was she safe? Does she hate them for what they'd done to her?

"I miss her, House." Cuddy said, closing her eyes to keep her tears from spilling out.

"I know." He whispered.

"It doesn't feel right without her. I feel empty. What if I never see her again?" Her voice broke as her tears finally spilled down her face, expressing her grief.

"We'll find her, Cuddy. We'll see her again." He told her reassuringly.

"Do you really believe that or are you trying to make me feel better?" She asked, sniffing and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Who do you think you're talking to here?"

Cuddy smiled through her tears, nodding her head and knowing he believed what he said. His belief that they'd find her gave her hope and allowed her to believe as well.

"I'm sorry, Cuddy." House murmured after a moment.

She turned her head slightly, a frown on her face. "For what?"

"I should be handling this better than I am."

"House, you love her and you're handling it the way any father would. You're doing the best you can and so am I. We both miss her and we're both scared for her." She replied, sighing softly. "I just hope this will be over soon."

After a moment of silence between them, she spoke once more. "When she comes home and things settle down a little, we should take her on vacation. We could all use it." Cuddy commented.

"I've always wanted to go fishing in the Amazon. What do you say, city girl?" He suggested.

Cuddy turned over in his arms and scowled at him. "I don't consider it a vacation when I have to worry about my flesh being stripped off my bones by piranhas."

"I didn't say go swimming in the Amazon; all the other anacondas would be jealous of Little Greg. And besides that I wouldn't expose Captain Winkie to some fish that's likely to swim up and attach itself inside of him. I've heard horror stories and there's no way that's happening to my pork sword."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "I don't even want to know how many more names you can come up with to describe your penis. In one sentence, you've managed to call him four different names. Do guys take a class on that stuff?" She asked with a scowl.

"Yes, it's called Penisology. I happen to have graduated with flying colors from that course. You're final exam is to see how many names you can come up with in 30 seconds. You do not want to know what happens if you fail the class." House snarked.

"Men are stupid."

"True, but women can't live without our heat-seeking love missiles." He replied.

Cuddy chuckled, shaking her head. "Anyway…I say we pick somewhere we don't have to worry about being eaten alive or invaded by parasites. How about Hawaii or a cruise or something? Bella would like that, wouldn't she?"

"Probably; although if you think about it, we could still be eaten alive and invaded by parasites in both of those places." He replied.

Cuddy ignored his snarky comment and grew silent for a moment before whispering her thoughts to House. "Do you think she's ok? I just can't help but picture her out there alone, and all of the ways she could get hurt or…killed." She said, unable to get the last word out without her throat closing up on her and her voice breaking.

"Don't think about it, Cuddy, you're going to drive yourself crazy." He told her, gently caressing the pad of his thumb over her cheek, wiping the tear away that had escaped her eye.

"I just want my daughter back."

"I know. We'll get her back." He promised, tightening his hold on her.

"Thank you for being here, House."

"I live here…sometimes." He replied as his lip quirked and he placed a soft kiss onto her lips, letting her know he knew what she meant.

"I know we've had our arguments these last couple of weeks, but I can't imagine going through this alone…and you've been incredible even though you think you haven't. Thank you for staying with me. You could've left anytime through all of this, but you stayed." Cuddy continued softly, gently caressing his back.

House sighed softly. "She's our kid." He replied, his words so soft, she almost didn't hear him.

"Yeah."

House leaned down and kissed her lips once more before moving them over her cheek and down to her ear. "Get some sleep, Lisa."

Cuddy was surprised to hear him call her by her first name but she didn't comment; she simply nodded and closed her eyes, settling in closer to him. It wasn't long before her overly tired body finally allowed her to get the sleep it desperately needed.

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5:18 PM – Two Days Later

Bella was sitting down on the curb, across from the alley where Mattie had been killed. She was trying to get up the nerve to go across the street and visit the last place she had seen her brother. She had put it off long enough, she needed to do this; she needed to say goodbye to her brother. She had tears in her eyes as she looked into the alley in daylight. Much different from the last time she was there. The last time it was dark and scary; now it didn't look as frightening, but the memory was just as strong. As she stared across the street she could see everything that had happened in great detail. She had never forgotten; her nightmares wouldn't let her. She'd had a few nightmares since she left home and they frightened her even more because she didn't have her Mother to run to anymore. She had no one to comfort her; it was just like before when she had lived alone after Mattie died.

Bella wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She couldn't make herself go over there. It was too much. She had been sitting there for what seemed like hours. Her mind had taken her back to the night he'd been killed and the look on his face. As she remembered, tears began to blur her vision once more and she allowed a sob to escape her lips as she laid her head on her arms that were crossed in front of her and propped up on her knees. When she looked up, she wiped her eyes once more and, very slowly, stood up. She wanted to get this over with. She picked Splat up from the sidewalk and looked both sides before walking across the street. Her feet felt like lead as they took her closer to the alley. Her hearing was muffled as she heard her footsteps on the pavement. A single tear slipped out of her eye as she made her way there, hugging Splat to her chest.

She stopped at the front of the alley, staring down the long narrow road. It looked different in the daylight; the alley was shorter than she remembered it. Bella took a step forward and stopped, taking in a deep breath before taking a few more steps. She walked down the alley until she arrived at the spot where Mattie had died. She stared at the place on the pavement where he had fallen and where the man had shot him. There was nothing there, no bloodstain, nothing. She didn't know what to expect when she finally laid eyes on the spot where she was currently standing. Her tears were once more trailing down her cheeks and this time she didn't wipe them away. Bella held on to Splat tightly as she stood there and cried for Mattie.

Bella remembered the times before her world fell apart and her parents were still alive, that Mattie was a constant pain in her ass. He always teased her and would almost never leave her alone. He would constantly pick on her for one reason or another and most of the time she would just smack the shit out of him and he'd leave her alone for a few hours but then he'd be back to screw with her again. She smiled at those memories as she sat down in the middle of the alley, almost on the exact spot she sat in when she was crying over his dead body. She ached to have him tease her again; to have him pull her hair or say something to piss her off. She closed her eyes and remembered the time that he had stolen her favorite stuffed animal when she was 5-years-old. It was a little stuffed dog that had a squeaker in its paw and its mouth would open, making a barking sound. She had loved that thing and he had taken it from her and hidden it somewhere. Bella remembered how upset she got when she figured out that he had taken it. She had stomped up to him, punched him right in the stomach and demanded that he give it back. He refused, laughing at her and she marched into his room, having grabbed a pair of scissors from her box of school supplies that she used in kindergarten and threatened to cut the strings on his guitar. Mattie had laughed at her, telling her that those things wouldn't cut anything much less the strings on his guitar.

"Yes they will…they're sharp. I bet it'll at least cut this one, Matthew." She replied, indicating the thinnest string. He had looked at her wide-eyed, knowing she was probably right. Mattie had finally given in and retrieved her stuffed dog. After that, he never bothered her stuffed animals again, instead he moved to harassing her about her colorful way of dressing. Back then she liked to dress up in her princess outfits or whatever costume she made up in her imagination. Mattie loved to make fun of her for that but she never listened to him.

Bella finally opened her eyes, bringing herself back to the present. She reached out and lay her hand, palm down, on the pavement where Mattie had died. She wished she could touch him one last time to say goodbye but this was the best she would get. Bella sighed deeply as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hi, Mattie." She spoke softly, crying as her words spilled out of her mouth. "I wish you was here with me so you could take care of me like you used to. I miss how you used to call me B and even when you called me loser." She continued softly, mumbling like she'd done when she went to her parent's graves. "I was happy for awhile cuz I found a new Mom that took real good care of me, but I messed up and ran away. I just did what you taught me to, but maybe you was wrong back then, Mattie. Maybe we shoulda stayed with the Bedfords' so you would still be alive." Bella went on, wiping her wet cheeks with her hand. After a few minutes of silence, she continued. "I went to see Mom and Dad. My new Mom took me there to see 'em. She's the best but…I don't think she wants me no more, cuz I lied to her and said I wouldn't run away no more but I did." Bella took in a deep breath and released it as she continued to talk to Mattie. "I know you can't hear me, but I miss you a lot." She told him, her face crumbling as she thought of how much she missed her brother. "I want you back." She said between a sob. "I don't care that you used to tease me and make fun of me. I just want you back again." Bella cried softly.

After a few minutes, Bella fell silent. She wiped the tears from her face one last time and sat quietly, readying herself to leave. She spotted a rock sitting on the ground next to the brick building in front of her. Bella crawled over to retrieve it, an idea popping into her head. She held it in her hand, looking at the sharp tip on the rock and glancing up at the brick wall. She began carving Mattie's name in the wall and the date that he'd died. When she finished, she stood up and looked down at her work, satisfied with what she'd done. A moment later, she turned around, picked up her backpack and Splat, and made her way out of the alley.

As she turned the corner onto the sidewalk, an uneasy feeling suddenly came over her. She felt like she was being watched. Bella walked several feet before she turned around to see if anyone was following her. There were people walking up and down the street but she finally spotted a man several yards behind her and across the street, staring at her. He looked away, turning his head to look in the store window and Bella turned around and ran. Splat grabbed onto her with his claws and held on for dear life, meowing as she ran as fast as she could. She didn't know who that man was but she didn't want to stick around to find out.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"We've got her." The man said over the phone.

"Don't lose her, I'm on my way."

The man hung up the phone and quickly walked in the direction he had seen her running. He didn't know how far she'd gotten, but her little legs couldn't have carried her far. As he walked a couple of blocks, he spotted her again, sitting on a bench. He hid behind a tree, so she wouldn't see him there. He stood there watching her for about 30 minutes, until finally he smiled, seeing his partner walk up behind her.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bella had run two blocks, hoping that the man she'd seen had not followed her. She wondered who he was and what he wanted. She turned around to see if she had been followed but thankfully she didn't see the man behind her. She walked a bit further to sit down on a park bench. Bella kept her eyes in the direction she had just come from to make sure the man wasn't still looking for her. Not seeing him after sitting there for a few minutes, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at Splat.

"Sorry, Splat, I didn't mean to scare you." She said softly to her friend, scratching his head and hugging him gently.

About 30 minutes past before she finally decided to get up and make her way back to her 'home' when she heard a voice behind her.

"Cute cat." The man said, sitting down beside her on the bench.

Bella startled, ready to flee from the man. This wasn't the same man but she still moved to run away, however his voice stopped her from leaving.

"Don't run…I'm not going to hurt you." He promised, his voice soft as a small smile appeared on his face. "I'm Max." He introduced himself.

Bella didn't respond, unsure if she should trust this man. She stared at him, keeping her distance from him. His smile grew as she studied him.

"You're a smart girl, Bella, and I'm impressed that you've survived on your own in this city for the last two weeks. I've heard a lot about you from your parents. They've been looking for you. They miss you very much and they're scared that something bad has happened to you."

Bella frowned, surprised to hear that he knew who she was and that apparently Mom and Greg had been looking for her and asked for help from this man. She relaxed a little but was still wary of the man sitting next to her. She still did not respond to what he'd told her. Bella sat quietly, studying him. He reached into his pocket and Bella sat up straight, ready to run if he pulled out a knife or a gun or something that would hurt her.

"I told you, I'm not going to hurt you; I just wanted to show you my badge." He replied, showing it to her.

He was a policeman, but he wasn't wearing a uniform. He probably didn't want to scare her or something. Bella's eyes shifted from the badge to his face, looking him directly in the eyes to see if he was telling the truth or not. She wanted him to be telling the truth because in all honesty, she wanted to go home to Mom and Greg. She missed them too.

"Can I ask you a question, Bella?" Max said, interrupting her thoughts.

Bella shrugged.

"Why did you run away? Were your parents mean to you…did they hurt you? I'm afraid I have to ask."

Bella frowned and shook her head. Why would he have to ask her such a stupid question? Mom and Greg would never hurt her…not on purpose, anyway. Suddenly, Bella realized how she had just answered that question. When she left home, she was sure they had hurt her on purpose, even though they said they didn't. But she knew the truth deep down; she knew they would never hurt her like that on purpose. They were trying to protect her because they loved her so much. Just like her real Mom and Dad would have done. She had been angry when she left, but she was afraid that the damage was done. That she would never be able to go back because of the huge mistake she'd made. Bella needed to stop running. Mom and Greg had been looking for her and that made her heart swell and a small smile come to her face.

Bella looked at Max. "They was really looking for me?" She asked softly.

Max smiled and nodded. "Everyday, kiddo. I don't know how many phone calls I've gotten from your Dad wondering if we'd found you yet. There have been a lot of people looking for you." He told her, his smile growing. "We scoured the whole city."

Bella's lip quirked in a small smile. "Really?"

"Honest to God." He replied, holding his right hand up in pledge that he was telling her the truth.

"Do you think they're mad at me for running away?"

Max shook his head. "No way, they'll be so overjoyed to see you safe and sound. Trust me."

Bella nodded, averting her eyes as she thought about how much she wanted to see her Mom and Greg again. "Can I call them?" She asked, looking up at Max.

Max smiled and nodded his head, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his cell phone. He handed it to her. Bella had her Mom's cell phone number memorized, so she slowly dialed, her hands shaking as she did so. Punching in the last number, she heard the phone ringing, waiting for Mom to pick up on the other end. After three rings, she did.

"Dr. Cuddy." She answered.

Bella's lip quivered at the sound of her Mom's voice. "Mommy." Bella said quietly, a small tear slipping out of her eye.


	48. Chapter 47

**Sooo…here's the next chapter. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long so I hope you enjoy. Just don't expect the next chapter to come as quickly…although I will do my best to get it to you as soon as I can. Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews. I don't think I've gotten as many reviews on one chapter as I did on the last one! Thanks again!**

**Now on to the reunion.**

**Chapter 47**

Cuddy's heart leapt into her throat, tears immediately blurring her vision as she held the phone up to her ear.

"Bella." She whispered as tears spilled from her eyes.

"Mommy." Bella said again, her voice shaking. "I'm sorry." She told Cuddy, her tone telling her that she was crying as well.

"Bella." She repeated in disbelief. "Oh my god, are you ok? Where are you, baby, I want to come get you."

"I'm sorry, Mommy." She cried into the phone.

"It's ok, Sweetie, I don't want you to worry about anything, ok? I'm not mad, I just want you to come home. Tell me where you are." She told her softly, still not believing that she was talking to her right now.

"New York." Bella mumbled. "The policeman found me and I want to come home." She told her, still softly crying into the phone.

Cuddy smiled as she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the policeman she was talking about was Max. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up from behind her desk, grabbing her purse and making her way out of her office as quickly as she could and heading up to House's office.

"Bella, don't cry, Sweetie, it's ok. Everything will be ok. I'm coming to get you…stay with Max, and House and I will be there as soon as we can, alright?" She told her.

"Ok." She whimpered softly. "I'm sorry." She cried.

"I forgive you…I'm not mad, baby, I promise. I just want you back, I love you so much." Cuddy told her reassuringly, as another tear rolled down her face.

She swiped at the tear as the doors to the elevator opened. She was still on the line with Bella. She wanted to keep her talking; Cuddy had missed her voice and she just wanted to hear her talk. "Are you still there, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, are you coming, Mommy?" She asked in a small voice.

"I'm coming, baby. Just stay with Max and do what he tells you, ok?"

"Ok."

"I'm going up to get House, he'll want to talk to you too. He missed you so much." Cuddy told her with a smile.

"He did?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, baby, he did. He was so scared when you left…he was so scared that something would happen to you. We both were, Sweetie." Cuddy said as she got off the elevator.

Cuddy walked the short distance to House's office, seeing him sitting behind his desk. As she entered the office, she smiled at him. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"Yeah." Bella responded.

House frowned as Cuddy handed him her phone. Realization came over his face when he saw the brilliant smile that Cuddy had on her face. He took that phone from her.

"Hey, kid." He said as a smile made it's way to his face from the response he got from Bella.

House put the phone on speaker so Cuddy could hear as well, setting it down on the desk.

"I'm sorry." She told House.

"I don't want you to worry about apologies, kid, I think we're even. We'll never lie to you and you'll never run away again, how does that sound?"

"Good. I want to come home." She told them.

"Hang tight there, kiddo, we're coming."

"Ok."

"Is Max there with you?" House asked.

"Yeah."

"Give him the phone for a second and let me talk to him."

"Ok. Bye, Greg."

"Bye kid, we'll see you soon."

"Ok."

They heard the shuffling over the phone, just before Max's voice came over the line.

"Hey, House."

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine physically, I just think she really misses her parents right now." Max answered with reassurance in his tone.

"Thank you, Max, for everything you've done to locate her." Cuddy spoke up.

"You're welcome, Lisa, it was my pleasure."

"We'll meet you at the diner, Max." House told him. "We're leaving now."

"See ya soon, travel safe."

"Bye, Max." Cuddy replied, hanging up the phone.

Cuddy sat up from her leaning position over the desk as she was talking with Bella. She smiled at House, once more her tears blurring her vision as a happy chuckle escaped her lips. House stood up, a smile on his face as well. Cuddy rounded the desk and threw her arms around his neck, his arms winding around her waist as he buried his face into her neck.

"She's coming home." Cuddy cried softly, unable to contain her emotions any longer. "She's ok." She said, as a chuckle mixed with a sob escaped her lips.

"Told you we'd find her." He replied in a soft whisper.

"Yeah." She whispered before leaning back and placing a tender kiss on his lips. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed softly. "Let's go get our daughter, House."

House nodded, dipping his head and kissing her once more before pulling back and bending down to grab his bag. As they walked out of the office, House placed his arm around her shoulders. Cuddy usually didn't like the public displays in the hospital but this time she didn't care. She placed her arm around his waist as they went to stand in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive. A thought suddenly popped into Cuddy's head.

"Wilson. We need to tell Wilson, he might want to come with us." Cuddy said, tilting her head up to look at House.

House nodded. "Hey Wilson!" He exclaimed loudly, so Wilson could hear him through his closed office door. "We're going to pick up our kid, you want to come?" He shouted.

A moment later, Wilson's door opened as he popped his head out of his office, his eyebrows practically disappearing past his hairline as he arched them in surprise. "You found Bella?" He asked, a smile overtaking his face.

"Max found her…she called me a few minutes ago." Cuddy told him. "You're welcome to come with us."

"No, you two go, this is a family thing. Tell her I said hi and that I'm glad she's ok." Wilson replied, a happy smile on his face.

Cuddy's smile grew as she nodded. "We'll call you." She replied.

Wilson nodded in response just as the elevator doors opened with three nurses moving to get off, but not before staring at the Dean of Medicine wrapped around the Head of the Diagnostics Department. Cuddy and House stared back, waiting for them to move.

House rolled his eyes. "Move!" He exclaimed, causing them to flinch and spring into action, exiting the elevator. "Geez, I know I'm a tall drink of water but I'm taken, ladies." He snarked, nodding his head at Cuddy before the nurses walked away, leaving them alone once more.

"A tall drink of water?" She asked with amusement as they boarded the elevator.

"You know it's true."

Cuddy chuckled.

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Max and Bella sat in the diner as they waited for Mom and Greg to come and pick her up. Max had bought her a hamburger and fries for dinner and she was quietly eating it when she looked up at him with a question in her mind.

"How do you know my Mom and Greg?" She asked him.

Max glanced up from eating his own burger. "I think it might be better if you talked to your parents about that."

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"It's not my place to tell you…that's their job." He explained.

"Did you help Greg find my brother?" She asked bluntly.

Max sighed and nodded his head. "Yep. Are you ok with that?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She responded. "Is he in the graveyard?" She asked him quietly.

Max nodded. "Yeah, Sweetheart…he's buried in a public cemetery." He told her gently.

"Oh." She responded, averting her eyes from Max's. "Good." She added, after a moment.

Bella took a small bite of her burger, finding it hard to chew and swallow from the lump in her throat. She looked up at Max. "Mom and Greg lied to me, you know?"

Max nodded once more. "Yeah…and you forgave them, remember?" He responded, pointing at her with his French fry.

"Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to be lied to no more. I hate when people lie to me."

"That's understandable, kid. But do you think if House had told you what he was doing, that you would've been ok with it? It was too much for you at the time, don't you think?"

Bella scowled at him. "How do you know?" She asked. "You don't even know me."

"I know because that's what your Dad told me, Bella. I trusted that he knew what he was talking about. Besides that, it'd be too much for anyone to handle, much less a young lady your age."

"How come you keep calling Greg my Dad?" She asked with curiosity.

Max frowned with confusion. "How come you keep calling your Dad, Greg?"

"I asked first." She replied, her lip quirking in amusement.

Max did the same before it turned into a full-blown smile. "You are his kid, aren't you?"

Bella shrugged before nodding. "Yeah." She admitted with a smile.

"Look, I know what happened to your family, Bella. But those two people on their way to pick you up…_they're_ your family now. And the best part is, they love you as if you were their flesh and blood. Don't give up on them, ok? Give them a chance to be who they want to be to you. Not a lot of kids are as lucky as you are."

Bella averted her eyes, looking down at her plate of food before nodding her head in acknowledgement of what Max had told her. After a moment, she looked back up at him. "I'm sorry." She told him in a soft and sincere tone.

"You don't have to apologize to me, kid. You were hurt and you did what you thought was best. You made a mistake…a big one. But how else are you going to learn in life, huh?"

"I guess."

"I'm sure I speak for your parents as well when I say this, but…don't ever do it again, alright? There are other ways to solve your problems. You could've really been hurt out there."

Bella lowered her head once more, feeling ashamed of what she'd done. "Ok." She answered in a small voice.

"Hey, everything will be alright, trust me." He told her with a sincere smile.

Bella gave him a small smile and a nod.

"Now finish those fries before I take 'em and eat 'em all." He told her playfully.

Bella's smile grew as she placed a protective hand over her plate, drawing a chuckle from Max.

About 2 hours later, the sun had set and the sky was now dark, but the city lights around them illuminated the outside tables of the diner where they were sitting, playing cards and drinking milk shakes. Bella glanced up and saw Mom and Greg making their way towards them. She stood up, the shame she had been feeling earlier creeping up on her again; but she also felt excitement and she smiled upon seeing the brilliant smile her Mom had on her face. Bella made a run for her Mother as they approached.

"Mom!" She called out, running as fast as she could through the crowd of people walking down the sidewalk.

She reached her Mom and threw her arms around her waist, hugging her as tight as she possibly could and receiving one in return.

"Bella, oh my god, I missed you so much." Mom told her, placing a kiss on top of her head and hugging her tightly. "Oh my god, you're ok. I was so worried about you." She told her softly before releasing Bella from her hug after a moment and looking down at her, cupping Bella's face in her hands. "You're ok, aren't you? You're not hurt?" She asked as she cried.

Bella shook her head and threw her arms around her neck. "I'm sorry." She told her.

"I know, I know…everything is going to be ok. I love you so much." Mom told her as she placed a kiss on her cheek, picking her up and holding her in a tight hug.

"I love you, Mommy." Bella replied.

They held their hug for several minutes. Mom was crying as Bella hugged her, her arms and legs wound tightly around her body as she was unwilling to let go of her just yet. They were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, people passing them, staring and no doubt wondering why there was a crying woman hugging a little girl. Bella suddenly heard Greg's voice and a tap on her shoulder. "Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Greg asked her with a smile.

She looked up at him, a smile on her face, happy to see him. Greg was actually smiling. He looked just as happy to see her as Mom did. Bella slowly released Mom from her hug and held her arms out toward Greg. He took her from Mom and held her tightly as she threw her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you." Bella whispered softly into his neck.

"Me too, kid." He responded with a whisper into her ear.

Greg held onto her as Mom gently placed her hand on Bella's back, rubbing her hand over her soothingly. Bella wouldn't let go of Greg, keeping her face buried in his neck. She stayed that way for several minutes until she felt Greg walking with her in his arms, moving over to the tables where she and Max had been sitting. Bella lifted her head, looking for Mom, not wanting to take her eyes off of her for too long. She reached for her Mother's hand as Greg carried her. Mom gently held her hand, smiling at her. Greg set his cane down on the table and carefully sat down with Bella in his lap. She was mindful of his leg, not wanting to hurt him. Mom stood beside them before Max stood up and offered her his chair. She sat down with a grateful smile, still holding tightly to Bella's hand.

Max had a smile on his face as well as he saw how happy Bella was to see her parents. Bella smiled back him, laying her head on Greg's shoulder and holding tightly to her Mom's hand.

"Max, thank you so much." Mom told him.

"It was my pleasure, Lisa. I'm glad we found her safe and sound." Max replied, winking at Bella.

"Me too." Mom answered back, gently squeezing Bella's hand.

"I'll leave you three alone. Call me if you need anything." Max offered, shifting his eyes to Bella. "Bella, remember what I told you, alright?"

Bella looked up at him and nodded her head. "I will." She promised him. He had made a lot of sense when they were talking earlier.

"House." Max said, nodding his head at him in a goodbye gesture, shaking his hand firmly before walking away.

"Can we go home now?" Bella mumbled.

"Yes…let's go home." Mom replied.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Cuddy was sitting in the backseat of the car with Bella as House drove them home. Bella had not let go of Cuddy's hand since they had been reunited. They had been driving for 45 minutes and Bella had fallen asleep with her head on Cuddy's lap. Cuddy ran her fingers through her curly hair, looking down at her and not believing that they had her back. The past two weeks had been torture; worrying every second of the day if she was ok and where she was…or if she were even still alive. As she watched her daughter sleeping, she smiled at her lovingly, caressing her face and tracing her delicate features with her finger. Cuddy had so many questions for her. She wanted to know everything; where she'd been, what she had done, how she had survived, did she really forgive them for lying to her?

One of the things they needed to do was have a serious talk about everything. Nothing could be left out. Cuddy wanted everything out in the open. They needed that in order to get past all of this. She didn't want them to keep secrets from each other anymore. Their family wouldn't survive if they did. They would all eventually get hurt and their family would fall apart. She didn't want that to happen. Cuddy had wanted a family of her own for so long and she wouldn't risk it falling apart like that.

The last couple of weeks, Cuddy had had to do some damage control because of Bella's absence. She'd had to explain to Dr. Sloane what had happened and why Bella wasn't able to come to her sessions. Cuddy also had to explain to Mrs. Decker that they'd had a family emergency come up and that she needed to temporarily halt her tutoring sessions. Bella's friends had called several times wanting to know if she could go play with them and Cuddy had to make something up for them as well. She didn't want everyone knowing their business and lying had seemed like the best thing to do at the time. If Bella wanted to tell her friends where she'd been, it was up to her, Cuddy didn't want to make things worse by telling her friends certain things that Bella might want to keep to herself.

Over an hour later, they were pulling into the driveway of their home. Cuddy looked down at Bella, gently rubbing her back, trying to wake her up. It was late and it seemed like they had been around the world, but it had been worth it; Cuddy had her daughter back, alive and well.

Bella began to stir, mumbling something in her sleep that Cuddy didn't quite understand and turning her head, burying her face in Cuddy's stomach as she tried to cuddle closer to her. Cuddy smiled at her actions, still rubbing her back.

"Bella, we're home." She told her softly.

"Mommy?" She mumbled incoherently.

"Yes, baby, it's Mommy. We're home." She told her again.

"Don't be mad at me Mommy, I'm sorry." She mumbled, obviously still asleep.

"I'm not mad, I promise."

Cuddy glanced up at House as he watched them with a frown in his brow.

"Ok." Bella replied, falling silent, as she seemed to accept Cuddy's answer.

"Has she ever talked in her sleep?" House asked her after a moment.

Cuddy shook her head. "Not that I know of…except when she wakes herself up from her nightmares."

"She may have started because of the stress she's been under lately." House replied.

Cuddy nodded in agreement before turning her attention back to Bella. She rubbed her back once more, shaking her shoulder this time. "Bella." She called her name softly.

Bella stirred once more in her sleep before slowly opening her eyes and looking up at Cuddy, turning over onto her back. "Are we home?" She whispered.

Cuddy nodded with a smile. "Yeah."

Bella stared at her for a moment, trying to wake herself up, rubbing her eyes. She sat up and looked around for her backpack. Splat had been sitting on top of it as it lay on the floor of the car behind the passenger side seat. Cuddy opened the car door and went around to Bella's side, opening it for her to get out as well. House had made his way around taking Bella's bag from her as she exited the car. Bella held Splat in her arms, looking up at Cuddy. She noticed the sad expression on Bella's face. Cuddy reached out and brushed her hair out of her eyes, looking down at her as she sighed softly, knowing why she had that look on her face.

"Come on, baby, let's go inside. Are you hungry?"

Bella shook her head.

Cuddy put her arm around Bella's shoulders, guiding her up to the front door. House unlocked the door, entering the house and setting Bella's bag down on the floor. He turned the lights on as Cuddy and Bella followed him inside. Bella held onto Splat tightly as she glanced up at Cuddy.

"Splat's hungry…can I go feed him?"

"Of course you can."

Bella nodded and made her way to the kitchen. Before she got too far, Cuddy called out to her in a soft tone. "Bella."

Bella turned around.

"I'm glad you're home." Cuddy told her with a sincere smile, hoping to convey that she had missed her more than anything in the world and was overjoyed to have her home with them.

Bella gave her a small smile and a nod before she lowered her head and turned around to head into the kitchen. Cuddy glanced at House, sighing as she stood there in the foyer, not knowing what to do to make Bella feel better. She knew she was ashamed of what she'd done and Cuddy didn't know how to deal with the way she was feeling.

House glanced at her uncertainly and made his way to the their bedroom, mumbling that he was going to get a shower. Cuddy sighed; she should feel like he had just abandoned her to deal with Bella alone, but she knew he didn't know how to handle any of this and that he needed to think…it was his way of dealing. She turned and made her way into the kitchen. When she walked in, she saw Bella sitting on the floor next to Splat as he ate his food. Cuddy leaned against the counter, watching as she stared down at Splat, not really seeing him, as if she were in a daze. Cuddy softly cleared her throat letting Bella know that she was there, not wanting to scare her.

Bella looked up at her, her big brown eyes watching Cuddy with the saddest expression she'd ever seen. It made Cuddy want to break down in tears at the sight of her shame. Cuddy sighed softly, looking at Bella lovingly as she held her arms out to her.

"C'mere, baby." She told Bella.

Bella slowly stood to her feet, making her way to Cuddy and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Hop up here, I want to talk to you for a second." She told her gently, indicating the counter she was leaning against.

Bella turned around as Cuddy helped her up onto the counter. Bella averted her eyes as Cuddy stood in front of her. She gently placed her finger under Bella's chin, lifting her head so she could see her eyes.

"I want you to know something." She started, her voice as gentle as she could make it. "I love you…so much. And I will always love you. My love for you is not conditional, ok? Do you know what that means?"

Bella shook her head.

"It means that you don't have to do things to earn my love. It means that I love you no matter what happens and no matter how bad things get or how bad you mess up. You made a mistake, Bella…we all made mistakes. I'm not blaming you for leaving and you're not in trouble, because…House and I messed up too, we hurt you and we are so sorry." Cuddy told her, gently brushing her fingers through Bella's hair. "I want us to talk about what happened and I want us to be completely honest with each other because I don't want to ever make you feel the way we made you feel when you left here. I don't think I could handle losing you. When you were gone, I felt like my heart had been ripped out, I felt that a piece of me was missing." She went on, placing her hand over her heart before framing Bella's face with her hands as she looked into her eyes. Cuddy's eyes became watery with tears and she felt them spill down her cheeks as she said these next words. "I love you like you were born to me, as if I were always your Mother and that will never change. I don't want you to feel like I don't love you and I know that's how I made you feel when we lied to you." Cuddy said, her voice breaking as she explained to Bella how she felt about her. "I am so sorry, Bella, for everything." She finished as she leaned in and placed a kiss onto Bella's cheek before enveloping her in a tight hug. Bella wrapped her arms around Cuddy's neck, laying her head on her shoulder.

After a moment, Bella spoke softly into her neck. "I love you forever, Mom. I don't want to leave again." She told her.

Cuddy smiled as she hugged her daughter, nodding her head and letting Bella know she heard her sentiment. They held each other in silence for a few minutes until Cuddy rubbed Bella's back in reassurance before releasing her and looking into her eyes with a smile. "Why don't you go get a shower, you'll feel better. We'll talk about everything tomorrow."

Bella smiled and nodded her head. Cuddy helped her down from the counter she was sitting on and Bella moved to exit the kitchen. Cuddy stood there, watching her walk away, a smile on her face, as she was happy that she'd made Bella feel better. Before leaving the kitchen, Bella turned around.

"Mom."

"Yeah."

"You was missing in my heart too." She told her sincerely, before turning around and walking out of the kitchen.

Cuddy's smile grew at Bella's words, making her heart swell at the knowledge that Bella loved her as much as she loved Bella.

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15 Minutes Later

House walked down the hallway, hearing the shower running in Bella's bathroom. He wondered how she was feeling. He had no idea what to say to her. He wasn't good at this feelings crap and he knew that if he tried to make her feel better, he'd end up saying something to make her feel worse. He really needed to work on that if he was going to be her Father. He made his way to the kitchen, knowing Cuddy was in there and wondering what hell she was doing. As he walked in he saw her standing in front of the stove, staring at the kettle as it heated.

"Are you practicing melting objects with just your stare?" He asked, standing in the doorway.

She turned around, glancing at him before turning her head once more to look at the kettle. "Are you ok?" She asked, ignoring his snark.

House walked over to her, standing beside her and reaching into the cupboard for a mug. "I'm fine." He answered.

Cuddy shifted her eyes to his as he handed her the mug. "It's ok if you're not." She responded softly.

He sighed, looking away from her as she took the mug from. "Is she ok?"

"She's better. She needs to know that we still love her. I think she was afraid to come home because she thought we'd hate her."

House nodded. "I figured." He responded, before looking down at the floor. "I don't know what to say to her, Cuddy. I'm pretty sure if I try to make her feel better, I'll fuck up and piss her off again. That's my specialty, you know?"

"You won't, House. Just let her know you don't hate her for leaving. She needs reassurance, that's all."

"And since when have I ever been a reassuring person?"

"Since you decided to become her father. You can do it, House. Sometimes, words aren't necessary…just show her you love her. That's all she needs."

House thought about that for a moment before nodding his head.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

She turned the burner off on the stove as the kettle started whistling and shrugged her shoulder. "I'm great…I have my daughter back, she's safe, in one piece. I couldn't be better." She told him, producing a tired smile as she poured the water into the mug with the tea bag in it.

"You still look like shit…you need rest." He commented.

Cuddy looked up at him and frowned. "Thanks." She replied sarcastically.

House grinned at her. "You're welcome." He answered teasingly.

She shook her head at him, looking down at the mug in her hand and absently swirling the tea bag in the water. "I'm not going in to work tomorrow…I want to stay home with her. I can't just send her back to her tutoring sessions as if nothing's happened. I want to talk…make things right between us and clear the air. This can't ever happen again, House. We might not be as lucky next time and I will not survive if something happens to her."

House nodded in understanding and agreement. He felt the same way. "I don't have a case and if something comes in, the team can handle it. I'm staying too."

Cuddy nodded, still staring into her mug. "I've failed her, House. None of this would've happened if I'd just told her the truth."

House rolled his eyes. "Why are you acting like all the blame lies on your shoulders? I'm just as much to blame here, if not more. You're missing your cue, Cuddy. Normally, you'd be happy to point the finger and blame me for everything. Where's Lisa Cuddy…the bitchy pain in my ass? That is the Hebrew meaning of your name isn't it? I've seen her around here somewhere." He replied, looking around the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards with a look of confusion on his face.

Cuddy looked up at him with amusement. "You're an idiot."

House stopped short, glancing at her with a look of recognition. "Oh there she is."

She chuckled at him. "Fine, everything is your fault, jackass. Better?"

He gave her a short nod. "That's more like it. Look Cuddy, at the risk of sounding like an adult…if I'm going to do this with you, we're equal partners. We watch each other's backs and when one of us screws up we deal with it together. Yes, you screwed up and lied to your kid but I'm pretty sure I was right beside you in my cheerleading outfit and pom poms."

Cuddy furrowed her brow at the image that he'd just produced in her mind. "That…I would pay to see."

"Actually, you've already seen a picture of my cheerleading days. You thought it was a fake."

She frowned in confusion. "What? When? You were a cheerleader?" She asked, laughing at the thought of him doing such a thing.

He rolled his eyes. "There was a girl…" He replied, defending the reason behind his decision to become a cheerleader.

She gasped suddenly, her eyes twinkling with laughter and a huge smile on her face. "Oh my god…I remember that picture. What's his name, the PI guy you hired showed it to me. That was real? He said it was fake!" She asked, laughing at him once more.

House rolled his eyes once more, knowing he shouldn't have opened that can of worms. He'd never live it down, now. She'd tell Wilson and they'd laugh at him together. He would have to get something on her before she spread that little gem around.

"You better think twice before you decide to tell anyone about that…I'll make you pay." He threatened, pointing his finger at her.

She continued laughing at him, setting her mug down and reaching for him. "Here, turn this way, spread your legs and hold your arms out like this." She told him through her laughter, balling one of his hands in a fist, placing it on his hip and holding his other arm up in the air.

House snatched his arms out of her grasp and playfully shoved her away from him. "Get off, you wench."

Cuddy couldn't stop laughing. "Did you cheer your team to victory? Were the routines difficult to learn?" She asked through her laughter before gasping and asking her final question. "Can you do the splits?"

"Hey, you should be jealous. Do you have any idea how many female cheerleaders I 'mounted'? And by mounted, I mean, had sex with?"

She laughed. "Where's the picture, I want to see it again." She asked.

"I burned it."

"No you didn't. Seriously, where is it?"

"Somewhere you'll never find it."

Cuddy shook her head, her smile still in place. "Wilson's going to love this."

"No he won't because if he finds out, I'll call my PI guy again and tell him dig up so much embarrassing shit on you, you'll need to move to Pluto to get away from the humiliation."

"I have never done anything that embarrassing." She replied with amusement.

"Then I'll make something up." He answered with a mischievous grin.

"You're such a baby. You can dish it out but you can't take it."

"Never claimed I could. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tell my daughter I love her." He replied, his lip curving into a smartass smile before he turned and left the kitchen, briefly catching the soft expression that had overtaken Cuddy's face and knowing she was smiling from ear to ear. 'At least that would shut her up about the cheerleading thing.' He thought, as he made his way to Bella's room.

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11:15 PM

Bella stood in her bedroom, looking around and noticing that Mom must've cleaned up the mess Bella had made out of anger before she left. The glass from the picture frames she'd broken had been cleaned up from the floor and her pictures that she'd ripped up were gone as well. The only thing that remained was a noticeable dent in the wall from the picture frames. Bella lowered her head in shame once more but reminded herself that Mom had forgiven her and that she really did love her.

"Hey." She heard from the doorway of her bedroom.

Bella turned around to see Greg standing there. "Hey." She responded.

"Mind if I come in?"

Bella shook her head and watched him approach her a moment later. He walked over to her bed and sat down.

"C'mere, kid."

Bella made her way over to him and sat down beside him on the bed. Greg held his cane in his hand, fidgeting with it and spinning it between the palms of his hands. He sat there for a moment, not saying anything. She waited for him to speak, as he seemed to be gathering his thoughts.

"You doing ok, kiddo?" He asked her softly.

"Yeah." She answered.

He nodded before sighing softly. "I'm not good at this stuff…talking about feelings and shit."

"You don't got to talk about your feelings." She reassured him.

"Yeah I do. Because you need to know that you're important to me and your Mom."

"Mom already told me. I know you love me." Bella told him.

He shook his head. "You thought you knew. But then we lied to you and made you question that. You trusted us and we took that trust from you…that's why you left, isn't it?

Bella lowered her head, nodding.

"I'm sorry. I don't want there to ever be a question in your mind that we love you, ok?" Greg told her.

She looked up at him and nodded once more. "There won't be no more." She answered softly.

Greg nodded. "Good." He sighed, lifting his hand to scratch his cheek, his scruffy beard making that scratchy sound that she loved when he did that. "You scared the shit out of me when you left, kid." He told her in a soft and sincere tone, glancing down at her. "If something had happened to you, do you have any idea how that would fuck with my head?"

Bella looked away from him, down at her hands in her lap; the shame returning as her lip started to quiver and tears blur her eyes.

"Look at me." He told her softly.

Bella lifted her eyes to his.

"I'm not blaming you." He said, a reassuring look in his eyes.

She nodded in understanding. "I'm still sorry."

Greg nodded. "Me too."

"I didn't mean to fuck with your head." She told him in a small voice.

He nodded. "I know." He replied. "And don't say 'fuck', kid."

"But you just…"

"I'm 42 years older than you…when you're 50, you can say fuck all you want. But not before then."

She chuckled. "What about shit or damn or bast-…"

"Not in front of your Mother." He shook his head, amusement appearing on his face and dissolving the serious mood in the room.

"But I can say 'em?"

"Nope."

Bella grinned at him. "Ok. I love you." She told him.

"I love you too." He said, looking into her eyes and she could see the honesty and sincerity in them and she knew he was telling her the truth. He pointed behind him at her bed. "It's late, you should probably go to bed."

She nodded, noticing the awkwardness he seemed to be feeling at telling her that and not really knowing why. "Ok." Bella replied.

"Goodnight, kid." He told her, leaning over and placing a kiss on her temple.

"Night, Greg."

Greg stood up and quietly made his way out of her room. She smiled, happy that they had talked and that he had told her how much he really loved her. It reassured her that she had done the right thing by not running from Max and calling Mom so she could come home.

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11:45 PM

Cuddy had just finished dressing in her pajamas after her shower. It had been a long, tense day and the heat of the shower had relaxed her muscles. She was ready to go check on Bella, when she heard a knock on the bedroom door.

"Come in." She called.

She turned around to see Bella step through the door.

"Hi Sweetheart, are you ready for bed? I know you must be tired."

"Yeah." She answered, hopping up on the bed. "Mom, will you sleep in my room with me?"

Cuddy smiled at her and nodded her head. "I'd love to."

Bella smiled in response and climbed down from the bed. Cuddy followed her out of her bedroom and into Bella's room. Bella climbed into bed under the covers and scooted over so Cuddy could climb in as well.

"Did you tell House goodnight?"

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"Did you brush your teeth?"

Bella nodded, showing Cuddy her teeth.

She chuckled at Bella and nodded. "Ok…I'll be right back, I'm going to tell House he's got the bed to himself tonight." She chuckled.

Bella nodded and laid her head down on her pillow to wait for Cuddy. Cuddy made her way out of the bedroom and toward the living room, knowing House was there watching television.

"Hey twinkle toes." She teased, upon walking into the room.

House looked up at her and rolled his eyes. "Keep it up, I have my PI guy on speed dial."

Cuddy chuckled, sitting down next to him on the couch. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed." She replied.

"Not embarrassed." He told her, shifting his eyes back to the television.

"You're so cute when you're in denial."

House glanced back at her. "Don't be surprised if the entire hospital happens to be gossiping about you when you go back to work."

"I won't be, they always gossip about me."

"Wow, aren't you full of yourself."

She shrugged. "I learn from the best." She said, leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek. "By the way, you're sleeping alone tonight."

House furrowed his brow before realizing why. He nodded. "Fine, but tomorrow night it's back to our regularly scheduled banging sessions."

"Having withdrawals?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Yes. Little Greg thinks he's being punished. You better make him a happy camper soon."

She chuckled, leaning in for a kiss. "Goodnight, House." She told him before whispering in his ear. "Tomorrow night Little Greg can have as much fun as he wants."

He looked at her with disappointment, shaking his head. "That was uncool, Cuddy; you at least owe me something after that little comment."

She smiled, leaning in and kissing him once more; this time with more passion as her tongue made contact with his lips before his tongue met hers in a gentle caress. House brought his arm around her back, pulling her closer to him as they kissed with tenderness and affection. Cuddy cupped his cheek in her hand and pulled back, her eyes still closed and her forehead against his. House placed another soft kiss on her lips before pulling away from her. Cuddy opened her eyes, a smile appearing on her face. "I love you." She told him in a whisper soft voice.

"Me too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She responded, slowly standing to her feet and making her way out of the room. When she entered Bella's room she saw that Bella was waiting patiently for her. "Ready for sleep?" Cuddy asked.

Bella nodded.

She climbed into bed next to Bella, moving close to her and taking her into her arms as they cuddled together. "Goodnight, baby. I'm so glad you're home." She whispered, placing a kiss on her temple.

"Goodnight, Mom." She responded in a soft whisper as well.

They lay there in silence. Cuddy closed her eyes and gently rubbed her fingers up and down Bella's arm, overjoyed to have her daughter back in her arms. After a moment, Bella spoke softly.

"Mom."

"Yeah?"

"When I was in New York, I went back to the place where Mattie died." Bella told her.

Cuddy opened her eyes, shifting her eyes to look down at Bella. "You did? When, baby?"

"Today. Before Max found me."

"Oh my god. Sweetheart, are you ok?" She asked, propping her head up in her hand and looking down at Bella in concern.

Bella nodded. "Yeah. I talked to him like I did with Mom and Dad." She admitted.

Cuddy frowned in sorrow. "Oh honey…I wish I could've been there for you."

"It's ok, you're here now." Bella told her reassuringly.

Cuddy gave her a sorrowful smile, still feeling sad that she'd had to go through that alone. She nodded, lifting her hand and gently combing her fingers through Bella's hair. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I wish none of this had happened. If we'd told you before that we knew about Mattie, we could've dealt with it together."

"I'm ok, but I still miss him a lot."

Cuddy nodded in understanding. "I'm proud of you for going there. I know that couldn't have been easy."

Bella shook her head. "No…but I ain't as scared to talk about him now. I want to talk about him sometimes."

Cuddy smiled, nodding her. "I'd love to hear about him. I want to help you heal."

Bella gave her a small smile, shifting her eyes down to where her fingers were fidgeting with the comforter. "Ok." She said quietly.

"You know, House and I went there on the anniversary of his death, hoping you would show up."

Bella glanced up at Cuddy with surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah…we thought for sure you would go that day, but we didn't see you."

Bella averted her eyes once more. "I couldn't go then. I wanted to be happy and not sad on that day so I went to the zoo. Me and Mattie went there one time and it was the best day we had together and it made me happy."

Cuddy smiled at her. "I'm glad you were able to smile that day, Sweetheart."

Bella nodded. "I was thinking that I wish you was there with me." She admitted quietly. "I know you already forgave me, but…I'm still sorry I ran away."

"I know. Let's just take everything a day at a time, ok? I want to work everything out, but I think we need a good night's sleep tonight, don't you?"

Bella nodded her agreement.

"I love you." Cuddy told her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too."

"Get some sleep. I'll be here in the morning, I'm not going to work tomorrow."

Bella smiled and nodded. "Ok."

They settled down once more, silence overtaking the room. A moment later, Bella spoke again.

"You know what I was thinking?"

"What?"

"I want to look through Mattie's boxes. I'm ready now. I miss him a lot and I want to see his stuff again."

Cuddy smiled, nodding her head. "That sounds like a great idea. Maybe House and Wilson can go get it tomorrow."

"Yeah." She answered.

A few minutes later, Cuddy heard Bella's soft breaths as she had finally fallen asleep. She knew Bella must be exhausted and she hoped she could sleep through the night, nightmare-free. She hoped her visit to the alley had helped her enough that her nightmares would go away. She doubted that, but she hoped. Cuddy sighed softly as she listened to Bella sleep; still not believing she was holding her daughter in her arms again. The last two weeks had been like an eternity as she thought she'd never see Bella again. Cuddy tightened her hold on her, never wanting to let her go. Cuddy finally closed her eyes as she felt sleep start to tug at her. She turned her head so that she could feel Bella's hair against her face and smell the shampoo in her hair. The sweet strawberry scent making her feel the slight sting of tears in her eyes as she thought about how grateful she was that Bella had been returned to them unharmed. Cuddy sighed once more and a moment later finally surrendered to sleep.


	49. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

10:00 AM – The Next Morning

The fog of sleep slowly lifted over Bella's mind as she became aware of a soft sound in her ear. After a moment, she realized the sound was a cat purring; Splat. He was sleeping next to her as he always did and Bella remembered she had run away from home and she was currently using an apartment building that was under construction, as her new home. The weird thing was, she didn't hear the rumble of the busy New York traffic outside the window and she was sleeping on something softer than the thin makeshift mattress she'd made out of some drop cloths she had found in the building. She frowned at the strong smell of coffee and the sweet smell of banana nut pancakes in the air. Where was she?

Bella slowly opened her eyes, meeting Splat's gaze, before noticing that she was in her room at home. Realization dawned and she remembered the events that had taken place yesterday. She was home. Max had found her, and Mom and Greg had gone to pick her up last night in New York. Bella smiled sleepily at the thought of being back home with Mom and Greg. They still loved her and she was more than happy that she didn't have to take care of herself anymore. Mom wanted her and Greg loved her…that's all that mattered now.

She rolled over onto her back and pushed the covers off of her body. Mom wasn't there with her; she was probably making the breakfast that she currently smelled. Bella got out of bed and made her way out of her bedroom. She slowly walked toward the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw her Mom standing at the stove in her pajamas, with her cell phone between her ear and shoulder, talking to someone at the hospital while she simultaneously flipped a pancake.

"No, tell him I won't be back until tomorrow and he can meet with me then. If he becomes a problem, call me. Thank you, Regina. Bye." Mom hung up the phone and set it down on the counter. She caught a glimpse of Bella standing in the doorway of the kitchen and turned to face her with a smile.

"Hey, baby girl, did you sleep ok?"

Bella smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah." Bella said softly, walking into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Do you got to go to work?"

"No, they're fine without me for one day." She told Bella with a chuckle.

Bella smiled and made her way over to give her Mom a hug, winding her arms around her waist.

Mom hugged her back and placed a kiss on top of her head. "Are you hungry?"

Bella nodded. "Did Greg have to work?" She asked, tilting her head up to look at Mom.

"No…he just left to meet Wilson at his apartment so they can bring Mattie's boxes over. I hope that's ok." She told Bella softly as she brushed a stray curl behind her ear.

Bella nodded, as she slowly dropped her arms from around her Mom's waist and took a step back. "Mom, you're burning the pancakes." Bella told her, a low chuckle escaping her lips.

Mom's eyes grew wide as she whipped around and grabbed the spatula, removing the burned pancakes from the griddle. "Damn it." She swore, turning the eye off on the stove with an aggravated sigh.

"It's ok, we can make more." Bella reassured her with a smile.

Mom smiled at her as a chuckle escaped her lips. "Yeah." She replied with a shake of her head. "At least I didn't burn all of them, there should be enough for both of us." She added, gesturing toward the plate she'd already placed a few of the banana nut pancakes on.

Bella nodded in agreement.

Mom took the plate of pancakes over to the breakfast nook and set it down. She had already set the table, so Bella sat down, happy that Mom had made her favorite breakfast. Mom poured Bella a glass of milk and a cup of coffee for herself. They ate in silence for a few minutes as Bella thought about the fact that Greg was bringing Mattie's stuff over there soon. She would finally lay eyes on his stuff after almost two years and she felt a little nervous about it. Bella felt like taking it slowly today, she didn't want to dive right into an emotional situation.

"Mom."

Mom looked up at her as she chewed her food.

"Is it ok if I wait till later to look at Mattie's stuff?"

She furrowed her brow at Bella's question as she swallowed her food. "Bella, of course it's ok. I want you to be comfortable looking though his stuff. You've been through a lot lately and I don't want you to be stressed over it, ok? No one is pressuring you to do anything before you're ready."

Bella nodded. "Its just cuz I haven't seen his stuff in a long time and…." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, it'll be sad to see his stuff again and I don't want to feel sad right now."

Mom gave her an understanding smile and nodded her head. "I understand, Sweetheart." She replied as she reached over and gently caressed Bella's cheek with her thumb. "Why don't you and I finish breakfast and then go for a walk around the neighborhood, ok?"

Bella smiled and nodded, liking that plan. "What about Greg?"

"We'll call him to see if he wants to join us."

Bella's smile grew as she nodded once more. "Ok." She replied with excitement.

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10:45 AM

Cuddy and Bella had finished breakfast, making small talk and just enjoying each other's company. It had seemed like a long time since they'd done that and Cuddy was happy that she was able to do that once again with her. Cuddy had just changed her clothes and was tying her tennis shoes for the walk she and Bella were going to take together, when her cell phone rang on the nightstand.

She reached over and looked at the caller ID, smiling when she saw it was House. "Hey." She answered.

"Hey. The kid up yet?"

"Yeah, we're going to take a walk around the neighborhood and I'm hoping Bella and I can talk a little about what happened, do you want us to wait for you?"

"No, go ahead without me. Wilson and I will be back with the boxes in a few minutes. He said he wanted to see Bella, so we'll be there when you get back."

"Are you sure, House? I don't want to leave you out of anything. We can wait until later if you want."

"I'll be fine, Cuddy."

"Your leg is bothering you more today, isn't it?" She whispered, not wanting Bella to overhear in case she happened to walk by the bedroom. Cuddy knew House was sensitive about appearing weak in front of Bella so she wanted to respect that. She didn't agree with it, but she needed to respect it.

She heard him sigh over the phone. "Yeah."

"House, we can wait for you and have our talk in the living room if you want to join us. I want you with us." She told him softly.

"No, just go, Cuddy." He told her.

"Ok." She gave in, not wanting to push him. "We'll see you when we get back."

"See ya." He replied, hanging up the phone.

She hung up with a sigh. Cuddy didn't know if he was regretting his decision to help her raise Bella or if he was feeling insecure about his ability to do so, but she needed to ask him. He didn't seem to be feeling any regret yesterday, but this was the second time he had left her to talk to Bella alone. They needed to clear this up because if he had changed his mind, she didn't want to wait until it was too late to find out.

Cuddy stood up and made her way out of the bedroom in search of Bella. She glanced into her room, seeing her on the floor playing with Splat. She had one of his toys and was dragging it across the floor as Splat swatted at it and jumped up in the air, pawing at the toy on the end of the string. Cuddy smiled at them, and leaned her head against the frame of the door, once again feeling happy that her daughter was home.

After a moment, Bella glanced up with a smile on her face as she giggled at Splat. "Hey Mom, did you see how high Splat jumped up to grab the string?" She asked.

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah, I saw him."

"He loves doing that." She responded, still giggling.

"Yeah. Are you ready to go?" Cuddy asked her softly.

"Mmhmm." Bella replied, standing up as she gave Splat a scratch behind his ears. "Bye, Splat." She told him.

Cuddy and Bella made their way outside. It was a nice, sunny day and the temperature had grown a bit warmer from the previous day. Bella hopped down the steps to the sidewalk before grabbing onto Cuddy's hand as she walked down the steps and onto the sidewalk behind Bella. They walked in comfortable silence for a while as she thought of how she wanted to start the conversation. Bella spoke first, cutting off her thoughts.

"Mom, did you tell Grandma that I ran away?"

Cuddy looked down at Bella as she lowered her head and stared at the sidewalk. "No, I didn't tell her, baby. I didn't want her to worry and I was already worried enough that I didn't think I could handle having that conversation with her." She explained.

"I'm sorry I worried you, Mommy." She mumbled.

"I know, Sweetie. I just want to know if you're ok, Bella. The last two weeks have been hard on you too, especially because of the reason you left." Cuddy replied. "I guess I just need to know that everything is ok between us and I want to know everything that happened while you were gone. Where did you stay, how did you find food? Everything, Sweetie."

"Can't we just forget about it, Mom? I don't want to talk about what happened." She told her with a pout to her lips as she looked up at Cuddy.

"Sweetheart, us not talking about things is what got us into this mess, don't you agree? If we don't clear the air and talk about it, it could happen again. I _cannot_ go through that again, Bella, and I certainly don't want you to either. Can you just tell me where you were the whole time?"

Bella nodded. "I was in a apartment building that was being fixed up. I was ok, but I missed being at home."

"Why didn't you call me to come get you? I would have in a heartbeat, you know that, don't you?" Cuddy told her gently.

"I do now." She mumbled.

"Bella." Cuddy said her name softly, stopping their progression down the sidewalk and turning Bella to face her. She leaned down to look into her eyes. "I'm so sorry if I ever made you think that I didn't love you. By not telling you that we knew about Mattie, I thought we were protecting you from talking about him when you weren't ready to. House and I thought it would be better if you told us about him when you were ready to talk; we didn't want to rush you. What happened to you was so…_incredibly_ traumatic, Sweetheart, and that's why I wanted to send you to Dr. Sloane. I thought maybe you would tell her what happened or that maybe she would help you to get to the point where you could tell us about it. Understand?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. But you pretended you didn't know and that's like lying." She stressed, looking away from Cuddy as her eyes brimmed with tears. "The whole time you knew and you never said nothin'." She mumbled.

"Bella, I tried so many to times to get you to talk to me and you wouldn't. But I suppose you're right, a lie of omission is still a lie. I just didn't think of it that way at the time and I didn't know it would hurt you this badly. I thought it would hurt you more if we _did_ tell you we knew. But I need you to understand that House and I _never_ lied about how much we love you, ok? And we are so sorry we hurt you. Will you please forgive us?" Cuddy asked her as she looked into Bella's eyes.

Bella slowly nodded.

"Thank you. I love you so much, ok? You can always come to me for anything and I'll do my best to help you. I want you to know that. And…Bella, please don't ever run away again…I don't think I'd survive it if something happened to you."

"Ok." She mumbled, winding her arms around Cuddy's waist. They held each other for a few minutes in silence as Cuddy placed a kiss on Bella's head and gently combed her fingers through her hair. After another moment, Cuddy heard Bella's muffled voice as she continued to hug her. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"How many people knows what happened to me?"

"Uhm…Wilson knows. Chase and Cameron only know that you had a brother that died in New York and that you ran away, but that's it, they don't know the circumstances. Grandma knows everything, as does your caseworker, Janine, and her brother, Max. Dr. Sloane knows you ran away, but she doesn't know much, if anything, about Mattie. We didn't tell her because that's something you need to do."

Bella was silent for a moment, releasing Cuddy from her hug and turning away from her. "That's a lot of people." She replied solemnly.

"Yeah…but every single one of them will help you through it; especially me and House."

Bella didn't respond as she gently kicked a rock on the sidewalk into the road. After a moment of silence, Cuddy moved to stand beside Bella, gently taking her hand and squeezing it in reassurance. Bella held onto her, but still didn't say anything.

"Do you want to go back?" Cuddy asked her softly.

Bella shook her head.

"Come on, let's walk to the park." Cuddy suggested, gently tugging on her hand.

Bella followed in silence until they got to the park. There were a few people walking around the long trail that bordered the park and there were a few young children on the playground, but it was otherwise relatively quiet. They chose to sit over on the swings side by side as Bella gently kicked the sand with her tennis shoes as she continued to think through what she had just learned. After a few moments, Bella looked up at Cuddy.

"Mom, for a long time I didn't have nobody to take care of me but Mattie, and now there's lots of people that want to take care of me; like you and Greg and Grandma and James and Chase and Allison." She pointed out.

Cuddy smiled at her and nodded her head. "That's true."

Bella nodded. "It's ok that they know about Mattie. I thought about it, and if they know then that means that Mattie will be remembered by lots of people, not just me. That makes me happy." She added.

Bella's words made Cuddy tear up as she nodded in agreement. "You're right."

Bella nodded once more, picking up speed on the swing. A few moments later, Bella glanced at Cuddy again. "I bet I can swing higher than you." She challenged, drawing a laugh from Cuddy. Cuddy hadn't expected that from her but she realized that Bella was probably tired of the serious mood and conversation.

"I bet you can't." Cuddy replied, arching her eyebrows and picking up speed as well. She hadn't done this since she was a little girl and it felt great. She loved that she could share this moment with Bella. After everything that had happened recently and the bad times they'd just gone through, Cuddy was glad that they had come out of it closer than they were before. It gave her hope that no matter what happened, they would get through it and be stronger for it.

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One-Hour Ago

House hung up the phone after talking to Cuddy. He felt bad for leaving Cuddy to talk to Bella but the truth was he didn't know what to say to the kid after last night. What else was there to say? They had her back, she was safe, she knew they loved her and that was it; problem solved and crisis averted. But deep down he knew that wasn't true. Cuddy had told him this morning that Bella had gone to the alley yesterday to say goodbye to Mattie and that's why she wanted to go through her brother's boxes. He hadn't been surprised that she'd gone and that she would want to see his stuff. House had sort of expected it but in all honesty, he hadn't expected it so quickly. He was glad that she could finally talk about him and that they didn't need to hide their knowledge of her brother anymore. He would finally get to ask her if she knew the men that had killed Mattie. But even though Bella could talk about Mattie, it didn't mean she wasn't still feeling angry or that the trauma she suffered wasn't still lingering in her mind. He would have to tread carefully on the subject and he would need to discuss it with Cuddy first. Wilson suddenly interrupted House's thoughts as he came into the apartment.

"House, do you think you could actually get off your ass and help me load the boxes in the car this time? These fuckers are heavy." Wilson groused as he made his way back to the bedroom to grab another box.

"Nope, you're doing a stupendous job, James." House replied with a smirk, standing to his feet and following Wilson to the bedroom, watching him lift the box out of the closet they had been hidden in.

Wilson grunted as he set the box down on the floor, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "I need to go back to the gym. What the hell are in these things?" He commented.

"And you think I could lift this with just one good leg? I mean, I know I'm an impressive specimen of a man and you can confirm that with Cuddy, but I'm not that good." House replied.

Wilson shook his head. "Shut up. Next time get a damn dolly."

"I don't remember there being this much bitching the last time."

"There was, you just chose to block it out." Wilson replied with an eye roll.

House shook his head. "No, the last time you had Miss Hot Blonde to impress, so you couldn't bitch at me too much or you'd seem like a wimp." He snarked. "How is your girlfriend, by the way?" He added.

Wilson shifted his eyes at him as a scowl appeared on his face. "What? She's not my girlfriend, I haven't even seen her since we got the boxes from her." Wilson stammered.

House rolled his eyes. "Liar. You've been gettin' it on with her." House told him.

"No I haven't." Wilson replied defensively, shaking his head and moving to pick up the box once more.

"Yes you have. I can always tell when you've been bouncing the pogo stick, burying the one-eyed worm, feeding the kitty, hiding the sausage, giving her the ole hot beef injection." House went on, wiggling his eyebrows at Wilson.

Wilson scowled at him. "And how would you know this?" He asked, totally disgusted at the many different euphemisms he'd come up with just then.

"It's a secret, if I told you I'd have to kill you. Believe me, I know." House replied confidently. "So, how long has this been going on and why didn't you tell your best friend?"

"You tell me, since you seem to know everything." Wilson challenged.

"Ha! See, I knew you've been tickling the pickle."

Wilson scowled once more. "Seriously, how many of those can you come up with in the span of 3 seconds?"

"I could go on and on."

Wilson shook his head and picked up the box, moving past House to take it out to the car. House followed him. "I don't think you need to worry about going back to the gym when you've been sexercising with Miss Hot to Trot."

"Shut up." Wilson replied as he set the box down in the car. "Can we stop talking about this? I'm not seeing Janine."

"Who?"

Wilson rolled his eyes and made his way back inside the apartment.

House smiled as he leaned against the car door waiting for Wilson to reappear with the last box. House had already placed the guitar and violin in the car and packed a suitcase full of his clothes to take over to Cuddy's, so there wasn't anything left for him to do but wait for his friend. When he reappeared a few moments later and placed the last of the boxes inside the trunk, House made his way to the door, locked it and limped back to the car. Wilson and House got in the car and made their way back to Cuddy's house. As House drove, he noticed Wilson eyeing the suitcase in the backseat.

"Staying for awhile?" He asked, his lip twitching with amusement.

House glanced over at him, but ignored his question.

"Oh so you can give me shit about dating Janine but I can't do the same to you?"

"I'm not dating Janine…I don't even know who that is?" House replied, shrugging his shoulders with a smartass look on his face.

Wilson glared at him before moving on with his questions. "Are you moving in with Cuddy?"

"It'd be kind of hard to parent a kid and not live with them."

"People do it all the time…it's called…divorce. But I get your point." Wilson replied. "Have you told Bella yet?"

"Nope."

"Waiting till the smoke clears?"

"Yep."

Wilson nodded, a smile coming to his face. "Little Greggy is finally growing up." He commented proudly as he chuckled and glanced over at House.

"You ever call me that again and I'll be cutting Little Jamesy off." House threatened.

Wilson laughed and turned his head to look out the window as House drove them down the road. After a moment, he continued. "I'm proud of you, House. This is a big step for you...and you deserve this. You and Cuddy both deserve this and I can't think of anyone better to raise Bella." Wilson told him with sincerity.

House looked over at him with a scowl. "How long have you been waiting to say that? Did you stand in front of the mirror this morning and memorize that speech?"

Wilson turned his head as a furrow appeared in his brow. "So what if I had? Does that make it any less sincere?"

"No, but it does make you less cool." House retorted, looking out at the road once more. Several minutes passed in silence before House finally spoke again. "Thank you."

Wilson glanced at him once more before he nodded in acknowledgement of House's thanks.

More silence filled the car when House looked over at Wilson once more. "You didn't really stand in front of the mirror and memorize that did you?"

Wilson shrugged in non-chalance. "Of course not." He replied.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

12:30 PM

Bella and Mom walked into the house after spending time together at the park. Bella had tons of fun playing with her and was somewhat surprised how funny Mom could be when she wanted. They had never spent time just playing together and Bella had loved every minute of it. She wished Greg had been there too; she had missed him a lot while she was away and she had wanted to spend time with him as well.

As they walked in the front door, she knew Greg was back because she'd seen his car parked out front.

"Greg!" Bella called out.

"What?" He replied playfully, his voice coming from the kitchen.

Bella ran to the kitchen as soon as she heard his voice. When she rounded the corner she saw Greg and James sitting at the table eating lunch.

"James! I didn't know you was here." She exclaimed happily, running over to him. He stood up, just as Bella reached for him, throwing herself into his arms. Bella gave him a tight hug, winding her arms and legs around his torso. James hugged her just as tightly, a smile on his face.

"It's so good to have you back." He told her. "You had us worried sick."

Bella nodded, knowing that everyone had been worried about her. She pulled back and placed a big kiss on his cheek. "I missed you." She told him.

His smile grew at her words. "I missed you too."

Bella smiled in return and glanced over at Greg, who was seated at the table, and Mom, who was standing beside him with her arm around his shoulder wearing a smile. James put her down and Bella walked over to Greg, crawling on his lap and placing a kiss on his cheek as well.

"Hi." She greeted with a smile.

"Hey, shorty."

Mom combed her fingers through Bella's hair as she laid her head on Greg's shoulder.

"Hey, Wilson." Mom greeted him. "Thank you for helping us out again, I know House didn't lift a finger."

James chuckled as Greg glared up at her. "You're welcome. But next time he's on his own." James teased, causing Greg to turn his glare onto him. Bella chuckled at the look on his face and picked that moment to sneak a French fry off his plate.

"Hey, hey…I saw that, kid."

Bella giggled as she stuck the French fry in her mouth.

"Get your own." Greg complained when she stuck her hand out for another.

"Didn't your Mom teach to not be selfish?" Bella asked, arching her eyebrows in question.

"No. She taught me to manipulate people into buying me food and keep it for myself."

"No she didn't." Bella rolled her eyes at him and took another fry.

Greg looked up at Mom. "Cuddy, get your kid under control and make her stop eating my fries."

Mom rolled her eyes. "You have plenty, don't be a baby." Mom told him as she made her way to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. "Bella, do you want me to make you something or do you want to order lunch?" She asked her.

"I want a burger too." Bella answered.

Mom nodded and gestured toward the drawer containing the take out menus. "Ok. Get one of the menus out of the drawer and show me what you want."

Bella crawled off of Greg's lap, but before she walked away, she stuck her hand out and grabbed another French fry, quickly running away with it. Mom and James laughed at her and when she turned around to see Greg's reaction, she saw a smile of amusement on his face. She opened the drawer with the take out menus, choosing her favorite. Bella handed the menu to her Mom, pointing to what she wanted. Mom went to grab her cell phone to place the order as Bella walked back to the table.

She watched Greg eat his fries, causing him to roll his eyes and scoot the take out box over to her, offering her the French fries. She smiled at him and finished off his fries. "Thanks, Greg."

"Whatever, don't think you're getting those for nothing in return, you owe me."

Bella shrugged. "Mom's ordering more." She told him.

Greg looked at her as a scowl appeared on his face. "Why are you all sweaty, what the hell have you and your Mom been doing?"

"We went to the park and played on the playground together." Bella told him, with a smile.

"You're telling me your Mother was playing on the playground with you and the other kids?"

Bella nodded. "Mom's pretty fun, you know? She beat me on who could swing the highest. And then we played on the jungle jim and she made it all the way across…a bunch of time. And then we went on the merry-go-round but I think that one made her almost puke."

James chuckled as Greg furrowed his brow skeptically. She shrugged at his expression. "It's true…ask her."

"I will."

Just then, Mom came back into the kitchen, setting her phone down on the counter. Greg stood up and made his way over to her, taking both of her wrists and looking at the palms of her hands. She scowled at him, trying to snatch her hands out of his grasp. "What are you doing?"

Bella and James watched in amusement as Greg inspected her hands. "He's checking to see if I was making it all up." Bella told her.

She frowned in confusion. "Making what up?" She asked, looking at Greg.

"I'm just wondering if you're as fun as she says you are." Greg replied.

"What? Stop, House." She told him, pulling her hands out of his grasp.

"Your hands are slightly blistered." He commented.

"So?"

"She's not making it up." He added.

"Told you." Bella replied to Greg before looking back at Mom. "I told him you and me was playing on the playground at the park and he didn't believe me."

"Why not?" She asked, her eyebrows arched in question as an amused smirk appeared on her face.

"Because you're old." Greg answered.

Mom opened her mouth to reply, but Bella beat her to it. "Mom's not old." She defended.

Mom smiled at her sweetly. "Thank you, baby. See, I'm not old. You're just jealous you can't keep up with me." She added with a smirk.

"I keep up where it counts." He shot back, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Bella turned her head to look at James. "They're talking about sex." She whispered.

James laughed as Mom's jaw dropped, having heard what Bella had said. "Bella, we're not…"

"Yes we are, don't lie to her." Greg told her, suddenly becoming serious.

"Then stop talking about things she doesn't need to know about at her age." Mom told him with irritation in her tone.

Bella's eyes shifted from adult to adult, unsure how she should be reacting. She decided to keep her mouth shut; she should have kept it shut before now, but sometimes her mouth worked without her brain's permission. James stood up, holding his hand out to Bella. "Bella, why don't you show me the trampoline in the backyard. I haven't seen it yet." He asked.

Bella took his hand and led him outside to the backyard. Before closing the door, she glanced at Mom and Greg, wondering if they were about to get into a big argument or not. Bella looked up at James as they made their way to the trampoline. "Are they going to have a fight because of me?"

James sighed. "It won't be because of you. It'll be because House doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut."

"But he didn't say nothing bad, did he?"

"He alluded to something a girl your age shouldn't know about, Sweetie. Your Mom is just trying to protect you."

"Greg always says stuff like that, why did she get mad?"

"I don't know, maybe because she feels you need to be protected from certain things…that's what Mom's do."

"Yeah, that's true. Mom gets real protective of me sometimes."

James smiled at her. "Lisa's a great Mom."

Bella nodded in agreement as they stood in front of the trampoline.

James glanced down at her. "So, how are you doing?"

Bella looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "I'm fine. I'm happy I'm home again."

James nodded in agreement. "Me too." He said softly, rubbing her shoulders with affection. "I'm not saying this to make you feel worse, but your leaving really affected them. Your Mom stopped eating regularly and hardly slept at all, whereas House made everyone's life at the hospital a living hell. They love you so much, you know that, right?"

Bella nodded. "Mom didn't tell me she stopped eating, but I could tell she looked different."

James nodded. "We all missed you and we're glad you're back safely."

Bella smiled up at him. "Me too. Don't worry, I won't do it again."

James smiled at her. "Good. Your Mom and House will always be there for you, but if you ever need to talk or unload about something, or if you just want someone to yell at…I'm here, alright?"

Bella chuckled and nodded in understanding. "Ok." She replied gratefully.

"Listen, I uhh, I'm not sure if they told you but, I know about…everything. I hope that's ok."

Bella knew that he meant about Mattie. She nodded in answer to his question. "I know. I thought about it and it's ok that you know about Mattie."

"I have a brother I haven't seen in a long time. He's…hell, I don't know where he is, I don't know what happened to him."

Bella reached for James' hand, feeling sad that he didn't know where his brother was or if he was ok. "I'm sorry." She told him softly.

James glanced down at her with an appreciative smile as he gave her hand a squeeze. "Thanks."

"I hope you find him someday. Maybe he misses you too."

"I don't know. He's got a lot of problems. Yeah, maybe someday we'll see each other again." He replied.

They stood in silence for a moment before Bella felt the need to lighten the mood. "Do you want to see how high I can jump?"

"I would love to." He chuckled, gesturing for her to climb up onto the trampoline and demonstrate.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10 Minutes Ago

Cuddy saw the door close behind Wilson as Bella took him outside the house. She shifted her eyes to House's. "What is wrong with you?"

House rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I barely said anything."

"House, she was smart enough to pick up on what you meant. As her Father, doesn't that concern you?"

He sighed, averting his eyes from her. "Yeah, it concerns me. But I also don't feel the need to lie to her about it, especially given everything that's happened recently."

"I _don't_ want her exposed to things she's too young to know about." Cuddy stressed.

He scoffed. "Where the hell have you been, Cuddy? She's already been exposed to it and as long as she goes to school and watches television or lives life in general…she will continue to be exposed to it. Hell, she's probably seen and heard worse on the streets of New York. You're not naïve, so stop acting like you are."

"I know she's lost enough of her innocence already with everything she's been through, House. But she's still a child and I wish you would just watch what you say around her."

He sighed, looking deeply into her eyes. A moment later, he narrowed them at her in suspicion. "What's this really about? You're not just upset by what I said…something else is bothering you."

Cuddy looked at him in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about.

"What's going on? You're not mad but something is definitely bothering you…I can always tell, Cuddy. What is it?" House asked as he continued to study her gaze.

"I don't know what you mean, House. I already told you why I was upset…" She answered, moving to walk away from him.

He stopped her by gently grabbing her arm. "Yeah, and we've moved on from that conversation and now we're onto the other thing that's bothering you." He replied with a sighed before softening his tone. "Tell me."

As Cuddy stood next to him, his hand on her arm, she turned her gaze up to meet his. "Do you really want to be here, House?"

"What are you talking about? I told you I want in."

"I know and I want that too, but if you're having second thoughts I want you to tell me now before it's too late and before she gets hurt."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She sighed. "I know this is a big change for you, and I understand that talking about things doesn't come easily, but if you want to be her Father, House, we have to deal with this together. I thought we both agreed that we would deal with things together and this morning you left me to talk to her alone…again." She explained. "I'm prepared to do this on my own, so if you've changed your mind…I need to know now. I deserve to know."

House stared at her, letting the words she'd just spoken sink in to his head. After a moment, he let out a deep sigh and she knew he was about to tell her what she didn't want to hear.

"Lisa…I haven't changed my mind. I want to be here, I just don't know how." He confessed in a soft tone. He almost sounded ashamed of admitting it.

Her eyes softened as she heard his confession. Cuddy placed her hand over his on her arm, taking his hand in hers. "Yes you do…you were doing great before you admitted to yourself and to me, that this was what you wanted. And now you're freaking yourself out. Nothing has to change, Greg, just do what you've been doing. I promise you that's what she needs. I'm here for you…you just need to talk to me when you feel uncomfortable dealing with something. We handle it together, but we need to keep our communication lines open to do that."

House gave her a short nod, acknowledging what she'd told him. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go and placing a kiss on his lips. "I'm glad you didn't change your mind." She whispered to him.

He leaned down for another kiss, looking into her eyes. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. I know what I want now." He whispered.

Cuddy smiled up at him, overjoyed that he really wanted to be there and raise Bella with her. Not only that, but that he wanted to be with her as well. She laced her fingers through his and captured his lips in another soft kiss. They briefly separated before Cuddy moved to kiss him again but stopped when she heard a shriek in the backyard. She turned her head to look out the window and saw Bella jumping on the trampoline, laughing her head off. Cuddy smiled and shifted her eyes to House, noticing an amused smirk on his face. Cuddy walked over to the window, staring out at her daughter, who was having the time of her life on that trampoline. She laughed when she saw why Bella was laughing. "Oh my god." Cuddy chuckled.

House limped up behind her, seeing what she was seeing. "Oh shit, where's my camera when I need it?" He replied.

Cuddy laughed at him. "Use mine, it's in our bedroom in the top drawer of the dresser." She instructed, turning to see him quickly leave the kitchen to retrieve it.

A few moments later, House returned with the camera in hand. He handed her his cane as he turned the camera on. House lined up his shot, zooming in to his target and snapped the picture. He looked at the digital display and smiled before pointing it once more and taking several more shots. He showed them to Cuddy, causing her to laugh at the pictures he'd taken of Wilson jumping on the trampoline with the goofiest look on his face and his arms and legs flailing about as he attempted to stay upright on the trampoline.

"Oh my god…what are you going to do with those?"

"Embarrassing things…many, many embarrassing things." House replied.

Cuddy chuckled and shook her head. "Just make sure you don't embarrass him into leaving my hospital…I don't want to lose my Head of Oncology because he was too embarrassed to show his face at work because of you."

"He's been embarrassed far worse in the past than what I have planned for him, trust me." House replied.

"You're evil."

"True…it's why you love me, admit it. Because you're just as evil as I am."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Cuddy smiled at him. "You're not roping me into that argument."

"You started it." He snarked.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to pick a fight with me; let's go outside and play with our daughter, jackass." She told him, grabbing his arm with one hand and handing him his cane with the other before she moved toward the door.

"Hey, bossypants, don't forget about our little rendezvous tonight. Maybe I'll bring the camera for that too." He stated with a devious smile on his face.

"No you won't, or the rendezvous will get cut short along with a part of your anatomy that is near and dear to you." Cuddy answered with a smirk before opening the door and making her way outside, not waiting for his response.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

3:30 PM

Bella was sitting on the trampoline in the backyard, eating an apple that Mom had peeled and sliced for her. She had been playing in the backyard ever since she and James had gone out there so Mom and Greg could talk. After awhile, Mom and Greg had joined them and they didn't seem mad at each other so they had played together in the backyard for a long time. About an hour ago, James had left, saying he had to get to work for an appointment he had scheduled. Earlier, Bella had been laughing as hard as she could at James when he had gotten on the trampoline and started jumping with her. He had fallen several times on his butt and had trouble getting back up because she was bouncing as high as she could, making it hard for him. She loved playing with James, he was really fun to hang out with and he always managed to make her laugh. Mom and Greg had gone back inside because Mom said she had to get some laundry done before tomorrow and she had to make some phone calls to get Bella back into her tutoring sessions as well as call Dr. Sloane's office so she could resume her appointments.

Now, as she sat outside alone and ate her apple, she heard the backdoor open and listened as Greg made his way down the steps of the deck. She didn't need to turn around to know it was him because of the way he walked with his cane.

"Hey, kid." He greeted as he stepped up to the trampoline.

Bella turned around with a smile. "Hi."

"Whatcha doin'?"

She shrugged and took a bite of her apple. "Nothin'…just eating my apple. You want some?" She offered, holding out the baggy containing her apple slices.

He nodded once and took one from her, popping it into his mouth. As he ate it, he carefully climbed onto the trampoline, sitting beside her with his legs stretched out in front of him. He looked over at her with a smirk on his face. "Aren't you tired of being outside?"

Bella shrugged before shaking her head. "No…I like it out here."

"I couldn't tell." He snarked.

"Are you bored or something?" Bella asked him. "Did Mom send you out here because you was annoying her?"

He smiled over at her. "Who me? I wouldn't do that."

"You pissed her off while she was trying to do laundry, didn't you?"

Greg chuckled and gave her a short nod. "It's one of the things I do best."

Bella giggled and rolled her eyes. She offered him another apple and as he took one he lay down on the trampoline, staring up at the clear blue sky. Bella followed suit, lying next to him. They lay there in silence for several minutes, munching on the apple slices until they were gone. Bella set the bag aside and laced her fingers together across her abdomen. She looked over at Greg, sensing that he wanted to say something to her but was nervous or scared to.

"What?" He asked her, turning his head toward her.

"You can say whatever it is you're afraid to say." She told him.

"How do you know I have anything to say?"

"You always have something to say." She told him around a chuckle, turning her gaze back to the sky.

He gave her a short nod. "Fine. I'll say what I want to say, but you're not going to like it. I haven't even talked to your Mother about it so I really shouldn't be saying anything at all."

"Then don't…Mom should know before you tell me." Bella told him. "I don't want to keep secrets no more and I don't want 'em kept from me no more. But Mom should know first."

He turned his head toward her with a scowl on his face. "Are you sure you're 8-years-old?"

Bella smiled at his question and nodded. "Yep…but I'll be 9 soon."

"Oh great that means I have to get you something." He whined.

"Yep." She replied, smiling over at him.

Greg shifted his gaze back to the sky. "Please don't tell me you want a Barbie or one of those Little Pony's or Cuddle Bears or whatever the hell it's called."

Bella scowled at him. "A Cuddle Bear? What is that?"

"How the hell should I know?"

Bella laughed at him, suddenly realizing what he meant. "Do you mean a Care Bear?" She asked.

"Whatever."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm going to be 9, not 6." She replied with a chuckle. Greg had a lot to learn about kids. But at least he was there and he was trying…that made her happy.

After a moment she became serious and quietly added. "Anyway, I don't need nothing. I already got everything I need." She told him. Bella didn't feel she deserved anything for her birthday after all that had happened recently. She had learned to live without the things she wanted and she didn't think she needed any of it anymore. She was lucky to have a home and people that loved her; it would be too much to want anything else.

Greg scowled at that. "Birthday presents aren't about getting what you need, they're about getting what you want. So what do want?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Come on, kid, you've got to want something. What have you always wanted, but never gotten?"

"It ain't the same now…I don't want the same things I used to want because I was little and my life was different. Now I don't know who I am no more, so how do I know what I want? Anyway, I don't deserve nothing after what I did."

Greg sighed with a bit of frustration. "Oh shut up, stop feeling sorry for yourself and get over it. The fact that you did something wrong doesn't mean you don't deserve to get what you want for your birthday. You deserve to get what you want. You deserve everything, kid. I thought we'd already been over this? All is forgiven, understand? And what the hell do you mean, you don't know who you are anymore? You're the same kid I met all those months ago."

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what _do_ you mean?"

"Well, before Mom and Dad died, I wanted all the stuff little girls are supposed to want; like dolls and games and dress up clothes. Now, everything is different; I'm different because of all the stuff that happened to me and I don't want dolls and games and dress up clothes. I don't know what I want." She explained, shrugging her shoulders.

Greg nodded in understanding. He turned his head to look at her. "Look, you're one of the smartest kids I ever met, Bella. I'm not easily impressed by a lot of things, but you impressed me the first time I met you and it's because your intelligence shows through your eyes. I look at you and I know something's going on in that head of yours. You're always thinking and that's why you caught my interest. Maybe it's because of everything you've been through and maybe it's not, I don't know because I didn't know you back then. But I'm willing to bet you inherited those smarts because it's not any 8 year old that can take care of herself on the streets of one of the largest cities in the world and live to tell about it. So if you think that you're not the same little girl you were before your parents died, you're right, you're not. You've had to grow up quickly because of what happened to you…but now you need to let yourself be the little girl you used to be. You need to allow Cuddy and I to take care of you so you can enjoy being a kid. All of that shit that you had to worry about when you were on the streets is not something you need to worry about anymore…that part of your life is over. Your job is to be a kid and to want all the stupid little things kids think are cool."

Bella thought about what he said. She knew he was right; she needed to let go of her past and start a new life. Bella realized that she hadn't fully let go of everything before she ran away, and maybe not even now, but at least now she knew it. The grief she felt over Mattie's death and the anger and blame she placed upon herself had held her back from moving on. She realized she needed to allow the people that loved her to help her heal from that grief and help her release the anger she felt over Mattie's death and the blame she placed on herself for what had happened to him. She needed to let Mattie go and she knew that once she did that, she could finally move on with her life. She could finally have her life back. Not the life that she had before with her parents and Mattie…but one similar, with people that loved her and wanted to take care of her and whom she loved in return. Bella knew it wouldn't be easy and it still scared her that she had to go through it, but if she didn't…she'd never have the life she so desperately wanted back.

"Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"I always wanted roller skates." She told him.

Greg turned his head with a smile and nodded. "Then that's what you're getting."

Bella smiled back at him, rolling onto her side and throwing her arms around his torso in a tight hug, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Greg."

Greg wound his arm around her, hugging her back. "You're welcome, kid."

"Do you think Mom will be mad if I get roller skates?"

"Nope. She wants you to be happy, kiddo. As long as you have the proper safety equipment, she'll be fine with it. And if she still isn't, I'll work my Greg House magic on her."

Bella chuckled and nodded. They lay there in silence for several minutes as Bella thought about the boxes that were waiting for her in her room. She wanted to open them and finally see what was in them. She couldn't really remember everything that was in the boxes and Bella wasn't ever sure she knew everything that Mattie had packed in there after they left the home they had lived in their entire lives with their parents. Bella suddenly felt the need to go into her room and open them.

"Greg?"

"Hm."

"Did you open Mattie's boxes?" She asked softly, unsure why she had asked that question, but needing to know if anyone had seen what was in them.

"No, kid, I didn't open them. But I did pull out the guitar and tune it…is that ok?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah." She responded softly. "I think I'm ready to go open them now."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%


	50. Chapter 49

**I know this is late but I had family stuff going on as well as work. Better late than never, that's my motto. Anyway, hope you enjoy. As a warning, I am looking forward to the premiere on Monday and will probably be on cloud 9 for the rest of the week afterwards; so next chapter will probably be late too. Not that any of you will care because we'll all be on cloud 9 together and this fic will not be missed.**

**Chapter 49**

3:45 PM

House and Bella stepped inside the house and made their way toward Bella's bedroom where the boxes containing Mattie's belongings were located. House had been outside with Bella when she finally decided it was time to go through the boxes. House had been curious about what was in there but he had restrained the urge to open them and take a peek. He couldn't violate Bella's privacy that way. Normally he couldn't give a damn about anyone's privacy, but this was his kid, and she had already gone through enough recently.

House watched as Bella walked into her bedroom. He needed to find Cuddy and let her know what was going on. House made his way to the laundry room where he knew Cuddy was. As he stepped through the door, she turned her head toward him and rolled her eyes. "Damn it, House, I thought I asked you to let me do this in peace. I'm almost finished, you think you could wait ten minutes before you start annoying me again?"

"Shut up." He told her in a serious tone. "Bella's in her room…she wants to go through Mattie's stuff. Thought you'd want to know." He replied, seeing the irritation on her face fade and take on a more serious expression.

She nodded in thanks, setting down one of Bella's t-shirts that she had just been folding.

House turned around and walked back the way he came, heading toward Bella's room. He wasn't sure if she would want them in there for this but he thought he'd at least see if she was ok. When he got there he saw her standing in the middle of the room staring at the boxes. House heard Cuddy approaching and he turned his head to see her come around the corner, making her way toward him. She had a look of concern on her face and a question in her eyes. He knew she wanted to know what they had talked about outside to make Bella want to do this now.

Cuddy looked inside to see the same image that House had seen when he stepped through the door. Bella hadn't moved as she continued to stare at the boxes.

"Bella?" Cuddy spoke softly, not wanting to startle her.

Bella turned around to see them standing there. "Hi, Mom. I decided to look at Mattie's stuff now."

Cuddy nodded and stepped further into the room, going over to stand next to Bella. "Ok. Would you like us to stay or do you want to be alone?"

"Um…will you be mad if I want to be alone for a little while?" She asked in a small voice.

"Of course not. We're here for you if you need us." Cuddy replied softly, gently rubbing her hand over Bella's shoulders.

Bella nodded. "I know. I just want a few minutes by myself and then I want you and Greg to be with me when I open them."

"Ok, Sweetie. Whatever you want."

Bella nodded.

Cuddy placed a kiss on Bella's head and turned around, quickly glancing at House before walking out of the room. House stood in the doorway for a moment before speaking softly to Bella. "We'll be in the living room, kid, if you need anything."

Bella nodded once more before House stepped back and closed the door to her bedroom. He felt Cuddy gently lay her hand on his back before she took his hand in hers, leading him to the living room. They both sat down on the couch, side-by-side, and stared across the room. They were silent for several minutes before Cuddy spoke softly.

"What happened outside? I take it you two talked?" Cuddy asked with curiosity.

House nodded. "I think she finally realized she needs to let him go. And I think for the first time she's actually willing to."

Cuddy looked over at him with surprise. "What did you say to her?"

"Not much…it's like you said, she just needs reassurance."

"Tell me what happened." She replied softly, placing her hand over his.

House released a soft sigh and lowered his gaze. "She told me she doesn't know who she is anymore; that because of what happened to her, she doesn't know what she wants. Of course, we were sort of talking about what she wants for her birthday, but it was more than that. She's confused about who she's supposed to be now."

Cuddy nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Before everything that happened to her, she was used to a normal life with parents and a brother who loved her. Plus she was younger then, more vulnerable and innocent. Now…god, now she's a different person." Cuddy replied with a deep and pained sigh. "House, what if there's nothing remaining of the little girl she used to be? The six year old who had a carefree existence up until her parents died. How does she get that back?"

House shook his head. "I don't know, Cuddy. I didn't know what the hell I was saying out there. I just told her to be a kid and let us worry about taking care of her. I said that like I knew what I was talking about; except I don't. I'm the last person she should be listening to about this shit. I don't know what the hell I'm doing." He responded somewhat bitterly. "I should've just kept my mouth shut."

"House, whatever you told her worked. She's in there trying to move on with her life and that's because what you told her made sense to her. You said the right thing, even if you think you didn't. Welcome to parenthood." Cuddy told him, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Are you sure I'm the one you want in this, Cuddy?" He asked, turning his head to look into her eyes.

"I haven't changed my mind. I have faith in you…you are great Father to her."

"Why do you have so much faith in me, Cuddy. I have never given you any reason to have faith in me. All I've ever brought you is pain and misery. I have been a bastard to you the majority of the time we've known each other and you still…." He sighed with a shake of his head. "I've never done anything to deserve you."

Cuddy smiled at him and shook her head. "I don't know why." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "There's just always been something about you that I couldn't get out of my head…or my heart."

House scowled as a slight grin of amusement took over his face. "That was a cheesy line, Cuddy."

Cuddy chuckled. "What can I say…you bring it out in me."

House continued to stare into her eyes, his smile still in place. "I love you." He told her softly before shrugging his shoulders. "Always have."

Her smile grew at the sincerity in his voice as she looked into his eyes as well. "I love you too."

"You want to make out until the kid comes in here to get us?" He asked with complete seriousness.

She laughed at him and shook her head. "And have to hear how disgusting it is that we're sucking face?"

House rolled his eyes. "You know that kid is going to be the death of both of us when she starts becoming interested in boys, right? I'll be doing some serious ass kicking when she starts dating."

Cuddy laughed. "Get used to it now, House, because it won't be any easier when the time comes."

"It's a good thing I have my trusty cane. It'll come in handy for when I threaten an overly hormonal teenage boy with a cane up his ass if he so much as thinks about kissing my kid."

Cuddy shook her head with a smile of amusement on her face. "Spoken like a true over-protective Father."

"Are you complaining?"

She looked over at him with a smile. "No. I think it's sweet."

House rolled his eyes. "It's not sweet, it's manly."

She laughed once more. "Right…manly. I'm pretty sure that's what I meant."

"Don't patronize me, woman." He told her as he began rubbing his leg.

Cuddy chuckled, laying her hand over his as he rubbed his thigh. "Here, let me. I'll make it up to you." She said softly, taking over for him as she began gently massaging his thigh and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"That's more like it." House told her, closing his eyes and letting her help him. He relaxed as much as he could but it was strange to have her do this for him. He didn't feel uncomfortable; it was just that she had never really done this for him before…and it felt nice. House placed his arm around the back of the couch, gently combing his fingers through her hair. "Thank you." He told her softly.

"You're welcome. I'm not hurting you, am I?" She asked.

House shook his head. "No. It feels good."

She nodded, her smile growing before turning her attention on massaging his leg once more.

After a few minutes of silence, House sighed softly and glanced over at her once more. He remembered the conversation he wanted to have with Cuddy about talking to Bella about the men that killed Mattie. Bella had stopped him from asking her any questions about it and he was glad that she had because it was something Cuddy needed to be aware of first. They both needed to be there for that conversation because it was going to be painful. "Cuddy, we need to talk about something I've been thinking about." He told her.

Cuddy turned her head to look at him, a frown on her face, unsure what he was referring to. "About what?" She asked as she continued to massage his leg.

"We need to ask Bella about Mattie's killers. We need to find out who did this."

She stopped the movement of her hands on his leg and dropped her jaw in shock. "House, we can't talk about that right now. She may be comfortable talking to us about Mattie, but I don't think she's ready to talk about who killed him and I know she's not ready to try and identify them. There is so much going on right now. We can't ask her to do this."

"And when _do_ you suggest we ask her? Weeks from now? Months? When these bastards have had the chance to kill someone else?"

"It's been a year already, House, waiting a bit longer isn't going to change anything."

"You don't know that."

"No I don't…but Bella is my priority right now. She should be yours too, House. As her parents we put her wellbeing first."

House sighed in frustration. "Cuddy, we can't wait on this. If we don't do this now, they may never be caught."

"Max is working on it. Give him a chance to do what he can and then if he…"

"We're there already, Cuddy. Max isn't going to find these men without Bella's help." House told her, sitting up and looking her in the eyes. He sighed. "We should at least ask her if she knows their names. That's all we need right now." He continued, trying to convince her that this was the only way.

Cuddy sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head as she thought about what to do. After a moment she shook her head once more. "It's too much for her right now." She whispered to him. "I'm afraid of what this could do to her."

"We're treading awfully close to the line we crossed the last time, Cuddy, we can't keep this from her." House replied.

"Damn it, House." Cuddy said in frustration, standing up and pacing the room. "Why did you have to bring this up right now? We _need_ to think about Bella and what this could do to her. We just got her back and now you want her to…"

"I don't know those men…Mattie never told me who they was."

House and Cuddy's heads snapped in the direction of Bella's voice as she stood in the doorway of the living room. They were both shocked to hear her voice and to see her standing there. House had no idea she had been listening to them.

"All I know is that they tried to get Mattie to sell drugs for them and he wouldn't do it. He lied and said he would and then he stole their money when they wasn't looking. That's why they shot him. He died because he was just trying to take care of me and he didn't know how to…so he did what he knew. Mattie knew how to steal, he was real good at it. He could steal a wallet out of a man's pocket without him ever knowing. Mom and Dad woulda been pissed that he knew how to do that, but that was the only way he knew to take care of me. And that's why he died." Bella told them softly, her voice small as the memories still haunted her.

House couldn't believe his ears; he stared at her in surprise, the shock written all over his face. She had just answered several questions he'd had since he started this investigation. House looked over at Cuddy and saw a similar expression on her face. She was just as shocked as he was. Her eyes shifted to his briefly before shifting back to Bella standing in the doorway, her hands at her sides and her head lowered as she looked at the floor in front of her.

"Bella." Cuddy said her name softly after listening to what she had just revealed to them.

Bella glanced up at her Mom.

"C'mere, Sweetie."

Bella walked over to her, taking Cuddy's hand in her small one. "I don't know what their names are, but I know what they look like. I won't ever forget what they look like." She mumbled, glancing over at House.

House nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry." Bella replied with a slight pout to her lips.

House shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry about, understand? You told me what I needed to know; that was brave of you. I'm the one who's sorry. Cuddy was right…it should've waited."

Bella didn't respond except to nod her head, accepting his apology.

"Come over here, kid." House told her softly, holding his hand out to her.

Bella moved toward him, taking his hand in hers as he gently pulled her into a hug. She wound her arms around his neck and he closed his eyes, hugging her tightly. He hadn't expected her to be listening outside the door and it wasn't how he had wanted to have this conversation. But he had gotten his answer; he just hoped there wouldn't be any serious emotional repercussions for her. She could end up having nightmares because of this, and once again it would be his fault.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

15 Minutes Ago

Bella heard the door to her bedroom close as she stood in front of the boxes in her bedroom. Like her boxes, they had aged a bit, with dust and cobwebs on them as well as some water stains. Bella approached the boxes slowly, looking at Mattie's name written in black Sharpie on the side. His name had faded a little and that brought a sense of sadness to her heart. His memory hadn't faded though and that was what mattered to her. She remembered his smile that caused the slight dimple in his cheek to deepen. She remembered his voice and the way he used to call her 'B'. Bella had always loved that he was the only one that ever called her that.

Bella knelt down in front of one of his boxes and gently traced her finger over his name. He had been the one to write it on the box; it was his handwriting she was tracing. Bella sighed and sat back on her heels. She was a little nervous about opening the boxes; just like she had been when she opened hers. But this was different, these were Mattie's and they were more important to her than her boxes. She would be keeping everything in his boxes unlike hers that she had donated.

Her eyes shifted to the guitar and violin cases on the floor beside her bed. She crawled over there and reached out to unlatch the guitar case, opening the lid and revealing one of her brother's most prized possessions when he was alive. Bella touched the smooth surface of the guitar head, tracing her finger over the neck and around the strings. Her touch was light, barely feeling the ridges in the strings, but hearing the slight scratching sound it made as she did. Bella didn't know how to play the guitar but she had always liked it when Mattie played, even though she had told him on several occasions that she hated it. She carefully lifted the guitar out of its case and turned it over, seeing the word she'd written in black Sharpie so long ago. Her eyes misted over with tears as she remembered the time she'd done that and the trouble she had gotten into at the time. Bella allowed a smile to come to her face at the memory of Mattie's anger at her for that and she had to admit that it was pretty mean, but that's just what they did to each other. They were brother and sister and that's what brothers and sisters did; and she missed it. She missed him so much. She missed her parents so much too.

Bella felt a tear slip silently down her cheek at the thought of how much she missed her family. But it was time to let go of them. Greg had been right, she was a different person now and it was time for her to move on and let herself be a child again; to stop worrying about the hard stuff. He told her she needed to let him and Mom take care of her now. She had loved her childhood with her family, until they had died and she was left all alone. Now she had a new Mom, who loved her just as much as her real Mom had and who would do anything for her. And Bella had Greg, who was learning to love her like a Dad loved his child. He wasn't perfect but who was? Her real Dad hadn't been perfect either but he was the best Dad that a kid could have had and Bella believed that Greg could be that too. He was rough around the edges, but that's what Bella needed right now. She needed someone who was learning to be a parent just as she was learning to have new parents. She just wished that Greg would realize that and decide to become her father. She really needed him.

After another moment holding the guitar, Bella set it down in the case once more and opened the violin case. Mattie had loved to play the violin just as much as he loved to play the guitar. He was better at the guitar but he loved them equally. She had never understood why he didn't take them when they ran away from the Bedford's house but now she was glad that he hadn't; because if he had then they would have been lost forever. Bella wiped the tears away from her face with her hand as she held the violin in the other. She picked up the bow and placed the violin under her jaw but it was awkward and she couldn't hold it in place. She set it back down in the case and closed the lid, sighing as she looked over at the boxes. It was time to go through them now; she didn't want to put it off any longer. Bella stood and made her way to her bedroom door, wanting to have Mom and Greg with her when she opened the boxes.

Bella made her way down the hallway and heard Mom and Greg's voices in the living room. They were arguing about something. She heard Greg sigh in frustration.

"_Cuddy, we can't wait on this. If we don't do this now, they may never be caught."_

"_Max is working on it. Give him a chance to do what he can and then if he…"_

"_We're there already, Cuddy. Max isn't going to find these men without Bella's help. We should at least ask her if she knows their names. That's all we need right now."_

Bella's eyes widened at their words as she heard Mom sigh. Mom didn't respond right away and Bella knew she was upset, she could tell; Mom didn't like this one bit and now that Bella knew what they were talking about she was glad that Mom was upset, because Bella didn't like what she was hearing either.

"_It's too much for her right now."_ Mom spoke softly. _"I'm afraid of what this could do to her."_

"_We're treading awfully close to the line we crossed the last time, Cuddy, we can't keep this from her."_ Greg told her in a serious tone.

Bella flinched when she heard Mom speak next, her voice raised in frustration as she moved around the room. _"Damn it, House. Why did you have to bring this up right now? We _need_ to think about Bella and what this could do to her. We just got her back and now you want her to…"_

"I don't know those men…Mattie never told me who they was." Bella cut her off as she stepped into the room, deciding that she needed to tell them what she knew…or rather, didn't know.

Mom and Greg stared at her in surprise, obviously not knowing that she had been listening. As she stood in the doorway she began telling them about what happened and why Mattie had died. As she explained everything, her mind flashed to the last time she had ever seen Mattie; his face, his blood everywhere. The memory of the men that shot him flashed into her brain as well. She'd never forget them even though she didn't know their names.

"I won't ever forget what they look like." She mumbled, glancing over at Greg and seeing the understanding in his eyes.

Bella relaxed a little at the compassion she saw there. Mom gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as she held on to her. Greg explained that it was ok and that she had answered his questions. He apologized and Bella saw the repentance in his eyes. She nodded her head, accepting his apology, knowing that he was only trying to help her. He reached out for her and she slowly moved into his arms, hugging his neck tightly. Bella felt his arms come around her and she felt safe in his embrace. She felt like nothing could ever happen to her as long as he was there to keep her safe. Bella felt that way about Mom too and she knew she was the luckiest little kid in the world for having two of the best people to take care of her for the rest of her life.

Greg released her from his hug and Bella moved to sit down on the coffee table across from Greg and turned her head to see Mom come around and sit beside her. Mom put her arm around Bella's shoulders, gently caressing her arm.

"I want you to know that we weren't going to keep this from you, ok? We were just talking about it, that's all."

Bella glanced up at Mom and nodded. "You was just protecting me, I know that now."

Mom nodded, affirming what she'd said.

"Bella, if Max can locate the men that did this to Mattie, could you point them out?" Greg asked.

"House, stop it." Mom told him sharply.

"Cuddy…"

"I don't want to see them again." Bella interrupted, the thought of it scaring her to death. She shook her head. "I don't want to." She repeated, her eyes blurring with tears. "I want to move on and I don't want to see them again. I don't care if they don't get caught."

Greg furrowed his brow at her. "What? You don't want the men that killed your brother to get caught? How could you not want them to pay for what they did to him?"

"House." Mom said, her tone a warning to him.

Bella's tears spilled down her cheeks as her face fell and her shoulders began shaking as she cried.

Mom hugged her close, whispering to her. "Shh it's ok, Bella, we're not going to make you see them again." Mom reassured her.

"Kid, they shot your brother. How the hell could you not want them to pay for that?" He asked again.

"House, so help me God, if you don't shut up and leave her alone right now you can take your bag and go back to your apartment, understand me?" Mom warned him again.

Bella leaned her head on Mom's shoulder as she continued to cry softly. "I don't want to see them ever again. They shot Mattie and they almost killed me too but they didn't and I don't want them to shoot me." She cried into Mom's embrace, Bella's arms winding around her waist as the fear she felt at seeing those men again almost overwhelmed her.

Bella felt Mom's body stiffen at her words. "Bella, they almost shot you?" She asked in shock.

Bella nodded.

"Oh my god." Mom mumbled, tightening her hold on Bella.

Bella jumped when she heard a loud bang against the floor. She opened her eyes and saw Greg's cane lying on the floor across the room. He stood up quickly and she knew that he was angry, not at her, but at what she had just told them. Bella felt Mom continue to rub her arm soothingly as she looked up at Greg in surprise.

"House, calm down." She told him softly.

"They tried to kill her, Cuddy, and you want me to calm down?" Greg replied, spinning around toward Mom and Bella as he paced the room without his cane and rubbed his hand over his thigh.

"Please, House, just sit down. You're not helping the situation." She replied softly, reaching out for his hand.

Bella wiped the tears from her eyes and watched as Greg sighed loudly and after a moment, he made his way back to the couch. Bella released Mom from her hug and slowly crawled onto Greg's lap. His arms wound gently around her as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, kid."

Bella sniffed, leaning her forehead on his neck and inhaling the cologne he was wearing. She loved the smell of his cologne, it calmed her and made her feel safe. "It's ok." She whispered.

"I'm not upset at you, I'm pissed that those bastards tried to kill my kid."

Bella nodded, understanding why he had been mad. "I know."

"I know it's hard for you to think about, but they need to get caught and thrown in prison for really a long time. Do you think we could talk about that sometime?" Greg asked her softly.

Bella closed her eyes as more tears fell down her cheeks and sniffed, rubbing her hands over her eyes. She let out a soft cry as she spoke. "I'm scared of them."

"I know. But I would never let anything happen to you. They don't even have to know you pointed them out. They will never see you."

"House, please stop. Don't do this right now. We don't even know who they are, how do you think we're going to find them?" Mom asked him.

"I don't know."

"Then, let's talk about it when the time comes. Right now, we have other stuff to worry about." Mom suggested.

Greg nodded and placed a soft kiss on Bella's forehead. "Is that ok?"

Bella nodded, glancing up at Mom to see her reaction as well. She reached out and gently rubbed her hand over Bella's arm, soothing her. Bella glanced at her and gave her a small smile before shifting her eyes up to look at Greg.

"You ok?" He asked her softly.

Bella nodded.

"Want to go open Mattie's boxes?" He asked her.

Bella nodded once more. "I want you and Mom to come with me."

Greg nodded. "Let's go."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Cuddy and Bella were seated on the floor beside the boxes that contained the belongings that Mattie had boxed up when their parents died. House had pulled up the small stool from the vanity and placed it beside them so he could sit down. Cuddy knew if he sat down too long on the floor his leg would bother him more than it already was. Cuddy had been very curious to see what Mattie had packed away in the boxes because Bella didn't seem to know what was in there either. She hoped there would at least be some family photos for Bella to look through and remember the wonderful times she had with her family. She knew it would be painful but she also knew it was something Bella had to go through to move on.

Bella reached for the first box, ripping the packing tape off the top and opening the flaps. Cuddy watched her face intently, wanting to see what kind of reaction Bella would have and also wanting to anticipate any negative reaction and be there to comfort her if she needed it. She was relieved when the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile as she reached into the box. Bella pulled out a sports trophy…a baseball trophy to be exact. She held it up for them to see.

"He was real good at baseball. Mattie played on the school team." Bella informed them.

Cuddy smiled, taking the trophy that Bella handed to her so she could inspect it. Bella stuck her hand in the box and pulled out his uniform and baseball mitt as well, setting them down on the floor. House picked up the mitt, placing it on his hand as Bella handed him the baseball she had just retrieved out of the box.

"Dad was real proud of him because Mattie played first base just like Dad did when he was a kid." Bella told them.

Cuddy smiled again as she listened to Bella and held the trophy in her hand.

"I think he won that at a baseball camp he went to one summer." Bella continued, turning her head to look back into the box.

Cuddy and House both stayed silent as they watched Bella go through the box. She pulled out a few more sports items inside a shoebox, setting them down on the floor beside her. Most of them were knick-knacks and decorations he had probably had up in his room. There were also a few more items of clothing as well as some books and magazines. After Bella had emptied the box, she looked around at everything before glancing up at House and Cuddy.

"I want to keep everything, but I don't want to put it all up in my room." Bella stated.

"It's ok, we can put what you don't want out, down in the basement. That way you can always get to it if you want to." Cuddy told her.

Bella nodded in agreement before moving over to the second box. She repeated the same process as before, ripping the tape off and opening the flaps. Once again, Cuddy watched Bella's face for any sign of distress or sadness. Upon seeing what was in the box, Bella gasped, dropped her jaw and stared at the contents of the box.

"Oh my god…Mom look, it's Mattie's music. His music that he used to play; he packed it all up. I didn't know he did that." Bella exclaimed happily, reaching into the box and grabbing the first thing she saw. It was a beginner's 'How To' book on how to play the violin. Cuddy noticed that it was well worn as Bella held it in her hands.

"Look Greg, his first music book." She said, looking over at House.

Cuddy shifted her eyes to House, seeing his expression. He smiled at Bella, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"How old was he when he started lessons?" House asked.

"I don't know, I just remember him always playing music; ever since I was a baby."

"He learned the violin first?

Bella nodded.

"It's pretty hard to learn…was he good?"

"Yeah, he got good. But sometimes he would play bad just to annoy me; it sounded like he was strangling a monkey in his bedroom." Bella told them with an eye roll, causing House and Cuddy both to laugh at her. "I always went outside when he did that because it sounded like shit." She continued, suddenly covering her mouth with her hand and shifting her eyes to Cuddy. "Sorry, Mom." She apologized, her voice muffled by her hand.

Cuddy shook her head at her. "Please watch your language, baby. I don't want to tell you again."

Bella nodded, removing her hand from her mouth. "Sorry."

Cuddy nodded, accepting her apology.

"Yeah, kid, watch your fucking language." House interjected.

Bella giggled, looking over at House as Cuddy rolled her eyes. "House." She complained.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Cuddy shook her head. "Why do you do that?" She asked with exasperation.

"Because it annoys you." He answered with a smirk on his face.

"Greg, you should watch your potty mouth too." Bella told him. "Your potty mouth is bigger than mine."

Cuddy smiled and looked pointedly at House. "Yeah Greg." She replied smartly.

"Neither one of you has any idea how big my potty mouth actually is…I could string a sentence together so foul, it would make both of you cringe. Just ask Wilson; he's the only one who's had the pleasure. Of course, I was drunk and he was practically passed out at the time so he might not remember." He added as a second thought.

"That's great, House…thank you for being such a shining example to my daughter. Now shut up and stop trying to corrupt her." She responded harshly.

"It's ok, Mom, I've seen lots of drunk hobos on the streets and most of 'em were passed out, so I know what he means." Bella told her in a matter of fact way.

"Great." Cuddy answered sarcastically, scrubbing her hands over her face before looking up at Bella once more. "I better not ever catch you anywhere near a liquor bottle or I'll ground you for life, understand me?" She told Bella pointedly.

Bella nodded her head quickly in understanding, not wanting to piss her off anymore than House already had. House started laughing and Cuddy glanced in his direction. "What's so funny? You want her to drink?"

"Of course not, but you should listen to yourself. You sound ridiculous." He told her.

"Shut up. Bella, why don't you show us what else is in that box before this conversation spins out of control." Cuddy suggested.

"Too late for that one, Cuddles."

Bella chuckled. "Cuddles."

House and Cuddy both looked at her as she laughed at what House had just called Cuddy. Cuddy looked at her with amusement as House chuckled along with her.

"I never heard you call her that before." Bella laughed. "Can I call you that too, Mom?"

"No, I don't even like it when he calls me that, but that never stops him does it?" She asked, turning her head expectantly in his direction.

"I am unstoppable." House confirmed.

Cuddy rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the weird turn their conversation had taken. "I think we should get back to looking through the boxes."

"Sure thing, Cuddles." House responded.

She sighed as Bella laughed again.

'Ok, two could play at this game.' Cuddy thought. "So House, when you decided to become a cheerleader, did you realize you'd have to wear the tight uniform or was that the reason you signed up in the first place?"

House stopped laughing and glared at Cuddy. Bella stopped as well and looked over at House with surprise.

"You was a cheerleader?" She asked, a chuckle escaping her lips.

Cuddy smiled triumphantly at House and arched her eyebrows in question. "Well?" She prompted.

House looked between Cuddy and Bella and rolled his eyes. "She's making it up, kid. She's just trying to get me back for calling her Cuddles."

"Right…I'm pretty sure there's photographic evidence. I've seen it."

"It was a fake, remember?" House replied, narrowing his eyes at her, trying to get her to back off.

"Hmmm, I think I remember someone showing me the photo…it looked real to me."

"Can _I_ see it?" Bella asked with interest.

"Nope." House answered as Cuddy chuckled.

"But I want to see you as a cheerleader." Bella replied in a serious tone, her curiosity peaked.

"Sorry, I burned it. And if you want to see your 9th birthday, you'll keep your mouth shut, capice?"

Bella frowned before rolling her eyes at him. "Fine, I ain't going to tell nobody that you was a cheerleader, geez."

Cuddy chuckled at Bella's response. "Now…can we please move on? I'd like to see what else are in those boxes."

Bella sighed with exasperation at House before turning around and pulling a few more of Mattie's music books out of the box. She leafed through a few of them as Cuddy and House both picked up a few books as well.

"Hm." House grunted as he leafed through one of the books that looked like a sketchbook with music scales written on it.

"What is it?" Cuddy asked.

"Hey kid, Mattie wrote his own music?"

Bella looked at him, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know."

"It looks like he was working on a song that he didn't finish. This book is full of music he wrote." House replied.

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise and smiled. "Really? What kind of music?"

"Mostly chords, no lyrics." He answered.

"Will you play it, Greg? I want to hear it." Bella asked.

House looked up at her with a bit of surprise on his face. "You want me to play his songs?"

Bella nodded her vigorously. "Please?"

House glanced over at Cuddy. She nodded encouragingly at him, a small smile on her face.

House nodded, standing up and reaching for Mattie's guitar. He strummed a few chords before looking at the book and reading over the chords that Mattie had written. House started playing the chords and getting a feel for the song and as he went on the music began flowing. It was beautiful. Mattie had been talented at playing and apparently writing music as well. Cuddy turned her gaze to Bella, watching her reaction to the song her brother had written. Bella was listening intently, her eyes on every chord House was playing on the guitar. She was mesmerized by it.

After a few moments, House stopped playing and looked up at Bella. "That's it…he didn't finish the song."

"It was pretty." Bella replied.

House nodded. "It's rough, but he was pretty good at this." He told her softly.

She smiled at up at him. "Thanks, Greg. Will you play another one?"

"Sure." House answered.

As he played, Bella smiled at the sound she heard, loving that her brother had written music that she didn't know about. Cuddy loved seeing her expression. She wasn't sad, like Cuddy assumed she would be. She was pleased to have learned something about her brother today. She imagined it was like opening a gift a loved had left after they were long gone.

When House finished playing another song a few minutes later, Bella smiled once more. "I didn't know Mattie wrote music…he never said." Bella said softly.

"Maybe he wanted to keep it to himself." House told her. "It's not something some people like to share." He added.

"Do you write music you don't like to share, Greg?"

House allowed a small smile to come to his face as he nodded. "Yeah, kid, I do."

"Why?" Bella asked with innocent curiosity.

House shook his head. "I don't know, maybe people won't like it."

"I liked the song you wrote Mom for Mother's Day, and you played that for a bunch of people."

"Yeah well, that was a special occasion." House replied, shifting his eyes to Cuddy.

Cuddy smiled at him, remembering the beautiful song he'd written just for her. "If all of your songs are like that, I'm pretty sure everyone would love them." She told him softly.

"They're not. Like I said, it was a special occasion." House responded, averting his eyes and setting the guitar down inside its case.

Cuddy watched him, seeing a bit of the vulnerability that he hid away from everyone, but that still resided within him. You had to look closely to see it, but it was there. It was rare that anyone saw that side of House because he never let it show. But the times that it did were special because those were the times that you saw the real House; the special, wonderful man that he truly was. The man she had fallen in love with.

He looked up, meeting her eyes once more and her smile grew as she looked at him. "Thank you for playing." She told him softly.

House gave her a short nod in acknowledgement before he shifted his eyes to Bella. "Why don't you open the last box, kid?"

Bella nodded and moved over to the third box. Upon opening it, her jaw dropped and she stared in shock at what she saw. Her eyes welled up with tears as she reached in and gently pulled out a photo album.

Cuddy gently laid her hand on Bella's back, rubbing soothing circles over it.

"Mommy look." She spoke in quiet voice. "It's my family." She added.

Cuddy nodded and smiled, watching as Bella's tears spilled over her cheeks. The book was huge, no doubt full of memories that Bella had forgotten. It was a leather hardback book; heavy, with a rectangle cut out of the center for a photo to be placed there; however, it was empty. There were words written across the front that read 'Our Family'. Bella sat down on the floor and Cuddy glanced up at House briefly before shifting her eyes to Bella once more. She opened the book as it lay across her lap.

"This is where that photo that Mattie had with him is supposed to go." Bella mumbled, indicating the empty space on the first page. "He took it from this book."

Cuddy and House exchanged brief glances at what Bella had told them. They didn't speak, not wanting to interrupt Bella's thoughts as she flipped to the next page. There were several photos of Mr. and Mrs. Porter as a young married couple, a few of their wedding photos displayed on the first few pages as well as other pictures of them as a couple. Some were of them on various vacations, probably some from their honeymoon. Cuddy noticed how happy they looked; they were a beautiful couple, with their lives ahead of them. She felt sad as she thought of what had happened to them and how their lives had been cut short. As she looked at their smiling faces her heart grew heavy over the tragedy that would face this family. Cuddy felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but fought to keep them at bay, not wanting to become emotional as Bella looked at the book of memories in her hands.

Cuddy's mind shifted back to Bella, watching her look at each individual picture in the book.

"I remember looking through this book with my Mom back then. She would tell me stories about her and my Dad and how they met and stuff. And she would tell me about their wedding day and how she shoved cake in my Dad's face." Bella recounted, causing Cuddy to smile at the tale she was telling.

"How did they meet?" Cuddy asked.

"Ummm, my Dad came up and started talking to her at a coffee shop and he didn't know that she was deaf. She told me he just kept talking and talking and when he finally stopped, she didn't say anything because she didn't hear anything he'd said, and she couldn't read his lips because he was talking too fast. And so he thought he had pissed her off and he walked away and she didn't see him again for about a month when he went back to the same coffee shop she was in. And when he seen her, he started to walk away again but she stopped him and started talking to him in sign language. She just kept talking and talking, like he did to her, and she knew he didn't know what she was saying to him but she talked anyway. And when she was done talking, he started laughing. She thought he was making fun of her but he wasn't and she _really_ got pissed and left. Anyways, they didn't meet again until like two months later and when my Dad seen her, he started talking to her in sign language and that's how they met." She finished.

Cuddy smiled at her story. "That is so sweet." She replied.

House rolled his eyes. "Oh god, you would think that."

"You don't think it's romantic that he learned sign language, hoping he would run into her again? He probably went to that coffee shop everyday, hoping she would show up."

"He was an idiot. How the hell do you not know that someone is deaf?" He asked.

"You didn't know my Dad…he talked way too much, sometimes he wouldn't let nobody get a word in." Bella informed him.

"Well I think it's romantic that he learned sign language for her." Cuddy replied.

"Me too." Bella replied.

House rolled his eyes once more. "Good god, I'm outnumbered."

"Shut up." Cuddy told House, turning her attention to Bella again. "So what did they say to each other?"

"I don't remember. But my Dad was probably trying to be all cute and charming and stuff; he did that a lot." She replied, rolling her eyes with a smirk on her face.

Cuddy smiled at her as she continued to look through the book. "Your parents were a beautiful couple, Sweetie."

Bella smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Thanks."

After a moment of looking through the photo album, Bella glanced up at Cuddy. "Mom, you know what I was just thinking?"

"What, baby?"

"We don't got a family album of us." She replied softly. "We should get one."

Cuddy smiled at her suggestion, loving the idea. She looked up at House with a smile and nodded her head. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

House stared back her before shifting his eyes to his hands clasped in front of him. She didn't know if that meant he liked the idea or not but she would wait until they were alone to talk about it. They had yet to tell Bella that House was moving in because they wanted her to get readjusted to being home again before they mentioned it. Cuddy knew Bella would love it, but it was a little too soon right now; she had only been back for a day.

When Bella finished looking through the album she set it aside and reached into the box to see what else was in there. Bella frowned and attempted to pick up a smaller box within the big one. "Greg will you help me get this out?" She asked.

House nodded and moved to help her. He lifted the box out and set it beside the big one. It was taped up as well so Bella ripped it open. Her eyes grew wide and a huge smile overtook her face. "I forgot all about these!" She exclaimed with excitement.

"DVDs?" Cuddy asked with confusion.

"Yeah! My Dad had our home movies put on dvd. Well, some of them; the important ones. Like when me and Mattie was born and our other birthdays and stuff. I forgot…Mattie packed 'em up. He remembered 'em!" Bella replied, no doubt overjoyed that she would be able to hear her Dad and brother's voices again as well as to see her Mom too.

Cuddy felt happy that she would have that and she was grateful that Mattie had thought to pack them up back then. This was even better than what Cuddy had been hoping for. She wanted Bella to have something to remember her parents and brother by and the photo album was wonderful, but the home movies would be invaluable to her and would help her in the healing process.

Bella removed one from the box and held it up for Cuddy to see. "Can we watch one?" Bella asked, looking up at Cuddy with the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen.

"Of course we can, Sweetheart."

Bella's smile grew and she hopped to her feet and held her other hand out to Cuddy, wanting her to follow Bella to the living room.

"Come on!" She suggested happily.

Cuddy smiled and stood to her feet, glancing over at House as he stood up as well. Bella grabbed on to Cuddy's hand and pulled her along until they walked into the living room. Bella opened the dvd case, taking it out and placing it inside the dvd player's tray. Once Bella had it playing she made her way over to the couch where House and Cuddy were both sitting, planting herself in between them. Cuddy watched Bella's reaction as the dvd started playing the menu. Cuddy shifted her eyes to the television, seeing the startup menu as well. It had a picture of the Porters on it along with the date and a selection of different choices to view. The first was one of Mattie's music recitals, the second was a baseball game, and the third was several or Mattie's birthdays placed into one clip.

Bella made her choice, choosing to watch Mattie's music recitals.

"I was just a baby so I don't remember going to this." Bella told them softly.

Cuddy listened, but didn't comment. She gently placed her arm around Bella's shoulders as the shaky video of a full auditorium came into view with the lights shining on the stage and a young boy, about 7 years old, was standing in the middle of it with a violin in his hand. There was someone Cuddy assumed was the teacher, standing up at the microphone introducing Mattie to the audience.

After a few words of introduction, the teacher walked off stage and another moment passed before Mattie began playing. He started off slow, the music flowing quietly. The audio on the camera wasn't good but they were still able to hear him play. He was adorable, Cuddy thought. This must have been when he was first learning because as House had said it was a difficult instrument to master. It required discipline to play, as with any musical instrument; but he was doing well.

They watched him play three short songs and when he finished, they could hear applause in the auditorium and Nathan whistle loudly from behind the camera. He panned the camera over to Claire who had a huge smile on her face as she applauded in sign language for her son.

"It must have been hard for your Mom not be able to hear him play." Cuddy commented softly.

"Yeah, I guess. She never missed a recital though and neither did Dad. He taped all of 'em." Bella answered.

Cuddy smiled at her answer, nodding her head. She understood her Mother not wanting miss one; if Cuddy had been in her place, she wouldn't have missed them either. "She was proud of her son." Cuddy added.

"Yeah." Bella responded. "Want to watch some more?"

"I'd love to."

"Do you want to, Greg?" Bella asked, turning her head to look up at him.

House gave a short nod, a small smile on his lips.

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11:04 PM

House carried Bella, in his arms, down the hall to her bedroom as she slept soundly on his shoulder. They had spent the rest of the evening watching some of the dvds that were found in Mattie's box. House had felt slightly uncomfortable watching home movies of people he didn't know. It was strange, but he had kept his mouth shut for the most part and let Bella enjoy revisiting her family memories. It was important to her, so it was important to him.

House set Bella down in her bed, pulling the covers over her as she continued to sleep. She snuggled up to her little stuffed snow leopard she had come home with yesterday. He assumed she had gotten it at the zoo on the anniversary of Mattie's death. He placed a soft kiss on Bella's forehead and gently combed his fingers through her hair. House straightened up and quietly watched her sleep for a few minutes.

Watching the videos today had allowed him to understand her a little bit better. To see the little girl she used to be compared to the little girl she is now. Bella was scared that she wasn't the same little girl as she used to be, but as he watched the dvds, he could see that same little girl still in there somewhere. She had gone through so many difficult times in such a short span of time, but he could see her beginning to heal, and the kid she used to be, begin to emerge once more. She wasn't completely there, but given time, she would be.

He was proud of her for sitting there and watching those videos. There had been tears and laughter from her as they watched them, but he and Cuddy had been there for her and what was more important she had accepted their comfort.

At one point, Bella broke down and cried for her brother, unable to keep her emotions inside any longer after seeing him again and hearing his voice. She cried and cried as Cuddy held her in her arms and House held her small hand in his larger one. She had sobbed for several minutes, saying how much she missed his laugh and the voice she had once thought to be so annoying, she loved now.

Throughout the evening, Bella had also laughed at the many idiotic things he had done and had been caught on tape. House had to admit, that kid was an idiot, but so were most kids his age. House had also gotten a sense of his intelligence as well. Mattie had been a smart young man and House could see how he had kept his kid sister alive in New York for so long. It was just too bad that he couldn't have kept himself alive as well.

House felt Cuddy's arms wrap around his waist from behind him, and felt her place a soft kiss on his back before she laid her head against him. She gave him a gentle squeeze and sighed softly.

"You ok?" She asked in whisper.

"Yeah."

"What are you thinking about?"

"The kid."

"It's been a rough day for her." She commented softly.

"Mhmm."

Cuddy removed her arms from around his waist and took his hand in hers. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's been a rough day for us too."

House nodded and followed Cuddy out of the room. He closed Bella's bedroom door and they both made their way into their own bedroom, readying themselves for bed. As they lay there several minutes later, Cuddy curled up to him, winding her arm around his torso as she placed her leg over his left leg and pressed a kiss to his cheek, sighing softly. "Night, House."

House held her close as they both settled into bed. He caressed her arm softly with his fingertips.

"Want to have sex?" He asked.

Cuddy lifted her head and looked at him with a scowl on her face. "What?"

"You heard me. We were supposed to have our little rendezvous tonight, remember?"

"Another night, House, I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"I know something that will put you to sleep in no time." He told her, moving his hand down to her ass.

"Silence?" She asked, laying her head back down.

"You're mean."

"House, you're just as tired as I am. Sex can wait. We both have work in the morning and I have about a million things that need to get done and meetings to go to and…"

"See, you're stressed, let me calm you down." He replied, removing his hand from her ass up to her back, underneath her tank top and expertly rolling her onto her back as he placed a kiss on her lips. She looked up at him with surprise before he kissed her again, his lips quirking into a self-satisfied smirk.

He braced himself above her as his other hand skimmed over her body; down her side, over her hip and thigh and back up as he continued to place soft kisses on her lips.

"House." She spoke between slow, soft kisses.

"Hm." He grunted in response, moving his lips down to her neck, kissing and nibbling on the spot he knew would drive her crazy.

"House." She said again, in a more breathy tone, moving her hand over his back.

He stopped his assault on her neck and looked down at her, a smile coming to his face. "Did you have something you wanted to say?" He asked.

She leaned in and kissed him, before looking into his eyes. "You're such a bastard." She mumbled against his lips.

House laughed and nodded his head. "I know." He told her, before kissing her lips once more; this kiss turning into a more heated and passionate kiss than their previous ones.

**Happy Season Premiere everyone! Enjoy the Huddy.**


	51. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

Three Weeks Later – Saturday – 5:00 AM

House awoke to the sound of a baby crying. He lifted his head in confusion, a scowl making its way onto his face. "What the hell?" He mumbled, still half asleep. He looked at the clock seeing what time it was and rolled his eyes. House turned his head, looking for Cuddy, wondering if she had heard it as well; except she wasn't in bed. House sat up, giving his body time to wake up before he got out of bed. After a moment, the cries stopped and he made his way out of the bedroom and into the living room, realizing that was where the sound was coming from. As he rounded the corner, he heard a man's voice on the TV. One he had come to know well in the past few weeks. "It's a girl." The man said, his tone expressing the joy he felt. It was Nathan Porter's voice, Bella's deceased father. Ever since the home movies had been found, Bella and Cuddy had watched them constantly. Cuddy had fallen in love with the videos of Bella in various stages of life. House had even been roped into watching some of them as well but he would get himself out of it as often as he could. He still felt weird watching them. He understood that Bella needed to see them so that she could move on with the healing process, but he was getting kind of tired of watching them himself; he had seen enough.

House saw Cuddy curled up on the couch with a teary smile on her face, watching the dvd of Bella's birth. He knew she had watched it once before with Bella, but now he began to wonder how many mornings she had come in here to watch it alone.

Cuddy saw him standing in the doorway and quickly paused the movie, the image of a newborn Bella frozen on the screen as she wiped the tears from her eyes. House glanced between the screen and Cuddy. Cuddy moved into a sitting position on the couch. "Hey. Did I wake you?"

House nodded.

"I'm sorry. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so…" She replied, leaving her sentence unfinished.

"So you thought you'd come in here and watch home movies about someone else's family?"

Cuddy frowned at his choice of words, but nodded in answer to them. "I'm sorry, I'll keep it down." She told him softly.

House nodded, eyeing her for a moment longer before turning and leaving the living room, making his way back to bed. He shook his head, wondering what all of that had been about. Why the hell did she feel it necessary to watch that video over and over again. He understood watching it once, maybe twice, since Cuddy wasn't there for the birth of her adopted daughter, but any more than that was ridiculous. Unless…

"Shit." House mumbled, laying his head down on his pillow and staring up at the ceiling.

Unless…she was feeling a renewed desire to have her own child. He thought adopting Bella would be enough, but apparently she still felt a deep longing to have her own baby. She had been watching those damn videos, seeing Bella grow from a newborn baby into a six year old, no doubt wondering what it would be like to watch her own baby grow in that way. House shook his head, a deep frown taking over his face. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Talk to her about it? Tell her that she would probably never have her own kid? She knew that already, she didn't need him to tell her. Why the hell was she doing this? He didn't want to see her get hurt but that's exactly what was going to happen no matter what he did.

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4:00 PM – Thursday – 4 Days Later

Bella sat in Dr. Sloane's office with her hands clasped in her lap, waiting for Dr. Sloane to get her files ready to start their session. She had been attending her sessions every week since she had gotten back from New York and they had been talking about why she had chosen to run away. Bella had told her a little bit about Mattie, but she had not told her about what had happened to him yet. It was really hard for her to talk about what she had seen, but now that she knew that Mom and Greg knew about it, she felt braver about voicing her trauma.

Dr. Sloane sat down in her chair across from Bella on the couch and pressed the record button on the digital recorder, smiling at her.

"Shall we begin?" Dr. Sloane asked.

Bella nodded in affirmation.

"Ok…how was your week, Bella?"

"Good."

Dr. Sloane's smile grew as she nodded her head. "How's school?"

"Good. But my lessons are getting harder." She told her.

"Oh? What specifically?"

"Math and English."

Dr. Sloane nodded. "Is your Mom helping you?"

Bella nodded. "Yep, but it's still harder."

"Is it the lessons that are getting harder or are you having trouble concentrating?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know."

"Do you find it hard to listen to your tutor when she's teaching you?"

"Sometimes. I like school, but I liked it better when my friends was there with me."

Dr. Sloane smiled at that. "That's understandable. Do you get to see your friends regularly?"

Bella smiled and nodded. "Yes. Mom fixed it so that after my tutoring, I get to go to Maya's house and stay until Mom gets off work. She comes to get me and then we go home."

"That's great. It's good that you spend time with your friends, that's important." She commented.

Bella nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's better than staying in Mom's office all day."

"Yes, I can imagine that would be boring for you." Dr. Sloane commented with a chuckle. "How are you and your Mom doing? Any problems?"

Bella shook her head. "Not really, we been doing real good since I got back."

"That's good to hear. What about Greg?"

"We been good too, except…" Bella replied, stopping mid sentence.

Dr. Sloane arched her eyebrows in question. "Except what?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders, a pout on her lips. "I wish he was my Dad." She told Dr. Sloane.

She nodded, tilting her head to one side. "It makes you sad that isn't." Dr. Sloane stated. "Do you think he's ready to be your Dad?"

"He's been my Dad pretty much ever since I met him, he just don't want to admit it." Bella replied with frustration, leaning forward on the couch for emphasis. "He thinks he ain't good at it but I think I should be the one to decide if he is, not him. Just because his Dad was mean to him, he thinks he would be mean to me but he ain't."

"Well, from his perspective, that's a valid concern, Bella. But I also think that if he's worried about being mean to you, then the likelihood that he would be is very minimal. He's aware of it, so he will be conscious of how he handles himself around you. I think you're right, he wouldn't be mean to you and he would probably be a wonderful father. But you need to let _him_ determine when he's ready, ok?"

Bella begrudgingly nodded her head.

"Have you talked to your Mom about this?"

"No." She answered softly.

"Why not?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. She would say what you said, I guess."

"And you knew that, but you're frustrated about it." She stated.

Bella nodded in confirmation.

"I'm sure she would understand your frustration. Listen Bella, I'm here so we can talk about these things, but I'm also here to encourage you to talk about them with your Mom too, ok?"

Bella nodded. "Ok."

Bella watched as Dr. Sloane made a note in her file before her lip curving into a small smile. "I see in your file that your birthday is coming up. Any special plans?"

Bella allowed a smile to come to her face as she nodded. "Mom is throwing me a party. She said I could invite whoever I want."

"That sounds like fun." Dr. Sloane commented with a smile.

Bella nodded excitedly. "I can't wait. I made invitations to give to my friends and I hope they can come."

"Do you know what your Mom planned for the party?"

"No, it's a surprise." Bella answered with a huge smile on her face, her excitement growing the more she talked about it. She couldn't wait until her birthday; it would be the first time in years that it would be a celebration instead of what it had been after the loss of her parents and especially after the loss of Mattie. Last year, she didn't even remember her birthday because Mattie had just died, thus destroying her world even more than it already was. The previous year, Mattie had bought her a cupcake and a small sketchpad for her drawing. It had been difficult then to celebrate without their parents present, but they had and it had been nice; as nice as it could've been under their circumstances, at least.

Bella saw Dr. Sloane frown at her sudden loss of excitement due to her thoughts.

"Do you want to talk about what you were just thinking that made you sad?"

Bella shrugged. "I was just thinking that it's gonna be nice to have a birthday party again after not having one for a while." She mumbled softly.

Dr. Sloane nodded in understanding. "You've been through a lot to get to where you are now."

Bella nodded, averting her eyes.

"Do you feel proud of that? That you've survived through it all, primarily on your own?"

"I don't know. I didn't ever think about it like that. I just did it."

Dr. Sloane nodded once more. "You should be proud of yourself, Bella, you survived where a lot of people in your position wouldn't have. Now that you have a family again, you can allow them to do what you've had to do for so long; to take the pressure off of yourself so you can enjoy doing things, like your birthday party that's coming up."

"That's what Greg said too. That I should just be a kid and let him and Mom take care of me."

Dr. Sloane smiled. "It sounds to me like Greg is planning to stick around."

"Really?" Bella asked, a small smile coming to her face as she looked at Dr. Sloane.

She nodded. "But that's just my opinion, Bella. I don't want to get your hopes up for something that might not happen. You should still let him decide when he's ready."

Bella nodded in understanding.

"Last week when we talked you were telling me about your brother. Do you want to talk about him today?"

She shrugged, averting her eyes from Dr. Sloane. "I guess I could talk about him a little."

"Ok. What do you want to tell me about him today?"

"Ummm, he died." Bella told her softly. She knew that Dr. Sloane knew that Mattie had died, but she needed to gather her thoughts about how to proceed with the conversation. She wanted to tell her about _how_ he died, but she needed to build up to it.

Dr. Sloane nodded, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"He…was supposed to take care of me after Mom and Dad died, but then he died too."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Dr. Sloane asked softly.

Bella sat there silently for several minutes, remembering every detail of what had happened to Mattie. Running the scenario over and over in her mind. She bowed her head as the tears began pooling in her eyes, a sob escaping her lips. Dr. Sloane let her cry for a few moments before getting up and sitting down beside Bella on the couch.

"It's ok to cry, Bella, it's healthy." She told Bella softly.

"I know, Mommy tells me that all the time, but sometimes I don't want to cry. I hate Mattie for dying and I'm sick of crying." Bella replied with frustration, pounding her fist on the leather sofa, as she sobbed loudly into the room. "I just want it to go away. I want to move on." She continued.

"It's wonderful that you want to move on, Bella. You are well on your way to doing that, even if you don't realize it. Do you know what you've been doing the last three weeks since you got back? You have been talking about your brother. You've been telling me about him and I couldn't get you to do that before you ran away to New York. Before, I couldn't get you to say a word about him, not even mention his name. But look at you today, talking openly to me about him and ready to tell me what happened to him." Dr. Sloane told her. "Honey…you are moving on. You're doing it; it's just going to take time for you to come to the point where you feel like you have. It is a long term process, but you will get there." Dr. Sloane told her encouragingly.

Bella nodded and wiped at the tears pouring down her face. "I don't want it to take a long time. I just want it to go away."

"I know. It's painful to talk about, but talking is what's going help you to move on. You have to release it, Bella; let it go, so that it doesn't destroy you on the inside." Dr. Sloane replied. "Does that make sense?"

Bella nodded.

"You said you hate Mattie for dying. Do you want to tell me why?"

Bella sniffed and wiped more of her tears away, accepting the tissue that Dr. Sloane handed her. "Because…because he was stupid for what he did. He shouldn't have done that; he was supposed to take care of me. He promised he would and then he died and left me all alone." She told her amidst more tears and cries of sadness, frustration and anger.

"You blame him for dying. Was it his fault?"

Bella shook her head. "It was my fault." She told Dr. Sloane.

"How was it your fault?"

"Because he did what he did _for me_…so he could take care of me and he died for it." She explained.

"Honey, what did Mattie do?"

"He stole money."

"He stole money to take care of you. Did he steal from dangerous people, Bella?" She asked, gently coaxing her to tell her what happened.

Bella nodded. "The drug men."

"Mattie was selling drugs?" Dr. Sloane asked her.

Bella shook her head. "No, he told them he would but instead he took their money and they shot him." She finally uttered painfully, crying as the words came out of her mouth.

Except for Bella's cries, there was silence in the room for several minutes. She glanced up at Dr. Sloane as she placed a comforting arm around Bella's shoulders. Another moment passed when she looked at Bella with sadness in her eyes.

"You witnessed your brother's murder." She stated softly, looking into Bella's eyes.

Tears spilled down Bella's face as she nodded her head and wept.

She sighed sadly, as she comforted Bella. "Bella…I am so sorry that you witnessed such a horrible thing…but honey, it was not your fault what happened. You can't blame yourself for that. He was in an impossible situation and unfortunately he put himself in a dangerous position when he thought there was no other way to get out of the situation you were both in. I have to be honest here, Bella. Mattie messed up. He got _himself_ killed…you are not to blame for his death. He should have never taken you away from your foster parents; it was dangerous for you and dangerous for him. He was too young to be taking care of you alone. Mattie was under a lot of pressure. He was grieving the loss of your parents and he thought it was his job to take care of his baby sister. And it was, but not in that way. Not in a way that put both of your lives in danger." Dr. Sloane told her softly. "Do you understand that? Do you understand how none of it is your fault?"

Bella nodded. "I want my Mom." Bella told her, choking on her tears.

Dr. Sloane nodded, and stood up, making her way to the office door. She opened it and softly called Mom into the room. "Dr. Cuddy."

Bella looked up when Mom walked through the door. Mom heard her cries and swiftly moved over to her, sitting down on the sofa beside her and taking Bella into her arms. The second Mom wrapped her arms around Bella, she buried her head in her neck. "Mommy."

"Shhhh, it's ok, baby. It's ok, I'm here." She cooed.

Mom pulled Bella onto her lap and Bella wrapped her arms around Mom's neck and straddled her legs. Mom gently rocked her from side to side, holding her tightly against her. They stayed in that position for several minutes, until Bella's cries became soft hiccups; Mom's soothing caresses over Bella's back calming her.

"Are you ok?" Mom asked her in a soft whisper.

Bella nodded before she felt Mom place a kiss on her temple.

"Bella, why don't we cut it short today?" Dr. Sloane asked her softly.

Bella sniffed and nodded as Mom gently wiped Bella's tears away with a tissue. "I want to go home." Bella mumbled to Mom.

"Ok." She replied softly.

"I'd like to talk more about this next week, can we do that, Bella?" Dr. Sloane asked softly.

Bella hesitated but slowly nodded her head.

"Alright. You did very well today. I'm proud of you." Dr. Sloane told her.

Bella nodded, not wanting to speak anymore, just wanting to go home. She lifted her head from Mom's shoulder and climbed off her lap. As she gathered her backpack, she glanced at Dr. Sloane briefly, seeing the encouragement she had spoken to her emanating in her eyes. Bella took Mom's hand and they walked out of the office together.

Bella realized she had taken a huge step today, and she was glad that Dr. Sloane had told her that she was on her way to moving on from this. It was strange, but she felt better for having told Dr. Sloane about Mattie. Mom and Greg already knew and Bella had found out the hard way that they knew, even before she had told them that one time. But this time Bella got to tell someone that had no idea what had happened, and that's what felt good. Bella realized that it was important for her to tell someone in order for her to fully move on and feel the peace she needed to feel to let go of Mattie. Dr. Sloane was the only person that didn't know about what happened and Bella felt as if more weight had been lifted from her shoulders today.

Talking to Dr. Sloane was helping and Bella felt proud of herself for talking to her about Mattie. It was hard, but she had to do it. It was the only way she would get to move on with her life.

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8:25 PM

Cuddy and Bella sat up in Bella's bed reading a book before Bella's bedtime. Bella had her head on Cuddy's shoulder and Cuddy had her arm around Bella's shoulders, holding the book up so they could both see it. Bella was reading aloud from a book that her Grandma had sent her in the mail and thought she would enjoy. It was called, _Falling Up_ by Shel Silverstein and Bella was loving it. It was a book of silly poems for kids. Bella had flipped through the book and read several of the poems already as Cuddy watched her expression, seeing how much she was enjoying it.

…_When I looked around,_

_I got sick to my stomach_

_And I threw down._

Bella giggled as she finished reading. "I love this book." She told Cuddy.

"Grandma will be happy to hear that." She told her, placing a kiss to her head. "It's time for bed, baby."

"Aww, can't I read another one?" Bella begged her.

Cuddy smiled and nodded. "Sure, one more. But after that it's lights out."

Bella nodded and flipped a few pages, choosing one, and reading it aloud for Cuddy to hear.

_I made myself a snowball_

_As perfect as could be._

_I thought I'd keep it as a pet_

_And let it sleep with me._

_I made it some pajamas_

_And a pillow for its head._

_Then last night it ran away,_

_But first—it wet the bed._

Bella laughed once more as she finished the poem. "That was funny. Can I call Grandma tomorrow and thank her for the book?"

"Yeah, she'd love to hear from you. We'll call her when we get home."

Bella nodded, and Cuddy stood up, placing the book on Bella's bookshelf next to her bed. Bella got under the covers and glanced up at Cuddy.

"Mom."

"Yeah." Cuddy answered, sitting down on the bed facing Bella as she fidgeted with the comforter.

"I told Dr. Sloane about what happened to Mattie." She told Cuddy in a small voice.

Cuddy nodded, already having suspected that earlier since Bella had been so upset and knowing that nothing else would have upset her so badly. "I figured." She responded, brushing a stray curl away from her eyes. "Are you ok?"

Bella nodded, shifting her eyes to Cuddy's. "Yeah. I wanted to tell her cuz…I want to move on. I don't want to think about it all the time anymore. I'm tired of thinking about it." Bella told her. "Dr. Sloane said that I should let it all out so that I'll feel better inside."

Cuddy frowned and nodded in understanding, but also knowing that she had a hard road ahead of her before she could fully move on from her past. Cuddy knew she was on the right path to doing that and she was glad that Dr. Sloane seemed to be helping her out with that. Cuddy felt extremely proud of the strides that Bella had made so far. "I'm proud of you, Bella." She told her daughter, needing her to know how she felt.

"You are?"

She smiled at Bella, gently stroking her thumb over Bella's cheek. "Always."

Bella smiled in response, giving her a shy nod before speaking once more.

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Dr. Sloane said I should talk to you about this and I want to."

"Ok. What is it?"

"Umm, I told Dr. Sloane that I want Greg to be my Dad. Do you think he wants to my Dad? She said I had to wait till he's ready."

Cuddy was surprised by her question. She didn't know how to answer that without telling her that he had already decided he wanted to become her father, but she couldn't do that without him present. She sighed softly, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't be a lie.

"I think Dr. Sloane is right. We can't make Greg want to be your Dad; he has to come to it on his own. But I think that when he does decide, he'll choose you, because he loves you so much."

"But what if he's too scared? What if he don't want me?" Bella asked with a small pout to her lips.

"I don't think that's something you have to worry about, Sweetie. Have you tried talking to If it's really bothering you, I suggest you tell him about how you feel?"

Bella nodded her head. "Yes, but it was a long time ago and he still didn't decide. I don't want to ask him again, he'll get mad and then he _really_ won't want me."

"He won't get mad, Sweetie. Trust me, he would never do that. House just needs time to realize that he _does_ want you. He knows it in his head; he just has to know it in his heart too. Ok?"

Bella nodded. "Ok."

"Thank you for talking to me about this."

"You're welcome." She mumbled.

"Hey, don't worry about anything. We'll work it out." Cuddy reassured her softly.

She nodded once more and Cuddy leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek. "Get some rest. Call me if you need me."

"Ok."

"Goodnight, baby girl."

"Night."

Cuddy made her way out of Bella's room, turning the light out and closing the door. She walked into the living room, needing to finish some paperwork. She had been working on it for about an hour when she heard House's motorcycle pull into the driveway. After a few moments, the front door opened and closed quietly. Cuddy looked up when he peeked into the room, setting his bag down on the floor.

"Hey." Cuddy greeted with a tired smile.

"Hey, yourself." He replied, making his way over to sit next to her on the couch.

Cuddy moved the paperwork over so he could sit down. "How's your patient?" She asked, leaning over and placing a kiss on his lips.

"Great! Now that we've performed an unnecessary and risky procedure on him, which went awry of course, and we're now being sued."

Cuddy looked at him in shock, anger creeping onto her face. She opened her mouth to respond when he cut her off.

"I'm kidding…he's fine, he'll be going home in the morning."

Cuddy glared him, and at the same time feeling a sense of relief. "Ass."

"Hey, watch your potty mouth, Mom; little ears." He replied, nodding his head toward Bella's room.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "She's asleep, I can swear as much I want."

"Ah, is that the rule now? So when she's asleep, I can say fuck as much as I want?"

"I doubt her being asleep would ever stop you from saying fuck or any other word you could come up with." Cuddy replied smartly.

"You know she cusses like a sailor when you're not around, right?"

"No she doesn't."

"It's so cute how you think she's so innocent."

"I know she's not innocent, but she needs boundaries and I'm trying to set them."

House rolled his eyes. "Moms…always ruining everyone's fun."

She smirked at him before changing the subject. "She told me tonight that she wants you to be her Dad." Cuddy replied with a smile.

"I am her Dad."

"She doesn't know that yet…we need to tell her soon. She was talking about it with Dr. Sloane. She's really been thinking about this, House."

House nodded. "So what's next? Are we supposed to go to a judge or something?"

"I did some research, and New Jersey allows unmarried couples to adopt together. I need to confirm that with Janine though."

"Was that your way of proposing to me, because that didn't go the way I had always dreamed it would?" He snarked.

"Shut up."

He smirked at her before changing the subject. "I'm surprised we haven't seen her around the hospital."

Cuddy furrowed her brow in confusion. "Who?"

"Jane."

"Janine?" Cuddy corrected. "Why?"

"Well, since Wilson's been doing her, I figured she'd be around the place."

Cuddy dropped her jaw in surprise. "What? Since when?"

House shrugged. "I don't know, not long though, judging by the way he's been walking around with an 'I just got fucked' look on his face."

Cuddy rolled her eyes at his choice of words. "Well…good for them." She replied, glad that Wilson had found someone. Janine was a great person, she and Wilson would be happy together.

"Yeah, lucky her, she could turn out to be the next ex-Mrs. Wilson."

Cuddy shook her head.

"How long has the kid been asleep?" House asked her after a moment.

"Just over an hour."

He nodded, leaning his head back on the couch.

"She told Dr. Sloane about what happened to Mattie." Cuddy told him softly, looking over at him as he turned his head toward her.

"She ok?" He asked, his concern evident.

Cuddy shrugged her shoulder and furrowed her brow. "It was hard on her. We left her session early and she spent most of the afternoon in her bedroom, but I think she's ok now. I'm so proud of her, House. She's really trying to deal with this."

House nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He replied softly. After a moment, he commented quietly. "Maybe the more she talks about it, the faster her nightmares will go away. They haven't been as bad lately."

"Yeah, I hope that's the case. She told me she was tired of thinking about it all the time and that she just wants to move on. She's realizing that keeping it in, isn't going to work."

"Good. She needs to get it out."

Cuddy smiled and nodded in agreement. "Is there anything you want to get out?"

House scowled in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

Cuddy shrugged. "You've been hurt deeply in your life, House. I'm just saying that I'm here to listen if you ever want to talk about it."

"It's too late for me, Cuddy. She's just a kid, it's different for her."

"It's not too late, House. Just think about it, ok?" She told him softly, stroking his arm.

House watched her for a moment before agreeing with a nod. "What about you? Anything you need to get off your chest? You know, besides that shirt?"

Cuddy arched her eyebrows. "Smooth." She replied. "And no, I'm good."

"You sure? No secret desires or longings you've been holding on to? Nothing I should know about?"

Cuddy looked at him with confusion on her face, having no idea what the hell he was going on about. "No…do _you_ know something I don't?"

House gave her a short nod. "I usually do. But not about this."

She continued to stare at him in confusion. "What's _this_?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"House, what…?" She sighed, more confused than ever. "If you have something on your mind, I wish you would just tell me."

House looked at her for a moment without speaking before he shook his head. "It's nothing." He replied. "I'm going to go check on the kid for a minute before I get a shower. The movers will be finished at my place tomorrow, we should talk to her then…put the kid out of her misery." He added as he stood up.

Cuddy nodded, with a frown in her brow, wondering what had just happened. She watched him stand and make his way toward Bella's room. He definitely had something on his mind, but obviously didn't feel like talking about it. She couldn't force him; she knew that. He would tell her when he was ready, but it still didn't keep her from wondering what it was. She hoped it was nothing too serious as she thought back over the past few days and what might have happened that would bother him. He had been working on a case and had been busy and distracted with his puzzle. They had hardly seen each other at home, and only glimpses or short conversations at the hospital when he needed permission for a procedure. So she wouldn't really know if there was anything that had upset him. Maybe Wilson would know, she thought. House said something about her desires or longings that she hadn't told him about, but she honestly didn't know what he meant by that. She wasn't keeping anything from him. What the hell did he mean?

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

House quietly opened the door to Bella's bedroom, darkness greeting him as he stepped inside, leaving the door open a crack. He had been working on healing his patient for the last few days, barely having time to see Bella. Every night for the last few days had been this way, he would get home late and she would be asleep. He had made the effort to see her in the mornings before her tutoring lessons, even dropping her off a couple of days in a row before heading back to the hospital. But he hadn't seen her all day today, and he had missed her. House had been pleasantly surprised about what she had told Cuddy about him. She wanted him to be her Dad. He already knew that of course, but it still felt nice to hear that she wanted it so much that she had told her therapist about it.

House leaned down and placed a kiss on Bella's forehead as she slept peacefully. He allowed a small smile to come to his face as he thought about how proud of her he was. She had done well today in telling her therapist about Mattie. That couldn't have been easy. She was really trying hard to move on with her life. He hoped that he and Cuddy could provide her with the kind of life that she deserved; like the one she had previously with her biological family. He hoped that he could be the kind of father she needed.

As he watched Bella sleep, his mind jumped back to the conversation he'd had with Cuddy a minute ago. He had been trying to get her to tell him that she still had a desire to have a baby. She had been watching those videos so often, he was sure that's what was on her mind. House knew she was happy with Bella as her daughter, but he also knew how badly she's always wanted her own baby. She had gone as far as looking for sperm donors a few years ago and of course the whole adoption gone wrong incident several months ago before Bella came into the picture. There was just something in her that couldn't let it go. House sighed softly before turning around and making his way out of Bella's bedroom. As he walked down the hall, he shook his head, not having the energy to think about it anymore. His case the last four days had been a great distraction from this. He was just getting his head around being one kid's father; how the hell was he supposed to handle it, if by some freak accident, another one came into the world?

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

5:15 PM – The Next Day

Bella and Maya were playing in the backyard when Bella looked up and saw Greg standing in the doorway leading into the house. Maya's mom stood beside him, having let him inside the house and over to where Bella was playing with Maya.

"Greg!" She exclaimed with surprise, running over to him and throwing her arms around him. "You came to get me today? Did you fix your patient?"

He smiled down at her, his arm around her in an embrace. "Yes and yes; we're meeting your Mom at my place today."

Bella frowned. "How come?"

"We _may_ have a little surprise." He told her with a slight look of mischief on his face.

Bella's face lit up at his words, wondering what it could be. "What surprise?" She asked, knowing he wouldn't tell, but it never hurt to ask.

"Sorry, can't tell ya. Let's go, short stuff." He responded.

Bella spun around to grab her bag, not wanting to wait any longer on finding out what her surprise was. "I'm ready!" She said excitedly.

Greg chuckled at her, nodding his head toward the door.

"Bye, Maya. See you next week." Bella said as she waved to Maya and her Mom and made her way to the front door.

"Bye Bella, hope you like your surprise." She responded with a wave.

"Thanks."

They walked out the door and to Greg's car that was parked in the driveway. He opened the door for her and she climbed in, buckling her seatbelt. When Greg made his way around and opened the door, he set his cane down and buckled his seatbelt as well. He glanced over at her with a smirk.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yep. I can't wait to see my surprise; I love surprises. Can't you just give me a hint?"

"Nope." He replied, shaking his head.

She gave him an exaggerated pout as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway, heading toward his apartment.

Greg rolled his eyes at her. "You better pull that lip back in before you trip on it."

"I'm sitting down." She told with an eye roll of her own. "Just a little hint?" She asked once more, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Oh good lord…who taught you to do that?"

"Do what?" She asked with a shrug and a smirk, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"Is that how you survived out there? With that cute little pout, batting your eyelashes at anyone who'd listen?"

"That don't make sense." She replied.

"Well you can forget it, because that crap doesn't work on me, kid."

Bella sat back with a frown. "Fine." She replied with disappointment before changing the subject to what she had done that day and what she had learned in her lessons. He listened and commented as well as asked her questions to test her.

A few minutes later they pulled up to his apartment building. Bella reached for the door handle, barely looking out at traffic, but Greg stopped her.

"Wait for it, Speedy Gonzales." He replied.

"Why?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Because this is a busy street, kid. Get out on this side or you could become a pancake."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I ain't gonna get hit; I looked."

"No you didn't. Just do what I tell you, kid. Come on." He told her as he got out of the car.

Bella left her backpack and followed him, getting out on his side of the car. Bella took his hand as they walked up to the door. When he unlocked and opened it for her to enter, she saw Mom standing in the middle of the room. What struck her the most, though, was that the room was nearly empty and there were boxes stacked up against the wall. All of his furniture was still there, but the majority of his belongings were packed up. Bella looked around the room in confusion before her gaze fell on Greg.

"You're leaving?" She asked in shock as she looked between him and Mom.

"I'm moving, kid."

Bella's eyes began tearing up and a deep frown made it's way onto her brow. She shifted her eyes to where Mom was standing and she didn't understand why Mom didn't look upset. Mom moved over to her as soon as she noticed the distress on her face.

"No…Bella, House isn't leaving us. He's moving in; House is moving in with us." Mom told her, reassuring her that nothing bad was happening.

The words took a moment to sink in and when they did, Bella's face lit up for the second time that day. She turned her head to look at Greg, moving over to him in an instant, leaping into his arms and throwing her arms around his neck. "You're moving in? You decided to be my Daddy?" She asked him happily, squeezing him as tightly as she could.

"Holy shit, kid, you're chocking me." He replied.

Bella loosened her grip on him and placed sloppy kiss on his cheek. "I love you, I love you." She told him excitedly, before hugging him once more.

He held onto her, embracing her tightly as well. "You too, kid." He responded.

"This is the best surprise ever!" She exclaimed, garnering a laugh from both her parents.

Mom came up behind Bella and placed her hand her back, gently caressing her. Bella leaned back, looking into Greg's eyes. "I thought you was moving away, but I'm glad you're not." She told him, laying her head on Greg's shoulder. She didn't want to let him go. She was so excited that he wanted to be with her and Mom forever that she just wanted him to hold her.

"Yeah you say that now, but when I kick all the boys who come a callin', off my front porch, you'll change your mind." He replied.

Bella frowned, not understanding what that meant. "Huh?" She asked him, looking between him and Mom.

"Nevermind." He answered with a laugh, gently setting her down on her feet and moving over to the couch.

Bella followed him, sitting down next to him on the couch. She scooted as close to him as she could get, looking up at him with a smile. "Do I call you Dad now?" She asked him.

Greg glanced up at Mom for a moment before shifting his eyes back to Bella. "I don't know, kid. Why don't we just see how it goes for now?"

Bella averted her eyes, looking down at her hands clasped in her lap. "But I thought you was ready to be my Dad?" She asked with an edge of disappointment in her tone.

She heard Greg sigh softly, placing his arm around the back of the couch. He didn't respond to her question for a moment so she looked up at him, quickly shifting her eyes to Mom and seeing her move over to the couch as well. Mom placed her arm around Bella's shoulders.

"Sweetie, House wants to be your Dad, but this is new for him. I think…"

"The kid is right. If I were ready for this, I wouldn't have a problem with her calling me Dad." Greg interrupted.

Bella and Mom turned their heads, looking up at him. "House…"

"So you don't want to be my Dad now?" Bella asked, interrupting what Mom was about to say and feeling slight anger rise up in her. 'He couldn't just change his mind like that, it wasn't fair.' She thought.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that since I want to be your Dad, I shouldn't be hung up about what you call me...it comes with the territory. It's my issue and I'll deal with it. You can call me…Dad, if you want." He told her, averting his gaze from her to something across the room.

Bella could tell he felt uncomfortable with it, but she really wanted to call him Dad. "Maybe if I say it a bunch of times, you won't feel so weird about it. You'll just be used to it." Bella told him with a shrug of her shoulders.

He looked down at her. "Not sure it works like that kiddo." He told her.

"Why not…Dad." She replied with a smile.

He frowned at her.

"Dad…Dad…Dad…Dad…Dad…Dad…" She went on.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. You sound like a freakin' baby when you say it that fast." He told her.

Bella giggled, glancing over at Mom, who was smiling at them, before looking at Greg once more. "Dad." She uttered once more, giggling at the look she received from him.

Before he could say anything, they heard a knock at the door. Bella frowned and looked at Dad and Mom.

"That's the pizza." Mom said as she walked over to her purse, and grabbed some cash before making her way to the door.

Mom paid for the pizza and moved back over to set it on the coffee table before disappearing into the kitchen for a moment. Bella looked up at Dad and smiled at him. "Dad." She said sweetly.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Are you going to keep doing that?"

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"Figures. You've been hanging around me for too long." Dad commented.

"Yep. But that's ok, cuz you're my Daaaaaad." She replied.

Mom came back into the living room with paper plates and plastic cups in her hand, setting them down on the coffee table.

"Cuddy, get your kid under control."

Mom looked at him with amusement. "She's yours now too…_you_ get her under control. Dad." She added, making Bella cackle as she turned her attention to her new Dad.

"Stop encouraging her, Cuddles."

Mom arched her eyebrows at what he had just called her. She handed Bella a plate before handing Dad one. "Shut up and eat your pizza." She instructed him.

Bella had a huge smile on her face as they enjoyed their dinner. As they ate, she learned that Dad had called the movers to pack up his stuff this week. Most of it was done except his furniture, which would be staying here in the apartment until they could figure out what to do with it.

"What about your piano?" Bella asked him.

Dad looked at her for a moment before answering. "We'll figure something out." He replied.

"If we rearrange the living room a little, it'll fit in there." Mom suggested.

Dad shifted his eyes to Mom and nodded. "See, figured out." He replied.

"Yeah, then you could give me lessons." Bella responded enthusiastically.

Dad gave her a small smile and a short nod. "Sure, kid."

Bella smiled in response and took another bite of her pizza. They continued talking about the move and as Bella listened to Mom and Dad talk, she thought about how excited she was to finally have Greg as her Dad. She had been thinking a lot about it and had even talked to Dr. Sloane and Mom about it yesterday. Bella was a little suspicious about everything happening so quickly, and determined that Dad and Mom have known about this for some time. Bella didn't feel betrayed that they hadn't told her sooner, because she understood that they had probably wanted it to be a surprise. Bella was glad they had surprised her because it had turned out to be the best news ever. She had lost her family two years ago and now she was getting a new family. She loved them just as much as she had her previous family and Bella was finally feeling a sense of happiness again. She had lived in misery for the last couple of years, but now she felt confident in her future. She looked forward to her life now, where before, she didn't see how she could ever be happy again.

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10:45 PM

Cuddy stepped out of the bathroom after having completed her nightly ritual before bed, and saw that House was already there lying on his side, his back to her. Tonight had been great. They had told Bella that House was moving in and that he wanted to be her Dad. It had been a little rocky at first, but they had gotten past it and had a wonderful time at House's apartment. Bella was ecstatic about it and she had hardly left House's side all night, even wanting him to tuck her in. Cuddy thought it was sweet and she was so proud of House and how well he was doing with this. She was so happy that she finally had the family she had always wanted. Things were coming together and she couldn't be happier.

As she crawled into bed, she lay down behind House and began trailing soft kisses down his neck and over his shoulders, her hand stroking his arm and winding around him.

"I missed you." She whispered as she continued to kiss him and moved her hand over his chest and down to his stomach and back up again. She gently pulled on his arm, turning him onto his back, straddling his hips and placing her hands on either side of his head.

Cuddy leaned down and kissed his lips tenderly.

"Someone's horny." He replied as he moved his hands over her thighs.

She smiled at him and kissed him once more. "I told you…I missed you." She replied between kisses.

"I missed you too…but, I'm a little tired tonight, Cuddy. It's been a long week." He told her.

Cuddy hovered above him, looking into his eyes and trying to determine if he was messing with her or not. She furrowed her brow and sat up, still straddling his waist. She chuckled. "That's funny, House. You expect me to believe you're too tired to have sex?"

"I just want to get some sleep, Cuddy." He replied, gently moving her off of him.

"Are you sick?" She asked, moving her hand onto his forehead.

He swatted at her hand. "I'm fine. I'm not up for it tonight…literally." He told her, turning onto his side once more.

She sat there watching him in disbelief for a moment, feeling rejected and wondering what was really going on.

"House…are you mad at me for some reason?"

"Nope."

"Then what's this really about? You're never too tired for sex."

"How many times have you told me you're not in the mood, Cuddy?" He asked her.

"What, so…you're getting back at me?" She responded with a scowl.

"No, I'm not getting back at you, I told you I'm tired and I want to get some sleep. Is that ok with you?" He asked, his tone serious, letting her know he didn't want to discuss it anymore.

She nodded. "Fine." She replied softly, lying down on her side of the bed, feeling slightly hurt as well as confused about what his problem was. Maybe he _was_ too tired…or the more probable possibility was that whatever was bothering him last night was still bothering him. She wasn't going to push it tonight, but they _would_ have a conversation about this tomorrow. He was keeping something from her and she wanted to know what it was.


	52. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

7:15 AM – Saturday – The Next Day

House stood at the door to Wilson's apartment, banging his fist against it as hard as he could. He knew Wilson was asleep and this would piss him off but that's why he was here. Also because he needed to avoid Cuddy so she wouldn't demand to know what the hell his problem was last night. He knew she was pissed but he wasn't ready to talk to her about why he reacted that way toward her, so he needed to avoid her at all costs. He was expecting to get a call from her when she woke up and found the note on the kitchen table about where he was.

"Wakey, wakey, Wilson!" House yelled through the door as he continued to pound on it. "I'm not going away so you and your girlfriend put some damn clothes and let me in."

House opened his mouth to continue his rant, but the door opened, revealing Wilson with a none too pleased look on his face and his hair askew.

"Hey, buddy…want to grab some breakfast?" House asked casually.

"What…in name of Lucifer, are you doing here at this hour on a Saturday, House?"

"I came by to see if you were having sex with your girlfriend…brought my video camera for that sex tape you said you wanted to make."

Wilson rolled his eyes and moved to close the door in House's face, but he stuck his hand out, stopping it from closing. "Fine, that's a lie. I came here to make sure you were using the proper protection. God knows we don't need any Little Wilsons running around."

Wilson sighed and tried once more to close the door. House stopped him from closing it again.

"And while we're on the subject of babies…Cuddy wants one." House told him.

Wilson's eyebrows arched in surprise as he looked at House. "Wha…you guys are trying to have a baby?"

House scowled at him. "Are you deaf? I said, _Cuddy_ wants a baby." He answered, moving past Wilson and letting himself into the apartment. House sat down on the couch and sighed, looking around for Wilson's sex kitten.

"You're not fooling anyone, you know? You might as well let Blondie out of your bedroom where you have her stashed. And just so you know, no one cares that you two are screwing each other, so there's no need to hide it."

Wilson closed the door and made his way to his bedroom to retrieve his girlfriend. When they stepped into the living room, House smirked when he saw Janine holding onto Wilson's hand, wearing one of his shirts. "Hey, Janet." He greeted, seeing her narrow her eyes at him.

She opened her mouth to correct him, but Wilson stopped her with a shake of his head. "He knows your name, he's just trying to piss you off."

"Did I say something wrong?" House asked innocently, placing his hand on his chest as if the very thought pained him.

"Shut up, House. Why are you here?" Wilson asked.

"You're taking me to breakfast." He replied, standing up and facing Wilson.

"House, I'm a little busy…as if you didn't already know that."

"Yeah, busy screwing Social Services Barbie; you can do that anytime."

"Do you have to be an ass? If you want something, act like a normal person and…ask nicely." Wilson replied, rolling his eyes, knowing his friend was far from being a normal person.

"Seriously, let's go. I hear The Pancake Pantry is having an all you can eat breakfast buffet and I'm dying to try their killer Pigs In A Blanket…it's these sausages stuffed inside a pancake with…"

"House, couldn't you have called first?"

"James, it's ok. Clearly Dr. House has something he needs to talk to you about. Go…I'll be fine." Janine stepped in.

"Yeah James, listen to Janice. I don't have all day so go change out of your jammies and put your big boy clothes on."

Wilson ignored him and looked at Janine. "Are you sure?" He asked softly.

Janine nodded, giving him an encouraging smile.

"I'm sorry…I'll make it up to you." Wilson told her.

"It's ok, I have some work to do anyway."

Wilson sighed and shifted his gaze back to House. "Fine, just give me a few minutes to get ready." He told him, turning back to Janine and placing a kiss on her lips before making his way down the hall toward the bathroom.

"I know what a 'few minutes' means in Wilson language. If you're not ready in five minutes, I'm coming in there with my cane and you're not going to like where I put it."

Wilson turned around and flipped him off, before walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

House shifted his eyes to Janine. She looked at him with an uncomfortable expression on her face. She cleared her throat and gestured toward the bedroom with her thumb. "I'm going to go…get dressed." She told him, turning around and walking away from him.

"Don't bother, that shirt is practically see through, so I've seen all there is to see anyway."

Janine's eyes grew wide as she looked down at the shirt she was wearing. She glared at him when she saw he was lying. She crossed her arms in front of her and arched her eyebrow, a smirk appearing on her face. "So Lisa wants to have a baby, huh?" She asked.

House narrowed his eyes at her. "It's none of your business."

"She's a great Mom, she _should_ have more kids." Janine told him, her demeanor and tone changing into one of sincerity.

He stared at her, not responding to her comment.

"Bella's lucky to have her as a Mom, considering everything she's been through. Did you know Lisa called me yesterday?" Janine went on. "She was wondering if unmarried couples are allowed to adopt together. Should I congratulate you on becoming a father?"

He stayed silent, not wanting to have this conversation with her.

Janine held her hands up in surrender. "It's ok, you don't have to answer. After all, it's none of my business." She replied, turning away from him. As she made her way down the hallway, she paused and turned around once more. "But you should know…all she could talk about was what a wonderful father you are to Bella. Whatever doubts you still have about your ability to be a great father to Bella or any future kids you two may have together are unfounded. Lisa doesn't share them, Dr. House. Whether or not _you_ think you're good at it is irrelevant. If your child is happy and thriving in her life…you're doing it right. And from what I've seen, Dr. House…Bella is happy. Congratulations." Janine turned around once more, leaving him to his thoughts.

House watched her leave the room, lowering his gaze to the floor as he thought about what she'd said. He tapped his cane against the floor and turned around, leaving the apartment and ditching Wilson. House got on his bike and sped away, needing some time to think further about what Janine had said. He could go home and talk to Cuddy about this, but a drive around Princeton sounded like a better idea at the moment.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:28 AM

Cuddy was sitting outside on the deck reading a book as Bella bounced on the trampoline. Cuddy had awakened this morning to an empty bed. She hadn't heard House get up and she wondered what he was doing up so early. Except when she went looking for him, he wasn't home. She had found his note on the kitchen table saying he was going out to breakfast with Wilson. He hadn't mentioned last night that he was having breakfast with Wilson this morning so she knew that he was avoiding her, confirming her suspicion that he was hiding something from her. She had been pissed at him all morning because she had planned to go shopping for Bella's birthday present as well as to buy some more things for the party, but with House gone, she was forced to stay home, not wanting Bella to know what she had planned for her. What pissed her off even more was that Wilson had called wondering if House had come back home after he had ditched him without a word.

Last night had been amazing up until the point where House decided he wanted to be an asshole and shut her out of whatever was bothering him. Cuddy knew he was always like this and he would never change. When something bothered House, he always acted like a jerk and withdrew from everyone instead of talking about it. She knew she should wait for him to come to her, but all she wanted to do was kick his ass.

"Mom, look how high I can jump and do a flip." Bella shouted.

Cuddy nervously looked up from her book. One of these days she was going to have a stress-induced heart attack because of the things Bella did on that damn trampoline. She tried to smile and look happy that Bella had done a flip, all the while her stomach was tied in knots as she pictured her falling off of it and breaking her arm or leg or even worse, her neck.

"Great job, baby. Be careful on there, ok?"

"I am, Mom, you shouldn't worry so much. You could get a heart attack." Bella replied as she continued to jump up and down and do another flip.

Cuddy smiled as Bella had voiced exactly what she had been thinking just now. "I know. I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

"I won't, I promise."

A moment later, they both heard House's motorcycle pull into the driveway.

"Dad's home!" Bella exclaimed happily.

Cuddy watched as Bella jumped off the trampoline and landed on her feet, running up the steps of the deck and into the house, on her way to greet her father. Cuddy smiled, seeing how excited Bella had become that her Daddy was home. She followed Bella into the house, setting her book down on the kitchen table. She heard the front door open a moment later as House walked in and Bella greeted him enthusiastically. Cuddy stayed in the kitchen to begin preparing lunch. She was still pissed at House for avoiding her and leaving this morning when she had a lot to do to prepare for Bella's party next weekend. She was also still a bit hurt that he had rejected her last night.

House and Bella walked into the kitchen as she was pulling some sandwich meat out of the fridge to make Bella a sandwich. Cuddy glanced up at him as he came through the door. He looked tired. She knew he knew she was mad. Cuddy could see it in his eyes.

"Hey." Cuddy greeted him, not wanting Bella to know she was mad at House.

"Hey."

"You and Wilson must've had a great time at breakfast. Where did you go?" She asked casually as she grabbed the bread, taking it over to the counter.

"The Pancake Pantry." He answered.

Bella looked up at him and dropped her jaw. "You had pancakes without me? That's not fair. How come I couldn't go to breakfast with you and James?"

House glanced down at Bella. "It was a guy thing…you would've been bored." He told her.

"Oh. But can I go there with you someday?"

"Sure. But you're buying."

Bella rolled her eyes at him with a smile on her face. "Nuh huh, you are. You're the Dad."

"You're the kid, you're supposed to take care of your old man."

"Only when you're too old and I have to change your diapers…then I'll buy you pancakes." Bella told him.

Cuddy couldn't help but laugh at Bella's comment despite how upset she was feeling at the moment.

"Smartass." House retorted.

Bella smiled up at him. "Potty mouth."

"Don't you have drawing to do or something?"

"Nope."

"Go do it anyway, I have to talk to your Mom."

"But, I wanted to show you how high I could jump and flip on the trampoline."

"Go practice then, I'll see it in a minute."

Bella's shoulders drooped as she nodded with disappointment, making her way outside. As the door closed behind her, Cuddy kept her back to House as she had been preparing Bella's sandwich.

"You're mad." House said evenly.

Cuddy didn't respond, remembering how she'd felt last night over his rejection as well as when she'd found the note this morning. Yes, she was mad…and hurt. She heard him approach her and place a hand on her arm as she cut Bella's sandwich in half. Cuddy sighed and briefly closed her eyes before looking up at him accusingly.

"What is going on with you? I know you weren't with Wilson today, House. He called here wondering if you had come back after ditching him this morning."

"I'm not cheating, so get it out of your head."

Cuddy stared at him. "I know that."

"How do you know?"

"I know you. Something's bothering you and it isn't guilt over cheating." She replied rolling her eyes. "Why are you avoiding me? What have I done?"

"I'm not avoiding you."

Cuddy scoffed.

"Fine, I'm avoiding you."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted time to think before having this conversation."

"Well if you would have waited instead of taking off, I would've left you alone with plenty of time to think today. I needed you here, I was going to go out and buy Bella her birthday present and I had about a million things to do for the party next weekend and instead I had to stay here because you had to avoid me so you could think." She told him angrily.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "So you're pissed because I wasn't here to watch our kid, not because I was avoiding you?"

Cuddy scowled at his question. "I'm pissed for both of those reasons, House. _Why_ won't you talk to me? Are you having second thoughts about moving in here? Is that what this is about?"

"Of course you would make it about me moving in here. How many times have I told you that I want this? I'm sick of repeating myself, Cuddy. It's not about that." He answered in frustration.

"Then what is it?" She asked angrily at him, trying to control her volume so Bella wouldn't hear them outside.

House sighed and averted his eyes. He didn't answer her for a while, seemingly thinking about what he was going to say. "What about you, Cuddy? You haven't been talking to me either."

Cuddy looked at him in confusion. "What? Talking to you about what?"

"About the fact that you want a baby."

Her frown deepened at his words. She shook her head, feeling even more confused. "Ok, now you've stumped me, House. What in the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Cuddy, don't do that. I've seen that dreamy look on your face before. You used to have it all the time back when you wanted my sperm but were too afraid to ask for it. When you wanted my opinion about all those losers you were considering as sperm donors. Back when I had to shoot you in ass with hormones. Don't pretend you haven't been thinking about having a kid again. Ever since you've been watching those videos of Bella, wanting to see your own kid grow up like she has. Wanting to experience your kid growing inside of you, to hold your baby in your arms for the first time, to hear his first words and see his first steps. Am I right?"

Cuddy looked up at him with a blank expression on her face. She took in a deep breath before responding. "House, I am _happy_ with the way things are now. I am _happy_ that I have a daughter and that you're her father. I am _happy_ with you in my life. I don't need anything else…any_one_ else." She stressed.

"You tell yourself that, but deep down you can't help but want more."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you bringing this up now?"

"I didn't bring this up. This is something you've always wanted and I'm just pointing out that you still do."

"So just…for the sake of argument, what if I did want a baby, House? Let's talk about why this is _really_ bothering you."

House narrowed his eyes at her. "Let's."

"You don't want a baby." She stated. "And it bothers you that you think I do."

He set his jaw in frustration and shook his head. "You do. I know you do, so stop acting like you don't."

"House, I'll admit that seeing the videos of Bella growing up have been amazing. And yes, I've always wanted my own child, but I've already said this to you once. Bella is enough for me, she is more than enough for me and I love her as my own. You know my chances of getting pregnant are not good at my age." She continued, taking his hand in hers. "And if by some _crazy_ miracle, it does happen, we'll deal with it then. Okay?"

House shook his head. "This is what I'm talking about, Cuddy. You're still hoping it will happen, even when you know it won't. Don't do this to yourself again, you know how it ends." He warned her.

Cuddy looked at him, releasing his hand. "Is that why this is bothering you? Because you don't want me to get hurt?"

House averted his eyes and shook his head.

"Or because you don't ever want a baby and that's why you're afraid I'll get hurt?" She asked softly.

"I don't know." He replied, shifting his eyes to hers. "I'm just now getting used to being a father to one kid, I can't imagine having another right now, Cuddy. It freaks me out." He explained.

Her lip quirked at his last statement; she nodded her head in understanding. Cuddy gently placed her hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. House moved his hands onto her waist and leaned his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. She moved her hands over his chest and around his neck, his arms pulling her close to him as he enveloped her in a hug.

"I like being a Dad to that kid out there, but anything more right now is too much, Cuddy." He whispered into her ear. "I don't want you getting hurt again over this hope you still have about having a baby someday."

"House, I may get hurt, but it won't be your fault and it's probably unavoidable, because someday I would like to have a baby with you." She responded softly, leaning back and looking into his eyes. "_Right now_, I have everything I want. And if you're open to it, maybe someday when we're both ready and when Bella is older and more stable in her new life…maybe then we can bring another child into this family; but not now. Neither one of us is ready right now and I know that. Bella isn't ready to have another brother or a sister…she needs to heal from what's happened to her first. She needs us too much right now. A baby would only complicate things and I'm afraid it would make her feel unwanted. So you can stop freaking out." She finished with a smile.

House nodded his understanding before she stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips.

"And the next time you feel like avoiding me instead of talking to me about something that's bothering you, I'll be the one not in the mood for sex and I'm pretty sure I'll hold out a lot longer than you. What were you going to do, House, avoid sex with me forever because you were afraid I'd get pregnant?"

"So sue me, I had an idiotic moment. Like _you_ never have." He answered, rolling his eyes at her.

Cuddy chuckled at him and shook her head, stepping out of his arms. She turned away from him but before she could move too far he grabbed her hand, spinning her back toward him so that she collided into his chest. House wrapped his arms around her waist and looked into her eyes.

"I hope you're just as horny tonight as you were last night because Little Greg wants to come out and play." He told her, tilting his pelvis into her.

She arched her eyebrows and smirked at him. "And what makes you think…"

House interrupted her by dipping his head and capturing her lips with his, giving her one hell of a kiss. She melted into him, bringing her arms around his neck and returning his kiss with passion. Cuddy vaguely heard the backdoor open a moment later.

"Ugh…you guys are sick. You look like you're about to swallow each other's faces. Gross." Bella interrupted as she walked past them with her hand up to her eyes to obstruct her view of them kissing.

Bella left the kitchen as Cuddy pulled back from House, chuckling at Bella's disgust. House chuckled as well and Cuddy laid her forehead on his chest and laughed.

"That kid has the worst timing." House remarked, placing a soft kiss on Cuddy's head and tightening his arms around her.

She looked up at him with a smile. "So, are you ok now?" She asked.

"I'd be more ok if you'd let me show you how ok I am."

She furrowed her brow at his statement. "If that's a yes then, you can show me tonight."

"Bella's in her room, why don't I give you a little preview?" He asked, leaning in for a kiss.

She stopped him with her hand on his lips before he could kiss her. "Tonight, House. Right now you get to help me clean, so the house isn't a disaster when my Mom comes into town."

"I'll do as much as pick up the phone to hire someone to clean, so this place isn't a disaster when your Mom gets here."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, knowing he wouldn't lift a finger today. "Fine, if you can find someone on such short notice then I don't have a problem with it. You have an hour to find someone, after that you can get your lazy ass up and help me."

"Slave driver."

"Lazy ass."

"Hey, we have a kid now, make her clean the place. That's what we got her for anyway."

"You're such a jerk. And she is going to _help_, just like you are."

House pulled out his cell phone and began dialing.

"Hi, this is Greg House, if you can be at my new place in an hour, I'll pay you double what I normally pay." He told the person over the phone.

He listened for a second and then nodded. "Terrific! I'll text you the address." He replied before hanging up and texting the person he had just spoken to. When he was finished, he looked up at her with a self-satisfied grin and began walking out of the kitchen. "There, problem solved…my lazy ass is going to take a nap."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:14 AM – Monday – 2 Days Later

Bella was counting the days until her birthday party…six days. She used to love her birthdays until 2 years ago, but now that she had a new family she couldn't wait to love her birthdays once again. She had made her invitations and handed them out to everyone she knew, even Dad's team, and even though he protested against it. She wanted to share it with everyone. Grandma was going to be there too; Bella was super excited about that. She was getting into town on Thursday and Bella couldn't wait. But that was still days away and until then, she had schoolwork to do. Today, her tutor Mrs. Decker, was sick, which was why Bella was at the hospital instead of at school. She had worked on most of the assignments that Mrs. Decker had given to Mom over the phone this morning, but now she was taking a break. Bella was bummed because she wouldn't get to go to Maya's house today after school because Mom said it would be easier if she stayed at the hospital, just for today. Mom let her stay with Dad and his team for a while as they tried to fix a patient. Bella had begged Dad to let her watch them do one or two tests but she couldn't, so instead, he let her look through the microscope. She saw some really cool things in there and she thought that bacteria was really pretty when you looked at it up close. 'Too bad it can kill you.' She thought. Bella knew she did not want to be a doctor when she heard about the team having to stick a scope up the guys butt. Gross. She was glad she didn't get to see that.

Right now, Bella was sitting at Dad's desk, waiting for him to come back from the conference room as he talked to his team about the patient. She had her sketchbook open in front of her as she drew the large tennis ball that sat on his desk. She was shading it when Dad's cell phone started ringing. Bella glanced at it before shifting her eyes to Dad. He couldn't hear it so Bella picked it up, intending to take it to him, when she looked at the caller ID and saw that it read: Mom.

Bella smiled, seeing that Mom was trying to reach Dad. He wouldn't mind if Bella answered it to tell her he was talking with his team.

"Hi, Mom." She greeted her over the phone.

"Excuse me?" Bella heard a voice on the other end respond, but it wasn't her Mom's voice.

Bella frowned, unsure of what to do.

"Hello?" The woman said on the other end.

"Hello." Bella replied.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number. I'm trying to reach, Greg House."

"Umm, this is his phone but he's busy. Who is this?" Bella asked.

"This is Greg's Mom, Sweetheart. Does he know you have his phone?"

"You're his Mom?"

"Yes, what's your name?"

"I'm Bella. He's my Dad, so you must be my Oma." She replied happily.

There was silence on the other end for a long time, when she finally spoke again. "Excuse me? My son has a child? I'm a grandmother?"

Bella's eyes grew wide, realizing she'd just made a huge mistake. Dad had never told Oma about Bella. Bella didn't respond; she shifted her eyes over to Dad once more. 'She was in so much trouble, he was gonna kill her.' She thought.

"Hello? Bella? Are you there, Sweetheart?"

"Yes."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that your Dad never told me about you. Is he around? Could you hand him the phone, because I'd like to yell at my son."

"Ok." Bella replied, still in a state of shock.

She made her way to the conference room door and slowly opened it. Dad was standing at the board, writing something. "Dad." She called him in a soft voice.

Everyone turned their heads in her direction. When Dad saw the look on her face, he became alarmed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, setting down the marker he had in his hand.

"It's Oma." Bella answered, holding the phone out to him.

Dad's eyes grew wide at what she had just told him, moving swiftly to take the phone from her. "Stay here." He told her, making his way into his office.

Her eyes followed his retreating body, seeing him walk over to the window, keeping his face from everyone's view. Bella turned back around and made her way to the desk in the corner of the room. 'She was in so much trouble.' She thought once more, laying her head down across her folded arms.

"Are you ok, Bella? What just happened?"

Bella lifted her head and glanced over at Remy. "I'm in big trouble."

"Why?"

"She's calling him Dad now? You're calling him Dad now?" Taub interrupted, glancing at the team before addressing Bella.

"Shut up." Remy told him, standing up and making her way to where Bella was seated. "Why are you in big trouble?"

"Because I answered Dad's phone and it was Oma and he never told her about me, and now he's gonna be mad."

"Who's Oma?"

"His Mom."

"That's not surprising." Taub spoke up again.

"Shut up." Remy and Kutner spoke simultaneously.

"I don't think he'll be mad at you, it wasn't your fault he didn't tell her." Kutner told her.

"I shouldn't have answered his phone, but I thought it was my Mom, except it was his Mom. Did you see his face, he's mad?" Bella insisted, with a deep frown in her brow.

"Kid, he always looks like that." Taub interjected again as Foreman nodded in agreement.

"Shut up." Remy and Kutner told him once more.

Bella glanced up at Remy with a worried expression.

"Sweetie, I'm sure he won't be mad at you. It was just a mistake, he'll understand."

Bella sighed and laid her head back down on her arms, waiting for Dad came back in there to yell at her. But she hoped that Remy and Kutner were right and that he would know it was just a mistake.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

2 Minutes Ago

House took his phone from Bella and stepped into his office, dreading the conversation he was about to have with his Mother. He took in a deep breath as he walked over to the window, his back to the conference room. He put the phone up to his ear.

"Hi Mom." He said cheerfully.

"Gregory House, how the hell could you not tell me that I have a granddaughter?"

"I did…I told you Mom. Are you experiencing memory loss, that could be serious."

"Greg, you can't lie to me. I think I would remember if my only son told me that I have a granddaughter. Why didn't you tell me? When did this happen? Gregory, what is going on?"

"Geez Mom, take a breath." He snarked.

"Greg." She chided.

House sighed and rolled his eyes. "It just happened last week."

"What happened last week? You found out you have a daughter with someone? You adopted? Which is it? I thought you never wanted kids?"

"I didn't."

"Then…"

"I've been seeing someone, Mom. Lisa Cuddy, you remember her, right? My boss?"

There was silence on the phone for a few moments. House sighed once more when she didn't respond. "Mom?"

"I'm sorry, honey, I just didn't expect that. That's wonderful. So Bella is hers then, and you two are serious enough that Bella would call you her Dad?"

"It's a long story, Mom." He mumbled. "We live together."

"You moved in with your girlfriend and her daughter and now you're her father. Yes, that seems like an awfully long story to tell. Maybe you can explain it to me when I come visit my granddaughter. If that's ok with you and Lisa, of course."

House knew his Mother would want to visit before he even put the phone up to his ear. And he knew he couldn't tell her no…that would be cruel. Besides that, Bella and Cuddy both would kill him if he told her no. "Of course you can visit…she'd love to meet you." He told her softly, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smile.

House never thought it could be possible to _hear_ someone smile. But he knew that's what his Mom was doing at this very moment. And it wasn't just any smile, it was a smile of pure joy, one only a grandmother could have at the thought of meeting her granddaughter for the first time. Especially when she never thought she would have one.

"Are…are you sure, Greg? Lisa won't mind will she?"

"She won't mind, Mom. In fact, Bella's birthday is this weekend if you want to come then."

"Oh, I would love to, Son." She gushed. "So tell me about her, Greg, how old is she? What does she like, what are her hobbies?"

"She's 8, but the rest you can ask her yourself when you get here."

"How do I know what to get her for her birthday? I mean, what if he get her something she hates, then I'll just be one of those grandmothers that buys their grandchildren awful presents they hate their entire lives. And when I come visit she'll just put up with me not like me and want to spend time with me. She'll hate me…I have to make a good impression, Greg."

House rolled his eyes at his Mother's ranting. "Mom, she's a kid, get her kid things…toys, I don't know. Look, she likes to draw. She's good, she doesn't draw stick figures; she's an artist. She has about a billion sketchbooks so don't get her one of those. Call Cuddy, she'll tell you what to get her."

"Fine, since you're no help, I'll do that." She stated before adding softly. "Bella sounded like such a sweetheart over the phone."

"Yeah, you keep thinking that, Mom."

"Oh, Greg, don't talk about my granddaughter like that."

"Great, now she's got another Grandma to spoil her rotten…that's all she needs." He replied with sarcasm. "Listen Mom, I've got to get back to work. Call me, so I'll know when to send Wilson to pick you up at the airport."

"I'd love to see James, but _you_ will be picking me up at the airport, Gregory."

House smirked and nodded his head. "I'll see you when you get here, Mom."

"Bye, baby."

House rolled his eyes at what she'd just called him. He supposed that no matter how old you were, you were still your Mother's baby. House hung up the phone and sighed softly. He knew he'd never hear the end of this. He had forgotten to call his Mom to tell her about Bella. House had plenty on his mind since he'd officially decided to be Bella's Father and the thought to call his Mom never entered into it. He knew Cuddy would probably be pissed that he invited his Mother without asking her first, but he didn't care, she didn't tell him until it was too late that her Mother was coming to town back when she came to meet Bella. House turned around and made his way to the door, opening it and finding Bella sitting at the desk in the corner with her head down in front of her. He frowned, guessing that she thought he was mad at her.

"Hey kid, c'mere." He said nodding his head in a gesture for her to follow him as he arched his eyebrow with a slight smirk on his face.

Bella looked up and frowned in confusion, slowly standing up and making her way to the door. He held it open for her as she stepped into his office.

"You four talk amongst yourselves…and while you're at it, get me a diagnosis." He told the team before closing the door and making his way to his desk.

Bella stood beside the desk as he sat down in his chair. He noticed she looked a little worried.

"How would you like to meet your Oma? This weekend…for your birthday?"

Her expression changed to one of joy as she smiled at him. "Really? She's coming to my party?"

House smiled at her excitement. "Yep. Is that ok?"

"Yeah! I thought you was going to be at me for answering your phone and telling her you're my Dad."

"Nope, I'm not mad. I should've told her but there was a lot going on."

Bella nodded. "When is she coming?"

"I don't know, she didn't tell me. She'll call back to let me know when her flight is."

Bella smiled happily and moved to sit on his lap. "Dad, is Oma going to spoil me like Grandma does?"

"Oh great…I've created a monster. You better watch it, she could get you something you hate for your birthday, then you'll be in trouble cuz you'll have to put up with it instead of telling her you hate it." He told her, repeating the words his Mom had spoken moments ago.

"She won't get me something I hate."

"How do you know?"

"Because she'll call Mom and then Mom will tell her what I like."

House narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Were you listening in on my conversation?"

Bella smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She admitted mischievously. "But only because you can hear everything through the glass walls."

House chuckled and nodded his head. "Did you finish your schoolwork?" He asked after a moment.

"Almost. I just got my math problems…I hate those. Will you help me with 'em?" She asked, as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Why don't you do what you can while I work my magic and figure out what's wrong with my patient, then I'll come back and check on you."

Bella sighed softly. "Ok."

He placed a tiny kiss on her forehead before she crawled off of his lap. He stood up as well and made his way out of the office. But not before turning around and watching his daughter pull her school book out of her bag, ready to continue with her schoolwork for the day. He was proud of her. She was doing well even though she struggled with math. He knew she just needed a way to understand it and he hoped he'd be able to help her with that. Because that's what father's did; and he was trying his damndest to be a good father. She deserved it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

2:00 PM

Wilson walked down the hall to House's office, seeing him at his desk with his glasses on as he read something in front of him. He had been thinking about something lately and he needed to talk to someone about it. As Wilson entered House's office, House looked up from the paper he was reading, a slow smirk coming to his face.

"Have a nice weekend with your Blonde Hottie?"

Wilson sat down in the chair and rolled his eyes. "Yes, except for this obnoxious pain in the ass that stopped by Saturday to go to breakfast and then ditched me."

"Sorry, you missed your chance for a yummy breakfast and awesome company because you were taking too long in the shower. Seriously, what are you a girl? Five minutes, Wilson, that's all it takes."

"Maybe for someone who doesn't have as much hair to wash."

"Well, that's just downright mean." House snarked.

"Janine told me about your talk." Wilson replied, changing the subject.

"She did all the talking. I was barely listening because I was too busy looking at her see through t-shirt. Cuddy's boobs are waaay better."

"Deflect if you must, but I agree with her. You and Cuddy should have more kids, you two are great parents to Bella."

House rolled his eyes. "Cuddy and I have already talked about this, I don't need a repeat performance."

"So are you guys trying?"

"No, you idiot. It's too soon for that. My kid has just become my kid and if you've forgotten what happened several weeks ago, she has some issues to get through before a new kid can come along."

Wilson nodded in understanding. House was right; they needed to focus on Bella right now. "But you're open to having more kids?" He asked as a smile appeared on his face.

"I'm open to thinking about it." House replied.

Wilson's smile grew, never imagining that House would be a Daddy; a family man. "That's great, House, I'm happy for you." After a moment he looked around with a frown on his face. "Where is Bella?"

"She's with the team running tests in the lab."

Wilson arched his eyebrows. "Training her to become a doctor?"

"Nope, she already told me she didn't want to be a doctor since she'd have to shove a scope up someone's ass some day."

Wilson laughed, understanding how that would gross anyone out, especially an 8 year old. He didn't love performing that test either.

"But you didn't come here to talk about me or my kid. What's wrong, already thinking about dumping Blondie?"

"Stop calling her that, she has a name."

"Hm, you're defending her, so that means you're still into her…_or_, you feel guilty that you want to dump her so you're defending her so you won't feel bad when you do dump her."

"I don't want to dump her, I like her. A lot."

"So what's your problem? Too much sex? You can't keep up with her? Are you here for a certain prescription?" He asked, exaggerating a wink.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "No! Must you always make it about sex?"

"Yes…yes, I must."

Wilson sighed before answering. "I'm thinking about moving out of my apartment; Amber's apartment." Wilson told him quietly.

House nodded. "Does Jennifer know who's apartment it is?"

Wilson glared at him. "House, you know her name, use it."

"Answer the damn question."

"No."

"You never told her about Amber?"

Wilson shook his head. "Not in detail…"

They sat in silence for a moment before House spoke up once more.

"You going to tell her?"

"I don't know…you think I should?"

"I think she's going to wonder why you're moving. The question is are you going to lie to her?"

"I don't want to lie to her. She's the first person I've cared for since Amber died and I think she and I can make this work."

"Then tell her." He replied with a shrug.

Wilson nodded.

House reached down into his bag and dug his keys out, tossing them to Wilson. "Take my place, I'm not going to need it anymore."

Wilson's eyes grew wide in surprise at his offer. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Take it. It's furnished and everything."

Wilson allowed a smile to come to his face as he nodded. "Thank you, House."

House gave him a short nod in acknowledgement of his thanks and pointed to the keys he had just tossed at him. "I'm going to need those back, I mostly just did that for effect."

Wilson laughed and tossed the keys back to his friend.

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3:45 PM

Cuddy was in her office, sitting at her desk with a pile of paperwork spread out before her. Her day had been hectic and she felt like she wanted to scream because of all of the stupid fires she had to put out today. One person after another coming to her with inane little 'problems' that they could've solved themselves if they had any common sense. 'How do these people work in my hospital?' She asked herself. She barely had any time for Bella today and she felt horrible. On top of that was the fact that she hadn't had enough time to get the final items for Bella's birthday party this weekend. On Sunday she had shopped for Bella's present and a few decorations, but didn't have time to get everything she needed. She needed to enlist some help, but she wasn't sure who to ask. Her Mother wasn't coming into town until Thursday and it would probably be too late by then.

Cuddy sighed and continued working on her paperwork until her phone rang a moment later.

"Dr. Cuddy." She answered, hoping it wasn't another fire to put out.

"Lisa, this is Blythe House, Greg's Mom. How are you dear?"

Cuddy's eyes grew wide in surprise. Why was she calling her? House never told her about Bella.

"I'm fine, Mrs. House. Are you looking for your son?"

"Oh no, I've already spoken with him. I was wondering if you could tell me what I could bring Bella for her birthday. I'm so excited to meet her this weekend and I wanted to make sure to get her something she likes. Could you help me with that?"

Cuddy was speechless…and she was going to kill House for not telling her that he spoke with his Mother and that she was apparently coming to meet Bella this weekend.

"Lisa?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. House."

"Call me Blythe, dear. Since we're practically family now."

"Of course."

There was silence on the phone for a moment. Cuddy was still in a slight state of shock as a fleeting thought about how many different ways a person could be tortured entered into her head because that's what she wanted to do to House at the moment.

"My son didn't tell you I was coming did he?"

Cuddy snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the question asked. "No, he didn't."

"Well, he didn't tell me I have a granddaughter. I swear if he wasn't as big as he is, I'd bend him over my knee and spank his butt. What do you think we should do to him…give him a little payback?"

Cuddy chuckled at her words; she would love to see that. She had only spoken to Blythe House a few times since she's known House and always thought she was a nice woman, but now she felt like they could really get along. She really liked this woman.

"I think we could come up with something, don't you?"

Blythe laughed. "I think so." She replied with mischief in her voice. "I'm sorry my son didn't tell you I was coming. Don't worry, dear, I'll be staying in a hotel."

"No…Mrs. Hou-, uh, Blythe, please I'd love it if you stayed at the house. Bella would really like that as well. I hope you don't mind sharing her with my Mother, she'll be in town for the party."

"Oh wonderful, I haven't met your Mother. I'm sure we'll have a great time spoiling our granddaughter."

Cuddy smiled, happy she would get a chance to meet Blythe and that Bella would as well. "I'm sure Bella would have no objections to being spoiled by her grandmothers."

"I just can't believe this, I'm so happy for Gregory. He's never shown any interest in having kids and I thought for sure I'd never become a grandmother."

"He's an amazing Father, Blythe. Bella loves him so much." Cuddy told her softly.

"He's happy?" Blythe asked with emotion in her voice.

"Yes, he is." She assured her.

Cuddy leaned back in her chair, allowing Blythe a moment.

"Thank you, Lisa. My son hasn't been happy in many years and I know that you and your daughter have played a big part in allowing him feel that way again."

Cuddy smiled and nodded her head. "He makes us happy too, Blythe. You've raised a wonderful son."

"I've raised cantankerous troublemaker." She replied with a chuckle.

Cuddy laughed as well, agreeing with her. "That's true." She replied.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from your work, dear, I was just hoping you could tell me a little bit about Bella and what she'd like to have from her Oma."

Cuddy's smile grew as she nodded. "Well, I know she needs a few clothes and shoes, but if you want to get her something fun, she'd love to have an easel. She has a small one but she's wanted a bigger one for a while so that she can create bigger paintings."

"Greg told me she's an artist…he sounded very proud of that fact."

"He is and Bella is very talented, I can't wait for you to see what she's done. She'll probably paint something for you while you're here." Cuddy replied.

"I can't wait to meet her, she sounds like a wonderful young lady. Lisa, thank you for your input. I'll let you get back to work."

"Thank you for calling, Blythe. I look forward to your visit. Let us know when to pick you up at the airport."

"I will, dear. We'll talk soon, give my love to Bella."

"I will."

"Goodbye, Lisa."

"Bye."

Cuddy hung up with a smile. She was so happy that Bella would get to meet House's Mom. This weekend was going to very interesting. Suddenly her smile fell as she thought about everything that needed to get done and how little time she had to do it. She really needed to find someone to help her with this. A sudden thought came to her and she picked up the phone, having a couple of people in mind to ask for help.

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	53. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52**

2:45 PM – Thursday – 4 Days Later

"Grandma!" Bella called out when she spotted her Grandma coming down the escalator at the airport.

Grandma smiled and waved at Bella, carefully taking the steps down the escalator to speed up her progress. Once she was off, Bella let go of Mom's hand and ran up to her.

"Grandma, I missed you!" Bella told her as she reached her and threw her arms around her waist.

"Oh! I missed you too, my sweet girl." Grandma told her, hugging Bella tightly.

"I'm glad you're here, Grandma. I have to show you all the paintings I made."

"I can't wait to see them, Sweetheart." She replied, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Bella took Grandma's hand and led her back to where Mom had been standing and watching her greet Grandma. Mom had a smile on her face as they approached, walking a few steps toward them.

"Hi, Mom." She said, greeting Grandma with a hug.

"Hi, honey. I missed you. How have you been?" She responded as they embraced.

"I've been great, I missed you too." Mom answered.

"Where's Greg?"

"He had to stay at the hospital; he has a patient who's not doing so well."

Grandma nodded her head in understanding.

"How was your flight?" Mom asked as they made their way over to the baggage carousel.

"It was fine. I just couldn't wait to get here. I missed my girls!" She replied, throwing her arms around Bella and Mom as they waited for the baggage to make its way around.

"Grandma, guess what?"

"What?" She responded with a look of curiosity on her face.

"Dad moved in."

Grandma arched her eyebrows in surprise and glanced over at Mom. "Greg moved in with you? And he's Dad now?"

Mom gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah…a lot has happened. I'll tell you everything later, Mom."

Bella listened quietly, watching their expressions and knowing that they would be talking about what Bella had done a few weeks ago. She didn't want to be talked about, but she supposed that she deserved it. Bella averted her eyes, looking down at her shoes as she kicked a balled up gum wrapper across the floor.

"Mommy?" Bella spoke softly, looking up at her Mother.

Mom shifted her eyes to Bella.

"Can _I_ tell Grandma what I did?"

Mom furrowed her brow in sadness at her question before slowly nodding her head. "Yeah."

Bella looked over at Grandma, who had a confused and apprehensive look on her face. "What happened?" Grandma asked.

"Mom, let's not talk about it here. Let's get your bag and then we'll talk in the car."

Grandma nodded her head as she quickly glanced at Mom before looking at Bella once more, wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

A few minutes later they had Grandma's bag and were rolling it outside to the parking lot. They hadn't spoken much in the past few minutes, each of them thinking about the conversation they were about to have. Bella was kind of glad that it had been brought up because she wanted Grandma to know. She didn't want to keep it a secret from anyone and she wanted to get it over with. Grandma was probably going to be disappointed in her but at least she would know everything. But Bella hoped Grandma wouldn't be mad that they hadn't told her before now. She didn't want Grandma to be mad at her on her birthday.

As Mom and Grandma put her suitcase in the car, Bella crawled into the backseat and put her seatbelt on, waiting for Mom and Grandma to get in the car as well. Once they were settled in the car a few moments later, with Mom in the driver's seat and Grandma sitting in the backseat with Bella, Mom sighed and glanced in the rearview mirror at Bella.

Bella met her eyes in the mirror before turning her gaze to Grandma.

She swallowed nervously before speaking. "Grandma, I know you know about everything that happened to me. That I saw my brother die and that you found my sketchbook with all my nightmares in it. It ain't a secret no more; everybody knows now. A few weeks ago, I found out that Mom and Dad knew and I got pissed…I mean, I got mad." Bella corrected herself, glancing at Mom. "Sorry Mom." She replied, apologizing for swearing.

"It's ok, baby." She whispered, seemingly distracted over what Bella was telling Grandma; probably reliving everything in her head.

Bella turned her attention back to Grandma and continued her story. She noticed that Grandma's eyes had teared up, but none had spilled over.

"Anyway, when I found out, I thought Mom and Dad betrayed me when they didn't tell me they knew about it…and so I ran away to New York." She confessed in a tone that conveyed the shame and guilt she felt over her actions.

Grandma's eyes grew wide in shock and disbelief. "Oh my god. Bella, why would you do something like that?" She asked in shock. "New York is _dangerous_, why would you…"

"Mom." Bella heard her Mom whisper, not wanting Grandma to get too upset.

Bella lowered her head in shame, knowing that Grandma was disappointed in her. She was silent for a few minutes as she absorbed what Bella had told her. She hoped Grandma wouldn't hate her.

Grandma sighed softly, getting her feelings under control. "How long were you gone?" She asked, briefly closing her eyes before looking at Bella once more.

"Two weeks." Bella mumbled.

Grandma gaped at her answer, not believing that she had done what she had. "Two weeks?" She asked. "I can't believe this."

"Mom, please don't make her feel worse than she already does." Mom whispered to Grandma.

"Why didn't anyone tell me? Lisa…why didn't you tell me what was going on? How could you not tell me?" Grandma asked, turning her gaze over to Mom, upset that she hadn't been kept in the loop.

"Mom, I was beside myself with worry and I couldn't think of anything else but getting her back safely, ok? I probably should have told you but I couldn't. I'm sorry."

Grandma sighed and glanced back at Bella. She met Grandma's eyes briefly before lowering her head once more.

There was silence in the car for several minutes and Bella couldn't take it anymore; tears made their way down her cheeks at the thought of Grandma being mad at her as well as the shame she still felt for what she had done. Her chin trembled as a low sob escaped her lips. Bella sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

Grandma gently placed her hand on Bella's forearm. "I'm so sorry, Bella. C'mere, Sweetheart." Grandma whispered to her, gesturing for Bella to sit on her lap.

Bella unlatched her seatbelt and moved into Grandma's arms, straddling her legs and hugging her neck as Bella sniffed once more, glad that Grandma didn't stay mad at her. Grandma gently rubbed her hands comfortingly over Bella's back and whispered to her.

"You're ok now?" She asked.

Bella nodded in answer.

Grandma gave her a small smile in relief. "Don't cry, darling, I'm so glad you're back safely. It's probably a _good_ thing I didn't know; I would've been so worried about you. I'm sure your Mom has told you that we all love you very much and we only want the best things for you. I don't know how any of us would've handled it if something horrible had happened to you there."

"I know, Grandma." She whispered in answer.

Grandma hugged her tightly and placed a kiss on her cheek. Bella leaned back and kissed Grandma's cheek as well. "I love you, Grandma. I wanted you to know what I did because I don't want it to be a secret from nobody." Bella told her, her tears drying as she sniffed once more.

Grandma nodded. "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. And thank you for telling me. That was so brave of you. You are an amazing young lady, did you know that, Bella?"

Bella shook her head. "No I ain't. I did a bad thing. I shouldn't have run off just because I was mad. I won't ever do it again, Grandma."

Grandma smiled at her response. "And that's why you're amazing. You know what you did was wrong and it hurt your Mom and Dad, and you are brave enough to tell me about it when most little girls your age wouldn't admit that they had messed up. Most adults don't do that either."

Bella smiled at what Grandma had told her and nodded her head. "Thanks for not being mad at me, Grandma."

"Being mad doesn't solve anything, honey. You need to know that you're loved, even when you do stupid things." She answered with a chuckle.

Bella's smile grew and she turned her head to look at Mom. She had tears in her eyes as she watched and listened to what she and Grandma were saying. Bella turned back to Grandma and carefully crawled off her lap. Bella knew that it still bothered Mom to think about what could have happened to Bella in New York, so Bella turned around toward Mom once more and wrapped her arms around her neck from behind, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Don't be sad, Mom. I'm ok now." She assured her Mother, bringing a smile to her face.

"I know, baby. I'm so proud of you for telling Grandma what happened." She told Bella softly.

Bella smiled and nodded as she continued to hug her neck. "I love you." She told her in a low whisper.

"I love you too." Mom replied in that same tone as she leaned back and gave Bella a peck on the cheek. "Come on, we have to get Grandma home before we leave for your appointment with Dr. Sloane."

Bella nodded and let go of Mom, sitting back in her seat and buckling her seatbelt. They were quiet for a few minutes as Mom drove them out of the airport and toward home. Bella looked over at Grandma.

"What did you get me for my birthday, Grandma?" She asked with an exaggerated grin on her face, hoping to lighten the mood and make her laugh.

It worked. Grandma laughed at her expression, taking Bella's hand in hers. "Something you're going to love."

Bella smiled happily. "Really? What is it?" She asked with excitement.

"You'll have to wait and see."

Bella's smile grew, becoming even more excited for her birthday. She couldn't wait for Saturday.

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6:00 PM

After Bella's therapy session, Cuddy made her way back to the hospital for some work she had needed to complete before tomorrow. She had been rushing around all day to try and fit everything into her schedule but time had gotten away from her. Cuddy had dropped Bella off at home, making sure that she was ok after her session in case she needed to talk or to be comforted. She didn't know what Bella had discussed with Dr. Sloane today so she wasn't sure if she needed anything. Cuddy left Bella with her Mom and she knew that Mom would be there for Bella if she needed it. Thankfully, Bella seemed all right today and was in a fairly good mood when she left her session. Cuddy just hoped she wasn't pretending to be okay just because it was her birthday and she didn't want to ruin it.

As Cuddy sat behind her desk, she heard a tap at her office door. When she looked up, she saw Cameron standing there as she opened the door and peeked her head in.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" Cameron asked.

Cuddy nodded her head. "Sure."

Cameron slipped through the door and closed it behind her. She had a few shopping bags with her and she made her way over to the chairs in front of the desk, setting them down with a smile.

"I got everything on your list. I sent Chase to Home Depot for the paint cans, so he'll bring those by tomorrow." Cameron told her.

Cuddy stood up, making her way around the desk to inspect the decorations that Cameron had gotten at the art store. Cuddy had decided to have an art themed birthday party since it was something that Bella loved. She had come up with a few things for her friends to do for fun that she knew they'd love. The only kids attending were her three friends she'd met at school and the rest were adults, but Cuddy thought maybe some of the adults could have fun doing some of the activities as well, to bring out their inner child. House would be one of them, she was sure, since his inner child is more of an outer child that he'd never grown out of. As Cuddy looked through everything, she became more excited about the party this weekend. She wanted Bella's birthday to be something she'd remember for the rest of her life. She knew the last couple of birthdays had been miserable for her so Cuddy planned to make her 9th birthday one she'd remember positively.

"This is perfect. Cameron, thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate this." Cuddy told her sincerely.

"You're welcome, I'm happy to help. Bella deserves to have a happy birthday."

"Yeah." She replied softly, knowing that Cameron had no idea the extent of Bella's trauma and how much she _did_ deserve a happy birthday.

After a quiet moment, Cameron changed the subject. "So are you going to need help setting everything up?"

"Probably, my Mom is here and House's Mom will be arriving tomorrow. I've asked my Mom to bake the cake and decorate it and I'm hoping Blythe can help with the rest of the food. House will be keeping Bella busy that morning so she won't see what we're doing."

"But she knows about the party, right?"

"Yeah, she just doesn't know about her cake and how I'm decorating."

Cameron smiled in response. "She's going to love it."

"I hope so. If you don't mind coming by early to help out, I'd really appreciate it."

"No problem, I'd love to. I should get back down to the ER, tell Bella I said hi." Cameron replied, turning and making her way to the door.

"I will."

Cuddy watched Cameron walk out of her office before she looked into the bag of decorations once more. She smiled, glad that everything seemed to be coming together. Cuddy couldn't wait to see Bella's face when it was all put together. She wanted everything to be perfect and with everyone's help she knew it would be.

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4:00 PM – Friday – The Next Day

House stood in the airport as his Mother approached him, having just arrived.

"Greg, it's so good to see you, son. You look wonderful."

"Hi, Mom." He greeted, wrapping his arms around her. "So do you."

He let go of his Mom and they walked to baggage claim together. "How was your flight?" He asked conversationally.

"It was fine." She replied, looking up at him. "Greg, I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going ask. Was there a reason you were keeping your daughter a secret from me?"

House looked at her with a scowl and shook his head. "What? No, Mom. There was a lot going on since it happened, I just…didn't think about it."

She looked up at him skeptically. "Are you sure? Because if you don't me…"

House rolled his eyes, knowing what she was about to say. "Mom, I want you in her life. I'm sorry, ok?" He told her sincerely, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they walked. "She's going to love you." He assured her.

She smiled at him and moved her arm from his waist and swatted him really hard on the ass.

"OW!" He shouted, garnering looks from everyone in the vicinity. "What the hell was that for?" He demanded, stepping away from her with a look of shock on his face.

"That was for not telling me I have a granddaughter. Don't think just because you're 50 years old I can't still spank you when you act up." She warned him, pointing her finger and looking at him with that look he was all too familiar with but hadn't had the pleasure of seeing in many years. It was the look he always received when he was in trouble and she was pissed at him.

House furrowed his brow. "I told you I was sorry." He defended, rubbing his hand on his sore butt cheek.

"I know, and I forgive you. But you still deserve a swat on the ass so you won't ever do it again, got it?"

He stared at her in disbelief that she had actually spanked him as if he were a child. "I can't believe you just did that. Let's go before I change my mind and ditch you here at the airport."

She smirked at him and continued walking toward baggage claim. "No hard feelings, dear, you can't tell me you didn't honestly deserve that."

House rolled his eyes and kept walking, still not believing she had spanked him.

As they arrived at baggage claim, she looked up him. "So are you going to tell me how this happened?"

"What?" He grunted, still pissed that she'd smacked him.

"Is she yours?"

House looked down at his Mother for a moment before shaking his head. "Not biologically."

Mom nodded. "Well are you going to tell me everything or not?"

"It's a _long_ story, Mom." He answered, sighing deeply and knowing that he would have to tell her sooner or later.

"Well, it seems the airline is taking forever in getting everyone's luggage to its proper place, so I have time."

"It's not a pleasant story and it's not the kind of story you tell in the middle of a crowded airport, trust me."

She sighed in frustration, but nodded in understanding nonetheless.

It was several more minutes of waiting for the luggage to arrive before they were finally on their way out of the airport parking lot. House drove them toward home, and on their way they talked about what Mom had been up to recently and what the plans for Bella's party was this weekend. They were silent once more as House approached home. It seemed that Mom's patience had run out about how Bella had come into his life and she asked once more.

"Greg, please tell me…"

"Mom, I don't want to tell you her story before you meet her because you'll look at her differently. The minute I tell you it's going to be written all over your face that you know and I don't want that look on your face to be the first thing she sees. I want you to meet her with a smile on your face and for you to meet her as she truly is; a happy, outgoing, and smart kid. I don't want you feeling sorry for her. She's been through a lot and she's come through it; not unscathed, but she's healing. Just…let it go for now, ok?"

She looked at him with confusion and nodded. "Ok, Greg."

He nodded as well. "Thank you. I promise I'll tell you, Mom, just not right now."

She nodded as they pulled into the driveway.

House got out of the car and took the suitcase out of the trunk, leading the way up to the front door. When he opened it, he was greeted by silence. It appeared there was no one home and he furrowed his brow in confusion, setting his Mom's suitcase down by the door.

"No one home?" Mom asked.

"Probably in the backyard." He replied, as his statement was followed by a high-pitched scream coming from that direction.

House frowned and quickly made his way to the backdoor, seeing that Bella was on the trampoline as Laura Cuddy watched from the deck. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that nothing appeared to be wrong and that Bella had just been having fun on her trampoline. He watched as she ran in circles on it flaying her arms and laughing as she lost her balanced and bounced up and down. House chuckled, standing aside so Mom could see.

"Is everything ok, Greg?" Mom asked as she stepped up from behind him with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah. She's fine. She's just acting like a maniac."

Mom smiled when she saw Bella. "She's acting like an 8 year old…a happy 8 year old." She remarked, glancing up at him.

He nodded in Bella's direction. "Come on, Mom, come meet your granddaughter." He told her, opening the door to the backyard.

As he walked through the door, he saw Laura turn around with a smile. "Bella, look who's here, darling."

Bella looked up from her position on the trampoline, smiling widely when she saw him. "Hi Dad! Did you bring Oma with you?"

"Come see for yourself, pipsqueak."

Bella jumped off the trampoline onto the ground in her bare feet and made her way up to the deck. She was trying to catch her breath when she laid eyes on her Oma. Laura stood up and extended her hand to Mom.

"Hi, I'm Laura Cuddy, Lisa's Mom. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure, Laura. I'm Blythe House." She replied, shaking Laura's hand before glancing down at Bella with a smile. "And you're Bella."

Bella smiled and nodded. "Yep." She answered somewhat shyly.

"Well, I'm so happy to meet you, Bella."

"You too, Oma." She replied with a smile. Suddenly a frown came over her face. "It's ok if I call you Oma, right? Dad said that's what he used to call his Grandma."

She nodded with a smile. House noticed that she was glowing with joy at meeting Bella.

"I'd be honored if you called me Oma."

Her words made Bella's smile return as she took a step forward and hugged her new Oma.

"I'm glad you got to come to my birthday, Oma."

"Me too, darling. I'm so overjoyed to meet you." Mom replied as she returned Bella's hug.

After a moment, Bella stepped back, her smile still in place.

"Hey, what about me? Don't I get some attention?" House asked.

Bella shifted her eyes to House, moving over to him and holding her arms out for him to lift her up. When he did she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. "There, now you got attention."

"Thank you."

"Blythe, can I offer you something to drink or eat…or a bed so you can rest?" Laura asked with a smile.

"No thank you, I think I'd like to get to know Bella a little bit, is that ok?" She replied, her question directed at Bella as she held on to House, her arms still wrapped around him.

Bella nodded with an excited smile. "Yeah, Oma. I gotta know about you too."

Mom chuckled and House could tell she had already fallen in love with her granddaughter. That was the thing about Bella, she could make you fall in love with her in 2 seconds flat…and it was also the one thing that worried him when she becomes old enough to be interested in boys. He was so screwed.

"Why don't you show Oma around the house and where she'll be sleeping?" House suggested to Bella.

Bella smiled and nodded on agreement. "Ok!" She replied excitedly. House set her down and Bella grabbed Oma's hand, leading her into the house.

"Come on, Oma. I'll give you a tour."

House allowed a small smile to appear on his face at his Mom's expression as Bella led her into the house. Meeting Bella had made her day and he knew he would be seeing her a lot more often than he was used to. He was ok with that though, because the main reason he hadn't stayed in touch with his Mom was because of his Dad, but now that he was gone, it would be nice to spend more time with her.

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Bella held onto Oma's hand as she led her to the other guest bedroom. She was so excited to meet Oma and Bella couldn't wait to get to know her better.

"This is your room, Oma. It's all ready for you." Bella declared happily, releasing Oma's hand and walking into the middle of the room.

"It's perfect, thank you Bella."

"You're welcome. It's close to my room, do you want to see it?"

"I'd love to." Oma answered with a smile.

Bella walked back to Oma and took her hand once more, leading her out of the guest bedroom and into her bedroom.

"See? This is my room…it's a big mess right now." She told her unnecessarily, pointing out the clothes, toys and art supplies that were spread out all over the floor and her unmade bed.

Oma chuckled at her. "I heard from your Mom and Dad that you're an artist."

Bella smiled and nodded. "I like to draw and paint and do all kinds of stuff, Oma. I want to be a artist when I grow up."

"I think you're well on your way there, honey. Did you do all of these?" Oma asked as she walked around the room and pointed to the paintings and drawings hanging up on the walls.

"Yep."

"My goodness, these are wonderful."

"Thank you. Do you want one of 'em?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to take your paintings from your bedroom, you worked hard on these."

"Well, I could make one just for you, just like I did for Grandma." Bella offered with a shrug of her shoulders.

Oma smiled. "I think I would love that."

Bella smiled excitedly. She loved making art for people and she couldn't wait to see how Oma would react to her very own painting. Oma looked around her bedroom for a few minutes longer as Bella told her about when Mom had let her pick out her furniture and decorate her bedroom when she first moved in.

"Do you like living here, Bella?"

Bella nodded. "I love it. Mom and Dad are the best. It took Dad awhile to want to be my Dad because he was afraid he wouldn't be good at it." Bella told her.

"Really? Why wouldn't he be good at it?" Oma asked.

"I don't' know, he was always real good at it, even when he wasn't my Dad. But he was afraid he would be mean to me like his Dad was mean to him."

"I see." Oma replied with a frown on her face.

"But he ain't mean, Oma. Dad is a real good Dad to me. He's sort of like my real Dad was." Bella assured her.

Oma smiled and nodded. "I'm glad." She replied, sitting down on Bella's bed.

Bella frowned at Oma's expression; she seemed upset. "Did I make you upset, Oma?"

Oma glanced at her, seemingly snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh no, honey, you didn't make me upset. I was just thinking about your Dad when he was a little boy."

Bella remained quiet at her response. She didn't mean to upset Oma by telling her about why Dad was scared to be her Dad. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything; it's not like he was scared of that anymore. Maybe Oma didn't like to talk about that stuff just like she had didn't like to talk about Mattie. "Do you have pictures of my Dad when he was my age, Oma?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.

Oma gave her a smile. "Well, I don't have them with me, but if you'd like to come visit me sometime, I'd love to show you."

"Ok! But Dad's not going to like it when you show me his pictures."

"Oh he'll get over it." She replied dismissively with a laugh.

Bella laughed as well, already loving her knew Oma and how much fun she seemed to be.

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6:25 PM

Cuddy walked into the house and immediately smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen. It smelled amazing and she was starving. She hadn't eaten anything since the few bites of salad she'd managed to scarf down at lunch and she'd been too busy to even think about eating any time after that. Her head had been pounding all afternoon and she was glad to be away from work now. Thankfully her headache had disappeared on her drive home and she knew it was probably the tension and stress she had been under all day trying to get everything done before she left.

Cuddy put her purse and briefcase down on the floor beside the door in time to hear Bella's bedroom door open and her daughter come running out of the room.

"Mom, you're home!" She exclaimed happily, making her way to Cuddy with a smile.

Cuddy smiled at her in return, having missed seeing her all day. "Hey, Sweetie." She greeted her warmly as Bella threw her arms around her waist.

Cuddy hugged her tightly and placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"I missed you." Bella told her.

"Me too, baby. How was your day?"

"Good. I met Oma; she's nice and I like her." Bella told her.

Cuddy smiled and nodded in agreement. "That's great. Did you spend some time with her?"

"Yes."

"Good. Where's your Dad?"

"Outside at the grill."

"Did you finish your homework?"

"No." Bella mumbled.

Cuddy wasn't surprised that she hadn't finished it; there was a lot going on today as well as the fact that she was excited that her birthday was tomorrow. She nodded in reply to Bella's answer. "Do you need help with it?" She asked softly, combing her fingers through Bella's hair.

"You ain't mad?" Bella asked with surprise in her tone.

"No, I'm not mad. There was a lot going on today, I understand that you were distracted. But I want you to get it done so that you don't leave it until the last minute this weekend, ok? We have your party tomorrow and you'll want to play with all of your presents the rest of the weekend. Did you do any of it?" Cuddy asked.

Bella nodded. "I read to Grandma."

"Ok, what's left?" Cuddy inquired, having a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.

Bella averted her eyes and dropped her arms from around Cuddy's waist. "A lot."

"How much?"

"Math and English and Science."

Cuddy sighed, a twinge in her head returning at the thought of doing anymore thinking tonight. She briefly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Are you ok, Mom?" Bella asked softly with worry in her tone.

"I'm fine, baby. I just have a headache, that's all." Cuddy answered as she opened her eyes and lowered her hand.

"Do you want me to get you some medicine?"

Cuddy gave her a soft smile and gently caressed her cheek. "I'd appreciate that, Sweetie, thank you. But I think I should eat something first."

"Lisa, is that you?" She heard her Mom call out to her, as she left the kitchen and found Bella and Cuddy in the foyer.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, honey, how was your day?"

"Busy…I'm glad to be home." Cuddy replied with a smile.

"Mom has a headache." Bella told her Grandma.

"Are you ok? Do you need to take something?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I've just had a stressful day, that's all. It's nothing, it'll go away." She answered.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Ok. Well, Blythe is here."

"Yeah, I should go say hi." Cuddy replied, making her way into the kitchen, followed by Mom and Bella.

When they walked in, Cuddy saw Blythe at the counter preparing the salad for dinner. She turned her head just as Cuddy entered the kitchen.

"Lisa, how are you, dear?" She greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Blythe. I'm so glad you made it. It's good to see you." Cuddy replied, giving her a hug.

"It's good to see you too. I've had a wonderful time getting to know your daughter today. She is a special young lady."

"Thank you. Yes, she is." Cuddy answered, glancing at Bella as she stood beside her.

Bella looked up at her with a smile on her face.

Cuddy turned her attention back to Blythe. "How was your flight in, Blythe?"

"Oh it was fine. I was on pins and needles the whole time because I was so anxious to meet my granddaughter." She answered with a chuckle.

"Me and Oma played on Dad's piano and she taught me scales." Bella informed Cuddy with an excited smile.

Cuddy arched her eyebrows in surprise, wondering how House had taken that. She was under the impression that he was going to teach Bella to play. "That's great. You'll have to show me later."

"Ok."

"Sweetie, since you have so much homework, why don't you go to your room and get started on it before dinner?"

"But Mom I wanted to stay in here and talk with you and Grandma and Oma." She complained.

"Honey, you have a lot to work on tonight. I can help you after dinner, if you need it, but I want you to get started on it now."

Bella's shoulders deflated in disappointment and it was clearly displayed on her face as well. "But I…"

"Bella please do what I asked." Cuddy replied with a bit of firmness in her tone.

Cuddy didn't think it was possible for her to look even more disappointed than she looked but her face crumbled with sadness just before she slowly walked out of the kitchen. Cuddy glanced over at her Mother and Blythe, noticing that they were trying not to interfere as they continued with the task of preparing dinner. Cuddy sighed softly and moved to the backdoor. "I'm going to go talk to House for minute."

As Cuddy walked outside, House turned his head when the door opened and a frown appeared on his face. He was standing at the grill checking to see how hot the coals were and if it was ready for the meat and vegetable kabobs.

"What's the matter?" He asked, closing the lid on the grill.

"Headache…and Bella's mad at me."

"Why?"

"I sent her to do her homework."

House smirked. "You meanie."

"Shut up." She replied, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist as she stood beside him. "I feel bad enough as it is, and she acted like I had just drowned her cat or something."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and over her back, leaning down to place a kiss to her lips.

"She'll be fine…she's just excited about everything that's going on." House replied.

"I know." She said softly, rubbing her hand over his chest.

"Why do you have a headache?"

"Stress." She told him with a tired sigh.

"Figures. Stop overdoing it, woman." He told her. "Do you need me to de-stress you later, I'll be happy to oblige." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Maybe." She teased, snaking her hand under his t-shirt with a seductive smile.

"Careful, our mother's are just inside that door and I will not be held responsible if they see us getting it on out here."

Cuddy smiled in amusement. "Don't worry, they won't get the chance. I'm going inside to change out of these clothes before I help out with dinner." She told him, moving to pull away but unable to, as he had tightened his grip on her.

"They've got it under control." He started, briefly shifting his eyes to the door before continuing. "Listen, my mom is going to want Bella's backstory; she's been bugging me to tell her."

Cuddy nodded in acknowledgement. "She should know…but we need to let _Bella_ know that we're going to tell her."

House nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"Let's talk to her tonight. Bella might even want to tell your Mom herself."

House frowned at her with a look of doubt on his face.

"She told my Mom that she ran away. I couldn't believe it but she actually told her…she wanted to tell her."

House arched his brows in surprise. "She's taking this more seriously than I thought."

Cuddy nodded. "Yeah…she wants to move on." She stated simply.

House nodded. "You think it's a good idea to do this tonight? Shouldn't we wait until after the craziness has passed?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"Play it by ear?"

Cuddy thought for a moment before nodding her head. She didn't want anything to be ruined this weekend. Having that conversation was draining for Bella and for Cuddy and House as well. She wanted Bella's Grandmothers to have a good visit with her, and she didn't want Bella to spend the weekend being reminded of everything she'd been through.

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8:15 AM – Saturday – Bella's Birthday

Bella opened her eyes, squinting as the sunlight came through the window in her bedroom. She looked at the time and remembered what day it was. Bella smiled; excited that today was her 9th birthday. She threw the covers off of her body and sleepily got out of bed, picking Splat up before making her way out of her bedroom. As she stepped out she heard pots and pans clanking in the kitchen. Bella made her way toward the sounds and stood in the doorway watching her two Grandmas moving around the kitchen as they talked about the ingredients they'd need for the cake they were going to bake later. Bella was excited to see what it would look like because they never told her…it was one of her surprises. Mom was sitting at the table eating breakfast as they discussed their plans for the day. Grandma was the first to spot Bella standing there and a wide grin overtook her face.

"Good morning, birthday girl." She said, making her way over to Bella and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Morning, Grandma."

Bella glanced over at Oma and Mom as they smiled at her as well.

"Did you sleep ok?" Mom asked her.

Bella nodded, placing Splat on the floor before making her way to where Mom was sitting at the table and climbing onto her lap. Mom wrapped her arms around Bella and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Happy Birthday." She told her softly.

"Thanks." Bella mumbled, laying her head down on Mom's shoulder. "Morning, Oma." Bella said softly.

"Morning, honey. Happy Birthday."

Bella smiled in response and thanked her.

"Are you hungry, Sweetie?" Mom asked as she held Bella in her lap.

"A little."

"Oma made some bacon, eggs and biscuits, does that sound good?"

"Yeah." Bella replied, nodding her head. "Can I make a sandwich out of it?"

"Sweetheart, you can eat it any way you want." Mom told her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "While Oma makes your eggs, why don't you go get your Dad up so he won't sleep in too late?" She suggested, before glancing up at Oma. "Is that ok, Blythe?"

"I'd be happy to make my girl some eggs."

"Thanks, Oma." Bella said as she climbed off of Mom's lap and moved to leave the kitchen. When she reached the door, Bella turned around. "Mom, where is Dad taking me while you fix the party?"

Mom smiled at her question. "After breakfast, baby. Tell Dad I said to get up so we can give you a surprise."

At her words, Bella's face brightened and she quickly ran from the room to wake Dad. She vaguely heard Mom, Grandma and Oma chuckle at her excitement and the way she had torn out of there. Bella couldn't help it though, she had been waiting days for this and it was finally here. When she reached her parent's bedroom, the door was closed. She knocked but didn't receive an answer. She knocked again with the same result. Bella became impatient and decided to just go in. As she turned the doorknob and peeked in, she could her Dad's snoring. Bella rolled her eyes. She should have known he wouldn't hear her knocking; he slept like the freakin' dead.

Bella walked into the room and crawled onto the bed. "Dad." She called softly, shaking his arm.

He grunted but didn't wake.

"Dad, wake up. It's my birthday and you have to get up." Bella told him, shaking his arm once more.

Nothing.

"Daddy." She said loudly, causing him to flinch.

"Leave me alone." He grunted.

"No…Daddy you have to get up. Mom said to get up so you can give me a surprise. Oma made breakfast, Dad, so get up. I want to know what my surprise is, but Mom said you have to get up first." She insisted.

"It's not your birthday today, that's tomorrow." He mumbled, his eyes still closed.

"No it ain't, Dad. _Today_ is my party. Get. Up." She continued, moving her hands to his torso and shaking him.

"Ok, ok. Geez, you're just as bossy as your Mother." He stated, finally opening his eyes.

"No I'm not, now get up." Bella replied, climbing off the bed, taking his hand and pulling as hard as she possibly could, only succeeding in moving his arm as his body stayed in place.

"Dadddddyyy, come on." She whined.

Dad sighed. "Hey…quit whining, get over here and give me a birthday hug, you little 9 year old." He told her with a smirk on his lips.

Bella smiled at him and crawled back onto the bed, throwing her arms around his neck as she straddled his waist.

"Happy Birthday, Peanut." He told her, holding her tightly to him in a warm hug.

"Thanks Dad." She replied, her head buried in his neck, feeling his scratchy beard on her nose.

"You're welcome, kid, but you're crushing my lungs." He told her.

Bella lifted her head and looked down at him, noticing he had a smirk on his face and that he was just teasing her. She swung her leg over and crawled off of him. "You better get up, or I'll send Oma in here to get you."

He rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to scare me?"

"Yes."

"Well it doesn't."

"Gregory!" Bella heard Oma call out to him from the end of the hallway.

Dad rolled his eyes again at the sound of Oma's voice calling him. "I'm coming!"

Bella smiled with satisfaction and made her way to the bedroom door. "See, I knew Oma could get you up." She told him before leaving the room without seeing his reaction.

She made her way into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Dad is getting up…finally." She announced with an eye roll.

Oma chuckled. "He always was a pain in the butt to get out of bed."

"He hasn't changed." Mom interjected, rolling her eyes.

"Mom, what's my surprise?" Bella asked with a wide grin on her face, knowing she wouldn't answer but too anxious not to ask the question.

Mom smiled in return, a chuckle escaping her lips. "Eat first…surprise after." She replied, just as Oma set a plate of food in front of her.

Bella smirked as she picked up her knife to cut the biscuit in half so she could make her egg and bacon sandwich. She took a big bite out of her sandwich, chewing it quickly, before taking another bite. She was trying to eat as quickly as she could so she could know what her surprise was.

"Bella, slow down. You're going end up choking on your food." Mom told her with seriousness in her tone.

Bella finished chewing her second bite and gave her Mom a smile. "I won't choke." She replied, taking another bite, this one smaller than the last.

Mom shook her head, a bit of amusement making its way to her face. "I shouldn't have said anything about the surprise until you'd finished breakfast. Now I know better." She commented.

As Bella continued eating, Grandma and Oma sat down at the table as well. They talked a little while about the food they were going to prepare for the party as well as the number of people attending. Bella listened carefully, hoping they would slip up and say something about her surprise…but they never did. Several minutes later, Dad walked into the kitchen, and Bella sat up straighter.

"Mom, Dad's here now, can I know my surprise?" She asked, the words spilling out of her mouth.

Dad paused in the doorway, arching his eyebrows. Bella noticed that he had something in his left hand, holding it behind his back.

"What's behind your back, Dad?" Bella asked excitedly, moving to stand up.

Dad held his right hand out in front of him, his cane in his hand, stopping her progression. Bella paused. She frowned, looking at Mom, Grandma and Oma.

"Greg, stop messing with her and give her the present." Oma told him.

He rolled his eyes and produced a wrapped box from behind his back. Bella gasped as a smile appeared on her face. Dad made his way over to her and handed her the gift. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."

Bella took it from him with a huge smile on her face, looking at the box in her hands.

"That's part one." Dad told her with a smirk on his lips.

"What do you mean, I get another one?" Bella asked, turning her head to look at Mom.

"Part two is in the garage." She told Bella, giving her a warm smile.

"Can I open it?"

"No, you're just supposed to look at it. The gift is actually the box." Dad said smartly.

Bella rolled her eyes and set the gift down on the table, removing the ribbon and ripping through the paper.

"Now that's how you open a gift." Dad remarked.

Bella barely heard him as her jaw dropped when she saw what her gift was. She looked up at Mom, who was still smiling, before turning her head to look at Dad. "A bike helmet?" She asked with excitement, a sudden gasp escaping her lips as she realized what the second half of her present was. "You got me a bike?" She asked, tearing off toward the garage.

Bella ran as fast as she could through the house until she reached the garage, opening the door, where she saw a bright blue and white mountain bike with a bow on the handle bars. Her face broke out into a wide smile as she heard Mom, Dad, Grandma and Oma come up behind her. She turned around and threw her arms around Mom's waist, squeezing as tightly as she could.

"Thank you, thank you. I love it!"

Mom hugged her tightly, placing a kiss onto her head. "You're welcome. Happy Birthday." She replied softly, a smile on her face as she seemed thrilled that Bella loved her present.

Bella looked up at her with a smile before she turned her head to look at Dad, who was standing beside Mom. Bella released Mom from her hug and threw her arms around Dad's waist, giving him the same hug she'd given to Mom. Bella couldn't believe she'd gotten a bike for her birthday. She rode Maya's bike all the time at her house but now she had her own.

Bella looked up at her Dad. "Can I go for a ride?"

"Yes. Actually, you and your Dad are going to the park." Mom answered before Dad could.

"Really?"

"You shouldn't be so excited, they're just trying to get rid of you." Dad told her, gesturing toward Mom, Grandma and Oma with his head.

"I don't care, I get to ride my new bike." Bella told him, releasing him from her hug and making her way to her new bicycle.

"It's blue…blue is my favorite." Bella voiced softly, as she ran her hands over the handlebars. She turned around with a smile. "Look, Grandma. Look, Oma. I got a bike." She told them happily.

"It's beautiful, darling." Grandma commented.

"I should go get my camera. We need a picture of you on your brand new bike." Oma told her.

"Yeah, Oma. That's a good idea, right Mom?"

"It's a fantastic idea. House, could you get the camera so we can take some pictures as well?"

Dad nodded and made his way inside the house to grab the camera. A few moments later, Oma and Dad both returned with their cameras and Bella hopped on her bicycle and smiled until it hurt as they took picture after picture of her. Mom had brought her helmet so she could try it on and make any adjustments that were needed on the straps. The pictures of Bella and her bicycle eventually turned into family pictures, with each person ending up in a picture one way or another. Grandma and Oma wanted pictures of Bella, Mom and Dad together, while Mom wanted pictures of Bella and Dad, Grandma and Bella and Oma and Bella together. Dad took a picture with Mom and Bella together as Bella sat on her bike with her helmet on as Mom stood next to her. Dad had preferred to stay out of the pictures but Bella wanted one with just him and her together because she realized she didn't have any pictures with him.

Thirty minutes later, Mom suggested that Bella get ready so that she and Dad could go to the park and they could begin decorating for the party. Bella was elated; she was so excited that she could hardly stand it. She ran to her bedroom and quickly changed her clothes. When she came out of her bedroom she held her sneakers in her hands and she made her way to the front door to sit and quickly put them on. As she did, Mom came up to her with a smile.

"Have fun, baby. And don't let your Dad get into any trouble." She told Bella.

Bella chuckled softly. "I won't." She said before a thought came into her head. "Mom, will Dad be ok playing with me since his leg is hurt?" She asked quietly.

"He'll be fine, Sweetie, just don't go too far from him in case something happens and he can't make it to you in time, ok?"

Bella nodded.

Just then, Dad came down the hall from his bedroom, having changed into jeans and t-shirt. "Ready, munchkin?"

"Yeah, Dad. Let's go!" Bella replied, her excited smile returning. "Bye, Mom." She said, waving to her as she made her way to the garage to get her bike.

"Bye, Sweetie. Don't forget your helmet and don't take it off." Mom called out to her.

"I won't." She promised, closing the door to the garage.

**Hope you guys are still out there. Sorry for the huge delay! If you guys are still out there reading, thank you so much for sticking with me.****Hope ou wondt you **nnnmmmmm


	54. Chapter 53

**I know, I know, it's about damn time. Sorry guys, been really busy lately. Thanks for the messages of concern, both for me and for the continuation of the story :-D I will be finishing it, so have no fear. However, I am winding the story down. There will be a few more chapters but I just wanted to give you all a heads up.**

**Chapter 53**

When Bella opened the front door to her home after coming back from the park with her Dad, she saw the coolest thing she'd ever seen. Her jaw dropped when she first laid eyes on it. Mom had stayed behind to decorate for her party as a surprise and Bella thought she'd done an awesome job. She was so excited by what she was looking at right now that she couldn't even talk.

A few minutes ago, Dad had walked in behind her, covering her eyes with his left hand, as Mom stood in the foyer with a hopeful smile on her face. Grandma, Oma and Allison were there as well, wanting to see the reaction on her face to what they had done while she was gone.

Mom had arranged the living room and dining room to look like an art gallery with Bella's artwork on display. Every piece that Bella had worked on in the last few months was displayed there. She had even set up ropes throughout the rooms just like they do in the galleries and museums to keep people from touching the artwork. Bella stared at it with her mouth agape and her eyes shifting from each painting and drawing she'd made. Her lips slowly formed into the happiest smile she could muster as she turned her eyes to look at her Mom. When Mom saw her expression, her smile grew, looking relieved that Bella seemed to like what she'd done. Bella took a couple of quick steps closer to her Mom and threw her arms around her waist and buried her head into her abdomen, squeezing as tightly as she could.

"I love it, Mom. I love it!" She told her.

Bella felt her Mom's arms come around her and a happy chuckle escape her lips. "You do?" She asked softly.

Bella turned her head to look her Mom in the eyes. "Yeah, it's so awesome!"

Mom chuckled again, along with everyone else who was standing there.

"I'm so glad you like it. I was a little nervous about whether you would or not."

"I don't like it, I love it. Thank you, Mommy!"

"You should thank Cameron too, she was a big help."

Bella glanced over at Allison, seeing the smile she had on her face as well. Bella released her Mom from the tight hold she had on her and made her way to Allison, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Thank you, Allison, for helping my Mom. You did a great job too." Bella told her.

"You're welcome, Bella." She replied around a chuckle. "But it was all her idea, I just did what I was told."

"For once." Dad interjected, as he stood behind them.

"Shut up." Allison replied, with playful glare.

Bella turned her attention back to the gallery set up inside her house, loving it more with every minute that passed. She couldn't believe Mom had done this for her; she was so surprised. It made Bella feel good that everyone would get to see how hard she worked on each of her pieces. Grandma had pointed out that this would be her very first art exhibit. Bella couldn't stop smiling; this was the best birthday ever. A few minutes later, after Bella had looked around her 'exhibit', Mom took her hand and they made their way outside to the backyard so she could show Bella the various different stations she'd set up for her and her friends to have a little fun during the party. In the backyard, there were several round tables set up with white paper tablecloths and colored pencils, markers and crayons inside some small decorative paint cans used as centerpieces so her guests could draw or doodle. Mom had also set up a painting station, where Bella and her friends could paint on a few of the same small paint cans as were on the tables. She said they could take them home as party favors. There were aprons folded up on one corner of the table along with some 12x12 blank canvases. Bella asked what they were for and she learned that there were some balloons and a variety of paints under the table that they would get to fill up and throw at the canvases to make their own art. It was then that Bella noticed the white paper pinned up to the fence where they would be throwing the paint-filled balloons so they wouldn't make a huge mess. Bella's eyes grew wide and her smile widened when Mom told her about that. She couldn't wait to do _that_ later. When Mom saw her expression, she stressed that she and her friends were _not_ to throw them at each other. Bella nodded in understanding before noticing the final activity that lay out on the table, if they had time. She had bought some colorful beads and strings so they could make their own jewelry and Bella smiled and told her that Simon wouldn't like that, but he could just get over it.

As Bella looked around the backyard, she was in awe of what Mom and Allison had done for her. Along with everything else, the deck was decorated with balloons and a sign that read 'Happy Birthday Bella' on it. The tables where the food was stationed, were decorated with colorful streamers and more balloons . There was a punch bowl filled with red punch as well as finger foods already set out for everyone. The food was placed on platters in the shape of paint palettes and the napkins and cups were different colors. She was completely taken aback by everything she was seeing and how much thought Mom had put into her party.

"Mom, I love everything." She told her softly, her eyes still floating around the backyard as she admired her Mom's handywork. "I can't believe you did all this just for me." She added, glancing up at her.

Mom smiled and stroked her cheek with her thumb. "Why not? I'd do anything for you; you know that. I just want you to have a great birthday, ok?"

"I will. Thank you for doing all of this, Mom. I'll always remember it."

Mom placed a kiss to her forehead as she looked down at Bella with a smile. "You're welcome." She whispered softly. After a moment she added, "you should go get ready, your guests should be arriving at any moment."

Bella smiled and nodded, running back into the house, excited about her party. When she stepped into her bedroom, she went straight to her wardrobe and pulled out her favorite pair of jeans that had holes in the knees and paint all over them. She always wore them when she was going to be painting and today she would be doing a lot of that. Her smile never left her face as she continued to dress herself, pulling on a t-shirt and her flip-flops. Bella grabbed a hair band and pulled her hair away from her face so she wouldn't get paint in her hair. She stepped over to her vanity and looked at herself in the mirror, still smiling as she made sure she looked ok before stepping out of her bedroom, ready to receive her guests when they arrived for her party.

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2:45 PM

Cuddy stood in the kitchen pouring more punch into the punchbowl as her Mom placed more finger foods onto a plate. Most of the guests had arrived at 2:00 and they consisted mostly of adults who were not shy about piling their plates with food. Cuddy was afraid they might run out despite her Mother's reassurance that they wouldn't. The guest list included House's team, Chase and Cameron, Wilson and Janine as well as Simon, Maya and Ellie. Bella had sent an invitation to Max in New York and he had RSVPed but he had yet to show up.

After everyone had spent a significant amount of time marveling at Bella's artwork throughout the house, they had all gone outside. Bella and her guests were currently in the backyard making paint balloon art. Bella had wanted to start with that activity even though Cuddy had planned on them doing it after the other activities since it was the messiest. She didn't want to tell Bella no because it was her party and Cuddy knew she'd keep asking until she gave in anyway. Cuddy actually bought enough aprons and canvases for any adults that wanted to do it as well. She knew House would and he was currently out there with them. She was surprised at how popular the activity had become because practically everyone was down there painting. Cuddy had to be sterner with House about not throwing the balloons at people, than she had to be with the kids, but that didn't surprise her. She told him he'd be cleaning up whatever mess was made and that had pretty much changed his mind about whatever shenanigans he had planned. She had to keep an eye out in case a paint-balloon fight broke out. Cuddy knew that had crossed House's mind and she wouldn't put it past him to start one. He was such a child sometimes.

When Cuddy finished with the punch bowl, she made her way outside to set it down on the table. She glanced out onto the yard as everyone continued to throw balloons at their respective canvases. She watched as Cameron threw a balloon onto her canvas, followed by Chase throwing his. She also noticed that her wooden fence now had splotches of red, blue, yellow and green paint on it where the kids had missed their targets. After Bella and her friends had finished their paintings, they began jumping excitedly as they cheered and watched the adults throw the balloons hard against the fence, causing a bigger splash radius on the canvas. Chase and Kutner threw their balloons as if they were pitching a baseball. Cuddy smiled over at Bella, loving that she was having fun. Her friend, Simon, began mimicking Chase and Kutner, pitching his balloon at the fence as well. Except his didn't hit the canvas, causing laughter from him and everyone else.

"Looks like I'm late for all the fun." She heard a voice say behind her.

Cuddy turned around to see Max standing in the doorway holding a gift in his hand. His smile grew when he saw her turn around. She smiled in return, moving to give him a hug.

"You made it." She replied.

"Yeah, finally. Traffic is a bitch on Saturdays." He responded, returning her hug.

She released him, chuckling softly and agreeing with a nod. "Bella will be excited that you're here."

He held the gift out to Cuddy. "I didn't know what to get her so…" he told her with a shrug.

"It's ok, she'll love it, not matter what it is." Cuddy replied, taking the gift from him and setting it down on the table with the rest of her presents.

"I hope so. She seems to be doing a lot better since I last saw her." He stated softly.

Cuddy nodded in agreement, turning her head to look at Bella once more. "Yeah, she is. It's been incredible to see how well she's dealing with everything. I'm so proud of her." She responded, turning her attention back to Max.

Max nodded with a smile. "She's lucky to have you."

Cuddy smiled her thanks and gestured toward the table. "Help yourself to some food, Max, and then I'll introduce you to everyone." She told him.

"Thanks, I'm starving." He replied with a chuckle. "And I've already met your Mother." He added, pointing behind him into the kitchen.

Cuddy laughed with a nod. "Well I guess you figured out that we told her you're the one who found Bella from the tears and death grip she had around your neck when you introduced yourself?"

Max laughed as well, bobbing his head in affirmation to her question. "Yeah, I was afraid I might lose consciousness there for a second." He replied, causing more laughter from Cuddy. She knew exactly how her mother had reacted to meeting Max because she knew how grateful she was that Bella had been returned safely.

After Max filled his plate with food, Cuddy escorted him over to the tables where Blythe, Wilson and Janine were sitting.

"Max, this is House's Mom, Blythe." She introduced. "Blythe this is Max, a friend of ours from New York and Janine's brother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Max." Blythe replied, shaking his hand after he had set his plate down on the table.

"Likewise, Mrs. House. Your son is a good man."

Blythe chuckled. "Yes, underneath his smart mouth, he is." She told him with amusement, drawing a laugh from Max and agreeing nods from Wilson and Janine.

"You already know those two." Cuddy went on, gesturing toward Wilson and Janine.

"Hey, guys." Max nodded, shaking Wilson's hand and placing a kiss on his sister's cheek.

"So Max, what do you do in New York?" Blythe asked.

Max glanced at Cuddy briefly, no doubt wondering if she had been told about what had happened, before shifting his eyes back to her and answering Blythe's question.

"I'm a police officer."

Blythe arched her brow and shifted her eyes to Cuddy as well. Cuddy knew the questions were forming in her head as to how they had become friends with a police officer. They had yet to tell her anything about Bella's past and knowing that they knew a police officer didn't help matters. She could practically hear the wheels spinning in Blythe's head and forming ideas of how Bella came into their lives and what had happened to her. She and House needed to tell her soon. It wasn't a great story but she deserved to know. Before any more questions could be asked, Bella came running over to Cuddy.

"Mom, we're running out of paint but we got tons more balloons. Can we have a water balloon fight?" She asked.

"Did your Dad send you over here to ask me that?" Cuddy asked.

Bella smiled and shook her head 'no', but answered, "Yes."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Tell him I said no and if he does it anyway, he gets to clean up the party after everyone's gone…alone. She answered before pointing over to Max. "Look who's here, Sweetie." She added.

Bella turned her head, a smile breaking out on her face. "Max! You finally got here!" She exclaimed happily, moving to give him a hug.

"Hey, Sweetheart, happy birthday." He said, returning her hug.

"Thanks. I'm glad you came, Max. You should come throw paint balloons with us before they're all gone. Look, I got paint on me cuz Chase, Kutner, Dad and Foreman was throwing 'em so hard. It's so much fun." She told him excitedly, causing chuckles to erupt around her.

"You bet. Let me finish up here and then I will. Save me some paint balloons."

"Ok." She replied, turning abruptly and making her way back to the group.

"Lisa, you're doing a great job with her. She's so happy here and I can't believe how much she's improved." Janine commented softly.

Cuddy smiled her gratitude. "Thank you."

Cuddy felt Blythe's stare on her, knowing she still wanted answers and no doubt feeling like everyone here knew something she didn't, even though only a few people knew the entire story. Cuddy shifted her eyes to look into Blythe's, hoping she could see in them, that right now was not the time to talk about what she really wanted to talk about. She didn't want to get into it at her daughter's birthday party.

"Excuse me." Cuddy said, standing up and making her escape over to the group throwing paint balloons. She needed to get away from the table before Blythe began asking questions.

She walked over to House, who had just finished throwing a balloon as hard as he could, causing a huge red splotch of paint to explode on his canvas. Cuddy laid her hand on the small of his back, getting his attention. When he looked at her, she smiled up at him.

"Nice throw." She told him, winding her arm around his waist.

"You can thank my bulging biceps." He told her, flexing his muscles before placing his arm around her shoulder and leaning down to softly kiss her lips.

"Max is here." She told him, shifting her eyes behind them to the table where Max was seated.

"About time he showed up." House replied, turning his head as well. "Has Bella seen him?"

"Yeah."

"Good." House replied absentmindedly as he picked up another balloon to throw.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "How many of these have you done? I could've sworn I only bought one for each person and I've seen you with three canvases already."

"If you already know then why are you asking?"

Cuddy sighed. "Whose are they?"

House smirked at her. "Wilson throws like a girl, so he doesn't deserve to have one and I'm pretty sure my Mother isn't interested in painting. This one is yours." He told her pointing to the canvas he was currently using."

Cuddy's jaw dropped as she scowled at him. "Hey, I was going use mine."

"Not anymore."

"Whatever, Picasso. Step aside." She retorted, hip checking him.

"Oh please, you think you can throw better than Wilson?"

"Anyone can throw better than Wilson." She replied, grabbing a balloon and filling it with orange paint as everyone around them listened with amusement at their banter.

"True, but you think you deserve one? I was just helping you out so you wouldn't feel embarrassed that you can't throw on target. I was going to give you credit for this one."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face. "Right…my hero." She replied sarcastically.

Just then, Bella made her way over to Cuddy with a smile. "Mom, you're going to paint too?" She asked.

"Yep."

"Yay!" Bella cheered, excitedly jumping up and down, delighted that her mother was going to participate. She stood next to Cuddy and watched her prepare the balloon to throw against her canvas.

"Do you need me show you how it's done, honeybuns?" House asked, continuing to tease her with a smirk on his face.

Now everyone around them was watching with curiosity as Cuddy looked up at House with a smirk of her own. "You just step aside and watch me show _you_ how it's done…honeybuns." She retorted, turning her back to him, ready to throw her balloon.

"Ooooooo, challenge accepted." Kutner said as he chuckled and smirked at House, receiving a glare in return.

Cuddy drew her arm back as everyone watched with interest and threw the balloon as hard as she could, watching it splatter onto the center of the canvas. She turned around with a smug smile on her face, looking directly at House.

"Wow, I don't think House hit the center of any of his canvases like that the entire time he's been out here." Foreman commented with arched eyebrows and a smirk.

House shifted his eyes to Foreman and glared at him as well. "Who asked you?"

Cuddy chuckled, preparing her next balloon. "Bullseye." She replied, looking up at him from her crouched position.

"More like bullsh-…"

"House." She warned him, not wanting him to swear in front of the kids, who were looking on curiously.

"Good job, Mommy. Do it again." Bella spoke up.

"Not gonna happen, that was pure luck." House interjected.

"Nuh uh, Dad, you're just jealous cuz Mom is better than you." Bella replied, smartly.

House's team and Chase and Cameron couldn't keep the smiles off their faces as Cuddy chuckled at Bella's words and House rolled his eyes.

"I think Max needs to talk to you, why don't you go over and see what he wants." House told Bella, nodding toward the table where Max was seated.

Bella rolled her eyes, seeing that Max was having a conversation with Oma, Wilson and Janine and wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Never." He told her with amusement. "But everyone knows that I'm a better balloon thrower than your mother and you shouldn't encourage her. So go talk to Max." He responded, pointing behind him.

"No way, you _are_ trying to get rid of me and I ain't falling for it." She replied, with a smartass smile.

House smirked at her. "Hey, smartypants, get me a balloon so I can show Mom how it's really done."

"You must be in denial because I think she just showed _you_ how it's done, House." Thirteen interjected.

"Shhh. No one asked you either."

Just then, Cuddy threw her balloon and watched it splatter on the right corner of the canvas and the paper behind it.

"Ha! See, you missed." House exclaimed.

Chase approached with the video camera in his hand that Cuddy had given him to record throughout the party for her and stuck it House's face.

"So, House, how does it feel to be bested by your girlfriend?" He asked House with a smile.

"So Chase, how does it feel to have a camera shoved up your ass?"

"House." Cuddy warned him again, shifting her eyes to the kids and hearing them laugh at him for his comment.

"Oh please, like they don't hear that word all the time at school or at home." House said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, Miss Lisa, my dad says ass all the time." Simon spoke up, causing chuckles to erupt around them.

"That's not the point, honey." She told Simon before glaring at House.

House rolled his eyes before shifting them once more to the camera Chase held up to his face. "Seriously, do you want to find out?" He warned, receiving a chuckle from Chase before he backed off.

Cuddy finished her painting a few minutes later and turned around to find that Max had quietly joined them. Bella made her way over to him and grabbed his hand, bringing him closer so he could paint his canvas as well.

"Come on Max, now it's your turn." Bella told him.

"Alright, Bella, set me up." He replied, following her.

"If you're looking for a date, Cohen, I think you've come to wrong place." House spoke up sarcastically, referring to his 'set up' comment. "Although, I'm pretty sure Thirteen still swings that way." He added, pointing over at Thirteen.

Max looked at him with confusion, having no idea what the hell he was talking about since he hadn't met the group yet and had no idea that Thirteen was a person and not just a number. Cuddy rolled her eyes and shook her head, shifting her eyes to Max. "He's just upset because I took his fun away and now he's rambling incoherently."

Max nodded with amusement and took the balloon handed to him by Bella.

"Here, I'll show you how to do it." Bella told him, ignoring her dad and concentrating on teaching Max how to make a paint balloon. "First you got to pick what color of paint you want." She told him.

"Ok, how about green?" Max suggested.

"Ok." Bella replied, grabbing the paint so she could fill the empty soda bottle that was being used to fill the balloons with paint. "Now blow up your balloon a little." She instructed.

Max did as he was told and quickly pinched the tip of the balloon so the air wouldn't escape as he waited for further instructions. Once Bella had finished filling the bottle with paint, she held it out to Max.

"K, now you have to put the balloon over the bottle top and tip it over so the paint will go in the balloon." She continued. "And then after that, just tie it up." Bella finished with a smile.

Max finished with the instructions he was given and held the balloon in his hand. "This reminds of when we used to have water balloon fights when we were kids." He commented.

"Yeah well, Cuddy already shot us down for that bit of fun. You hear that Cuddy, Max wants to have a water balloon fight too, you birthday party tyrant." House remarked.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what he said. But knock yourselves out if you don't mind cleaning up the mess you make."

"It's water, it'll dry." He retorted.

"Not going to happen."

"Instead of water balloons, what do you say we make a friendly wager? Draw a target on the canvas and see who can…" Chase spoke up with a mischievous smile.

"No, no one is betting anything at my 9 year old's birthday party. You want to make bets, do it some other time." Cuddy interrupted, looking everyone in the eye, letting them know she meant what she said.

"It's not like she hasn't bet before." Chase mumbled.

Cuddy frowned with suspicion. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked Chase, quickly glancing over at Bella and then at House.

"Who knows, Chase is an _idiot_, you can never listen to anything he says." House answered, glaring at Chase.

"House?" She said, wanting him to answer her question.

"Who wants punch?" House announced loudly, ignoring Cuddy's question.

"I do!" Bella yelled, running toward the deck where the punch bowl was located, seemingly trying to get away from the conversation they were having.

Cuddy watched them suspiciously and furrowed her brow, knowing they were keeping something from her and she was pretty sure it had to do with playing poker at one time or another. She already knew of two instances where they played but she had a feeling they had done it again after she had told them not to, and when Chase had been involved as well. She didn't know when it had happened but she would find out one way or another.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

20 Minutes Later

House was sitting on the couch in the living room, along with Max, who was sitting in the chair across from him. They had come inside the house a few minutes ago after drinking some punch and eating more food. As House was avoiding Cuddy and her questions about Bella and betting, Max had approached him discreetly, saying he needed to speak to him in private. He was grateful for the chance to get away and as they sat there, Max smirked and looked at House.

"What was all that about out there?" He asked with amusement.

"Nothing. What Cuddy doesn't know won't hurt me." He replied. "What did you want to talk about?"

Max sighed softly and looked House in the eye. "I know this isn't the best time or place to have this conversation, since it's your daughter's birthday and I don't want to keep you from her…but you should know."

"Know what?" House asked suspiciously.

Max sighed once more, looking at him with regret. "We haven't been able to find anything on the men who killed Bella's brother. They didn't leave any physical evidence that we could find to lead us to their identities."

"Look harder." House pressed, his voice low and dangerous, not willing to let it go.

Max shook his head. "There's nothing, House, we've looked, trust me. There was nothing besides the shell casings; no hair or clothing fibers, no fingerprints, no DNA, nothing. I'm sorry, I know it meant a lot to you to find his killers, but…I'm afraid it's not going to be possible with what we have, which is nothing."

House sighed with frustration. "You've got faces, what about the sketchbook, what about the bullets they took out of him? Can't they match the bullets to the gun? There has to be something, you people just aren't doing what it takes. Who cares if some homeless runaway gets murdered, huh?"

"Hey, you have no right to say that to me, you know that's not true. I have busted my ass trying to find out anything I could to help find who did this to him. So don't accuse me of not caring about this boy. I have done _more _than my job. I'm not a detective, House, but I have spent what little free time I have to help solve this. Now, unless we find something that will lead us to these guys…something that we can hold them on when we do find them, there's nothing left…the sketchbook alone isn't going to get us much. The bullets can't be matched to a gun unless we have the murder weapon, which we don't."

"This is bullshit, Max…." House exclaimed.

"I know its bullshit. Even if we find them, and that is a _big_ if, without proof we don't have any reason to arrest them." Max argued.

"Drugs! They're drug dealers, dammit, arrest them for selling drugs." House exclaimed again.

"And how do you propose we link them to Mattie's murder without any kind of physical evidence? Is Bella willing to point them out and testify against them? Are you and Lisa willing to _let_ her, House, because that's what it would take?"

House took in a deep breath of frustration and anger. After a moment of silence, he calmed himself down and shook his head in answer to Max's question.

"No. My kid isn't testifying against anyone. I can't put her through that." House told him softly. "A few months ago, maybe, but she's moving on with her life and I don't want to cause her anymore pain." He added, shifting his eyes away from Max for a moment.

Max nodded in understanding. "I figured. And in all honesty, House, if she were mine I'd do same thing. You and Lisa need to let her move on from this. She's happy here and you two have created a fantastic environment for her to grow up in. Bella deserves a new start."

"I know." House responded.

"Look, the best we can do is post the drawings in Bella's sketchbook onto every law enforcement site we can. If we get their faces out there, it's possible someone will recognize them and give us names. If that happens, we can bring them in for questioning but like I said, we don't have the necessary proof to arrest them." Max told him softly.

House gave him a short nod just before he noticed his Mother appear in the doorway, having overheard their conversation. She looked at him with shock and confusion. House lowered his head and sighed deeply. 'Dammit.' He mumbled.

"Greg, what is going on?" She asked with a look of horror on her face.

House lifted his head and glanced at Max. "Give us a minute."

Max turned his head to look at House, his eyes having been on his Mom. Max nodded and stood up to leave the room. "I'm sorry." He replied softly, before exiting the living room and leaving he and his Mother alone.

"Mom, sit down."

She walked into the room, making her way over to sit next to him on the couch. House turned to face her.

"How much of that did you hear, Mom?"

"All of it, Gregory, I followed you and Max into the house." She told him bluntly.

House sighed and rolled his eyes. "You were eavesdropping." He said flatly. "Since when are you so nosy, Mom? I told you I'd tell you about Bella's past, why are you sneaking around?"

"Everyone here knows something about that little girl that I don't, Greg, and I want to know what it is."

"Not everyone knows. Stop being dramatic." He told her with another eye roll.

"Well it sure seems like everyone knows. James and his girlfriend, and now this Max fellow comes in here talking about finding killers and drug dealers…who is Mattie, Greg?"

"Mom, listen to me…Wilson knows about everything because he's been here the whole time, helping us through it. Janine is Bella's caseworker, so of course she knows. Max is Janine's brother and the fact that he's a cop needs more explanation, I get that. But stop acting like we're trying to keep something from you; we're not."

"Then tell me, I want to know _right now_. What's all this about case files and finding murderers and drug dealers? Just where the hell did this child come from and what the hell has she been involved in? Is she in danger or something?"

House sighed heavily. This is not the way he wanted to tell his Mother about Bella.

"I wish you would trust me, Mom. Now is not the time to be having this conversation. It's your granddaughter's birthday party, for god's sake."

"I'm aware of that, but I don't want to wait another minute to know where this child came from and how my son came to be involved in her life."

House leaned forward and looked his mother in the eyes, pointing his finger at her. "Fine, Mom, I'll tell you. But when I'm finished explaining and we go back outside, you are going to act like nothing happened, because today is her birthday and she does not need to think about the fact that one more person knows about her and what she's been through. And she doesn't need you feeling sorry for her. I do not want you to mention the fact that we had this conversation. Cuddy and I will talk to her. Am I clear?"

Mom stared at him with disbelief, furrowing her brow at what he'd just said to her. He had never talked to his Mother like that and it surprised her. She finally nodded in agreement.

House sighed and gave her a short nod, preparing himself to tell her a long and complicated story.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

3:55 PM

Cuddy walked into the kitchen from the backyard, where she'd been painting with Bella and her friends. She took a break to come inside and put the candles on the cake so they could sing Happy Birthday to Bella. She didn't realize what time it was and she thought Bella was more than ready to eat cake and open her presents. Taub and Foreman, who weren't especially close with Bella, had indicated that they would be leaving soon and Cuddy knew that Wilson and Janine were going out to dinner that night and would be heading out soon as well. Cuddy appreciated them taking the time to come to the party and she wanted to make sure that they would at least get some birthday cake out of it.

House had disappeared into the house with Max a while ago and she had no idea why. She thought the only reason they would be talking privately would have to do with the investigation into Mattie's killers so she decided to leave them alone, knowing he would tell her about it later. He had been avoiding her over what Chase had said earlier, but she had decided to let it go for today; she'd find out what was going on later.

As she took the cake out of the refrigerator, her Mom came into the kitchen as well.

"Hi, honey, do you need any help?"

"Sure, can you get the candles?"

Mom nodded and made her way over to the drawer to fish them out. As she was doing that, Cuddy noticed, Blythe and House walk into the kitchen. She saw the look on Blythe's face as she made her way past them and outside to the backyard. Cuddy furrowed her brow and glanced back at House.

"Is everything ok?" She asked him, as he stepped up beside her.

Mom looked up as well, having noticed Blythe's expression when she passed by.

"We need to talk." House answered her in a quiet and serious tone, gently taking hold of Cuddy's arm to lead her out of the kitchen.

Cuddy shifted her eyes to her Mom before going with House. He led her into their bedroom and closed the door. House moved to sit down on the bed and looked up at her.

"House, is your Mom ok?"

"She's in shock."

"Yeah, I noticed. What happened?"

"I told her everything."

At first, Cuddy didn't know what he meant, but then realization hit and she looked at him with confusion. "Why would you do that now? You couldn't have waited to tell her when we _weren't_ celebrating our daughter's birthday?"

"She practically cornered me, Cuddy. She overheard Max and I talking about the case and demanded to know what was going on." He told her. "So technically it's Max's fault." He added.

Cuddy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. "Is she ok?"

"She will be. I told her not to mention to Bella that she knows…that you and I would tell her."

Cuddy opened her eyes and scowled at him. "Well, I'm sure Bella will have _no_ idea that she knows. Especially with that look she had on her face." Cuddy replied sarcastically.

"Don't worry, my Mother is good at compartmentalizing her emotions. She'll be fine and Bella won't have a clue."

"I should've known this would happen. Earlier, when I introduced her to Max and he told her he was a police officer, I knew she wanted to ask more questions. Somehow she knew the reason he was our friend had to do with Bella and her past. Blythe kept looking at me, expecting me to tell her everything right there." Cuddy explained to him.

House nodded in understanding. "She'll be fine, Cuddy. Bella won't know until we tell her." He assured her, taking her hand in his and pulling her closer to him so she stood between his legs.

"I hope so." She replied, placing her hands on his shoulders as she looked at him, his hands moving onto her hips. In his seated position on the bed, she was slightly taller than him, causing him to look up at her.

He gave her a small smile. "She won't ruin her granddaughter's birthday party."

Cuddy nodded, looking down for a moment and feeling reassured that Blythe would keep the information to herself. She shifted her eyes back to House when she heard him sigh softly, knowing that something else was bothering him.

"What did Max have to say?" She asked softly, rubbing her hands over his shoulders in soothing caresses.

House sighed and shook his head. "They can't find them, Cuddy. Mattie's killers get away with murder." He told her softly, the sorrow in his voice, breaking her heart.

She wasn't sure she'd ever heard that much heartache in his tone before. Cuddy closed her eyes, feeling the same amount of sorrow he was feeling. "I'm sorry. I know how much it meant to you to find them, for Bella's sake." She whispered, placing a soft kiss on his forehead and winding her arms around his neck in a hug.

House responded to her hug, moving his arms around her waist. "Our kid has to suffer for what they did, when _they_ should be the ones suffering."

"I know." She replied softly, placing another kiss to his temple. Cuddy opened her eyes and leaned back, looking him in the eyes as she cradled his head in her hands. "But she's moving on, House. You and I are helping her to move on from all of this."

"They should pay, Cuddy. This isn't right."

"I know." She said once more, her thumbs gently caressing his cheeks. She looked into his eyes, wanting to take the sadness away from him but not knowing how. "I wish there were something I could do." She whispered.

House sighed softly and leaned his forehead onto her sternum, shaking his head. "There's not anything any of us can do but wait to see if they get arrested for anything." He told her, before tilting his head up to look at her once more. "Max said the detectives posted Bella's drawings of them on every law enforcement website there is. They're wanted for questioning in connection to Mattie's murder, so if anyone in law enforcement recognizes them, they get brought in."

"Well, that's something." She replied, arching her eyebrows.

He shook his head. "Even if they find them, they don't have evidence. All they have is what Bella saw and we can't put her through that." He told her.

Cuddy nodded, sighing softly as she dropped her hands back onto his shoulders. "I agree, but I think we should keep an open mind, House. We don't know how she'll feel about it later. Right now I don't think she's ready for something like that, but maybe in time…."

House nodded. "Maybe." He mumbled. "Or maybe we should leave it alone…let her heal from this and never look back."

"Yeah."

After a moment of silence, Cuddy dropped her hands and placed them over House's that were on her waist.

"We should get back to the party; Bella's waiting."

He nodded, moving to stand up but before he could, she stopped him. Cuddy frowned at him and tilted her head to the side, a questioning look in her eyes.

"What?" He asked.

"You have something on your lips." She told him.

House moved his hand, wiping his fingers across his mouth. "What is it?"

"I don't know. Let me see." She replied, a small smile coming to her face before leaning over and placing a lingering kiss to his lips. "There, I think I got it."

House chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You're weird."

"I made you smile though."

"You know what would _really_ put a smile on my face."

"We don't have time for it."

"Come on, you know you want to. It'll make you smile too." I said enticingly.

"Wish we could, but we have a house full of guests, plus both of our Mother's and our daughter…not going to happen."

"Tonight? You, me, shower?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her with a hopeful smile on his face.

"I think I could make some time for a shower tonight." She replied with a seductive smile.

"Good. Because you, my dearest Cuddy, stink really bad." He told her as he stood up from the bed.

"Watch it, buster…or you'll be showering alone." She told him.

"Yeah right, once you get a look at my smokin' hot bod, you won't be able to resist showering with me." He told her, taking her hand in his and pulling her toward the bedroom door.

"Wait a second." She replied, stopping him and pulling him back toward her.

House smirked at her. "Change your mind?"

She shook her head and looked up at him. Cuddy thought now would be the perfect opportunity to ask him about what Chase had said earlier, now that she had him cornered.

He looked at her expectantly as she continued looking at him. "What was Chase talking about earlier when he said that Bella had bet before?"

"Sorry, wish I could tell you but our daughter is waiting to blow out her candles." He told her, turning around once more and trying to leave the bedroom.

"House." She said, pulling him back toward her again. "I'm giving you a chance to tell me the truth now before I find out on my own."

He stopped and rolled his eyes. "It was nothing, Cuddy. It was poker, you know we've played before."

"After I asked you not to let her play anymore?" She wondered, already suspecting what the answer would be.

"Yes…after you asked us not to. You caught us and we're extremely sorry…we'll never do it again."

"Wow, your sincerity was overwhelming." She replied dryly.

"Can we talk about this later?"

"You can count on it." Cuddy told him, letting go of his hand and walking out of the room.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

4:15 PM

Bella smiled widely as everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. Her face was beginning to hurt because she was smiling so much, but she loved every minute of it. Mom had brought the cake outside with nine candles sticking out of it. Grandma and Oma had made the cake for her and it was the best cake she'd ever had for her birthday. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting in the shape of a paint palate with different colored sprinkles to represent the paints on the palate. As she blew the candles out, everyone clapped and cheered at her success in blowing them out in one breath. Mom snapped pictures as Chase recorded everything on the video camera. Bella looked up at her Dad and noticed the small smile on his face as he winked at her.

Several minutes later, once the cake was cut and everyone was served, Bella sat at one of the round tables with her friends. Simon had frosting all over his mouth and Bella, Maya and Ellie laughed as they tried to indicate to him that he needed a napkin to wipe it off. He laughed as well, showing his frosting stained teeth to them. Mom stood by and took pictures of them goofing off.

"Mom, aren't you going to eat cake too?" Bella asked once they had stopped laughing.

"In a minute, sweetie, I want to get some more pictures of everyone." She told Bella, before leaning down and placing a kiss on top of Bella's head and making her way to the tables where the adults were sitting.

As Simon wiped his mouth off, he looked at Bella with a furrow in his brow. "Bella, is Mr. Greg your Dad now?"

Bella placed a piece of cake in her mouth and nodded. "Mmhm." She answered.

"Do you like having him as your Dad?" Maya asked.

Bella swallowed her food and nodded once more. "I love it…he's the best."

"Your Grandma's are nice." Ellie told her.

"Yeah…I just met Oma, she's my Dad's Mom." Bella informed them.

"Cool…do you like her?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, she's nice to me, but I don't know her that good yet."

"You don't got a Grandpa?" Simon asked Bella, taking another bite of his cake.

"No." She replied, shaking her head.

"That's too bad, I love my Grandpa, he spoils me rotten." Simon told her.

"My Grandma's spoil me." Bella replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Mine too." Ellie and Maya spoke up at the same time, turning their heads and laughing at each other.

Bella chuckled and Simon rolled his eyes.

"You're lucky you're an only child and you don't have to share them with nobody. That way you get more stuff and all of their attention." Simon added.

Bella frowned and shifted her eyes to her plate, thinking she wished she had Mattie to share them with. "I wouldn't mind sharing them with a brother or sister."

"Maybe your Mom will have a baby." Simon pointed out with a shrug.

Bella shook her head. "I doubt it, I don't think she can have babies. It's how come she adopted me."

"Oh."

They sat there eating their cakes in silence for a moment before Maya spoke up. "How did Mr. Greg get to be your Dad? Did he marry your Mom?"

Bella shook her head. "No. He just decided he wanted to be my dad and I think he had to sign a paper, but I'm not sure."

"Oh. Are they going to get married?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know." She responded, thinking that it would be pretty cool if Dad asked Mom to marry him someday. "I think I would like it if they got married."

"Maybe you should ask your dad if he wants to marry your mom." Maya suggested.

"Why? If he wants to, he will." Bella explained with a shrug.

"What if he's too afraid to ask her?" Ellie interjected.

"My Dad ain't afraid of that." Bella replied with a chuckle.

"How do you know?"

"Cuz my dad ain't afraid of nothin'." Bella answered with certainty.

"But didn't you say he was afraid to be your dad before?"

Bella frowned, realizing that she had a point. "Yeah."

"So maybe he's scared to get married to her." Maya shrugged.

Bella's frown remained on her face as she thought about that. "So what do I do, just ask him?" She wondered, looking at each of her friends.

Simon shrugged, seeming to be less interested in the conversation the longer it went on. Ellie and Maya shrugged as well, looking at Bella with uncertainty as to how she should handle it. After a moment, Simon spoke up, joining the conversation once more.

"Maybe you should matchmake 'em." He suggested.

The girls scowled at him. "They're already matched, stupid." Maya replied.

"No, I mean, maybe you should set 'em up to get married." He clarified.

Bella frowned at his suggestion. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know." He answered.

Bella rolled her eyes at him. "You're no help at all, Simon. You could at least give me ideas since you're the one that brought up that suggestion."

"Well I didn't think it through, it just popped in my head."

"You never think anything through, that's why you always get in trouble." Maya reasoned.

"Shut up."

"Maybe Simon is right, maybe I should try to think of a way to get them to get married." Bella said, becoming excited by the idea.

Simon smiled, seemingly happy that she liked his idea.

"My real mom and dad was married, so it would be pretty cool if my new mom and dad got married." Bella added.

"So what are you going to do?" Maya asked her.

"I don't know yet, I have to think about it." Bella replied, a smile coming to her face as she began to plot how she would get her parents to marry each other.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6:45 PM

About a half hour after Bella opened her presents, several of the party guests had once again wished her a happy birthday before they left. Chase, Cameron, Max and Thirteen had stuck around for a little while longer until Max told them he had better get on the road since he had to drive back to the City. Thirteen left a few minutes after Max. Bella had loved every gift that she had received and she couldn't wait to play with her new toys. She had gotten a lot of stuff and Cuddy thought she might have been a little overwhelmed by everything. Cuddy had asked her several times if she was ok and if she needed anything but Bella insisted that she was fine. Bella had stayed outside with House and Chase, playing with the roller skates that House had gotten her while Cuddy, her Mom, Blythe and Cameron cleaned up the party.

Now, as Cuddy dismantled the 'gallery' in the dining room, she looked out onto the driveway where Bella was learning to skate. She had her bicycle helmet on as well as the wrist, knee and elbow pads that came along with her roller skates. Cuddy watched with a smile as House and Chase held each of her hands as she carefully skated down the driveway.

"Lisa."

Cuddy turned when she heard her mother's voice behind her.

"Why don't you go outside with your daughter, honey? We can get the rest of this." She offered.

"It's ok, Mom, I'm almost finished here."

"Then let me finish it and you go spend time with Bella. You hardly spent time with her today because you were running around making sure that her party was perfect. Now go on, I'll clean this up."

"Mom…"

"I won't tell you again, young lady." Mom replied with a smirk, using her motherly tone.

Cuddy smiled and nodded her head. "Thanks Mom."

Cuddy placed a kiss on her mother's cheek and turned to make her way outside. She stepped onto the front porch, having closed the door behind her and watched Bella as she shrieked excitedly, keeping a death grip on House's hand.

"Daddy, don't let go!" She screamed.

"I'm letting go, you've got this." House told her.

"No, Dad, I'm gonna fall. Chase!" Bella screamed once more, not releasing Chase's hand either.

"You've got it, Bella. Keep it up, push off with your right foot, then your left." Chase told her.

"Hold on to me!" Bella shrieked again.

"Ok, ok, I've got you." House replied, holding onto her hand tightly, as he and Chase walked along beside her.

Cuddy was concerned how this would affect House's leg later and if it was bothering him now. She didn't want him to get hurt if Bella suddenly lost her balance and dragged House down with her. She walked down the sidewalk toward them with a smile on her face. Bella reached the end of the driveway without falling and once she had stopped skating forward, she hugged House's arm tightly, unwilling to let herself fall down.

"You made it." House told her with a smile.

Bella looked up at him, her grin as wide as she'd ever seen it. "I was scared you was going to let go." She told him around a chuckle.

"I was, you were doing fine."

Bella's foot rolled forward slightly, causing her to grip House's arm tighter before she gained her balance back. She looked up at Chase as he stood next to them with a smile as well, none of them having noticed Cuddy yet.

"You did it, sweetheart. Now you've got to try skating back alone." Chase told her.

"No way, I'll fall."

"Maybe, but you've got your pads on, you won't get hurt."

"I don't know." She told him doubtfully.

"Skate over to me, Bella." Cuddy spoke up, drawing her daughter's attention to her.

Bella smiled when she saw Cuddy. "Mom, did you see me? I skated down here."

"I saw you, you did great."

"Dad and Chase held on to me though, I was afraid I would fall."

"It's ok, baby, that's how you learn." She reassured her with a smile on her face.

"Skate over to your Mom, peanut." House told Bella, removing his arm from her grip, and taking her hand.

Bella looked up at House with trepidation, furrowing her brow at him.

"I'll be right beside you." House added. "So will Chase."

Bella nodded and carefully turned around, never letting go of House's hand. She rolled forward once more, almost losing her balance, but House held onto her. She glanced up at Chase and he gave her a reassuring nod. Bella then shifted her attention to Cuddy and gave her a nervous smile.

"You can do it." Cuddy told her.

"Ok." Bella replied with a nod.

House gently removed his hand from hers and she looked up at him. He gave her a nod in Cuddy's direction. "Go on, first your right then your left and keep going."

Bella nodded and took a breath before doing as her father said. She slowly moved forward, while holding her arms out and trying to keep her balance. She took another slow step forward until she moved closer and closer to Cuddy. Bella smiled up at her, excited at her progress.

"Look, Mom, I'm doing it!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"You sure are, baby, keep it up." Cuddy told her, holding her arms out to Bella.

"I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" She kept saying over and over.

Bella's pace grew faster as the wheels on her skates took her closer to her goal. When she was a few feet away from Cuddy, Bella's face took on a panicked expression as she sped up. "Mommy, I'm going too fast!" She shrieked.

"It's ok, Bella, I'm here. Just keep coming, you won't fall." She replied calmly.

"No, I'm going too fast!" She exclaimed once more, even more panic setting in.

"No, you're doing great, Bella." Cuddy continued to encourage her.

Bella kept going but she began to flail her arms until she finally lost her balance and landed in House's arms before she could hit the ground. Cuddy noticed the confused look she had on her face before she looked up at House.

"Told you I had you." He said with a smirk on his face.

Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief that Bella hadn't gotten hurt and that House had caught her before she fell. She made her way over to Bella and House, just as House set Bella back on her feet. Chase stepped up to them as well.

"Well, at least you were going well there for a little bit." Chase told her.

Bella looked at him and chuckled. "Yeah."

"You did great, sweetie. I'm proud of you." Cuddy told her.

"That was fun, even though I was scared." She replied with a laugh.

Cuddy held onto Bella's arm so she could keep her balance, while House smiled down at her.

"Want to do it again?" House asked.

Bella smiled and nodded. "Ok. How else am I gonna get good at it?" She replied.

"That's the spirit." Chase commented.

Cuddy helped Bella turn around while House made his way to the end of the driveway so that Bella could skate to him. Chase hung out between them in case Bella fell on her way there. Bella carefully made her way toward House once more, holding her arms out to her sides as her skates took her closer to him. Cuddy watched happily as her daughter roller-skated down her driveway, listening to her excited shrieks of laughter at the progress she was making on her own. It warmed her heart to see the fun that Bella was having now and had had earlier today at her party. Cuddy had planned everything and she had been nervous about whether Bella would enjoy what she had planned. She was glad that she seemed to.

Cuddy was surprised at the wonderful gifts that Bella had received today. Bella had loved every last one of them and had graciously thanked people for their generosity. She figured Bella was more appreciative for what she had gotten than most kids her age would be because of how her life had been changed by the loss her family and essentially her childhood. She probably thought she would never have an opportunity like this again in her life; to have a family and friends that loved and cared for her deeply.

Cuddy wasn't sure what presents Bella enjoyed getting the most. She started off opening the cards that Taub and Foreman had both given her containing $20 each, telling her she would have more fun spending it on something she liked than having to return or exchange something they had gotten her because she would've hated it. Thirteen gave her a cute skirt and blouse outfit that Cuddy thought would look adorable on her. Bella had agreed and couldn't wait to wear it. Cuddy couldn't believe what Kutner had given her; it was a pink Hello Kitty scooter. She had no idea he would be getting Bella a gift like that and she was a little miffed that he hadn't consulted her first. Cuddy had looked at him nervously before he uttered with a mischievous smile how much he had loved his scooter when he was a kid. She had sighed and rolled her eyes, thinking it was just what Bella needed; she had gotten a bike, roller skates from House and now a scooter. Cuddy just knew she would be taking her daughter to the emergency room in the near future with a broken arm or leg. But when Bella opened it, she had gasped and smiled excitedly, overjoyed at receiving another toy to play with.

Chase and Cameron gave her a charm bracelet and necklace with her name etched on it and Bella had absolutely loved them, and wanted to put them on right then. Wilson gave her a small pottery wheel. Bella's eyes had practically bugged out of her head from the shock and excitement of getting such a fun gift. She said she had never done pottery before and she couldn't wait to try it out. Cuddy was excited for her as well because she knew how much fun she would have with it.

Bella had received some more 'girlie' gifts from Janine, Maya and Ellie. Janine had given her a cute set of soaps, lotions, shampoos and bubble baths, while Maya gave her a set of fruit-flavored lip gloss, knowing that her friend had loved the ones she'd received for her birthday. House rolled his eyes, but hadn't said anything, deciding to keep his mouth closed. Ellie gave Bella an adorable purse with her name stitched into the side. Her friend Simon gave her a miniature gumball machine and gumballs to put inside it. Bella had thought it was a fun and strange gift but she loved it because it was very 'Simon'; something only he would think of getting her. Max's gift was probably the most special she had received, in Cuddy's opinion. He had gotten her a really nice set of photo albums so that she could fill them with pictures of her new family. Cuddy had nearly lost it upon seeing what he gave her. They were the most beautiful albums she'd ever seen and the thought behind them were amazing.

Her Grandma's present went over really well considering it meant Bella would get to spend as much time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as she wanted. The tickets were for the family and Cuddy was grateful to her mother for getting such a thoughtful gift. Blythe took Cuddy's advice and gave Bella a larger easel than she already had and explained that it was portable as well, so she could take it with her anywhere. The last gift she received was from Cuddy herself, giving Bella some more clothes and shoes that she knew she needed.

As Cuddy continued to watch her daughter's smiling face as she played in the driveway, she was grateful that her 9th birthday would be memorable for her. Bella had deserved everything that she had received as well as the fun and memories she'd made with her new friends. Cuddy looked forward to the years to come as she watched Bella grow and hopefully let go of the horror in her past.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:00 PM

Bella was dressed in her pajamas after having taken a shower a few minutes ago and was now rolling up and down the hallway on her new scooter that Kutner had given her. It was tons of fun and after spending time learning how to skate earlier she decided to try the scooter out. As Bella rolled down the hallway, she saw Mom round the corner, making her way to her bedroom from the kitchen.

"Hi Mom." She said with a smile.

"Bella, honey, please be careful with that in the house. I don't want anything broken…including you."

Bella chuckled at her response. "I will, I'm just riding it in the hall."

"Ok." She responded, making her way into the bedroom and stopping in the doorway. "Have you brushed your teeth?" She asked.

Bella shook her head. "No. Can I have some cake?"

"Not this late, baby, you can have some tomorrow. Go brush your teeth."

Bella pouted but nodded her head in understanding. "Do I have to go to bed now?" She asked with disappointment.

"Soon."

Bella slumped her shoulders and rolled the scooter to the bathroom to brush her teeth, leaning it against the wall and walking over to the sink. As she grabbed her toothbrush and squirted toothpaste onto it, she remembered the conversation she had earlier with her friends about setting Mom and Dad up to get married. She had no idea how she was going to do it but she had to come up with something. It wasn't necessary that they got married but she really wanted them to, so they could be a real family. Bella wondered if it would just be easier to have a talk with them.

After brushing her teeth, she rinsed her mouth out and reached for the towel next to the sink so she could dry her mouth off. As she did, Bella noticed Oma watching her in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Oma. I'm finished so you can get in here now." She told her.

"No rush, darling. Have you had a good day?"

Bella nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I had tons of fun. I loved the cake, Oma. You and Grandma did a real good job on it." She told her, moving to give her a hug.

"Well thank you, honey, I'm so happy you enjoyed it." Oma replied, hugging her back. "You deserved every minute of your happy day." She added.

"Thanks." Bella replied, dropping her arms to her side and looking up at Oma. "I love my easel too. Tomorrow I'm going to paint something for you."

Oma smiled with delight. "I can't wait to see it." She responded.

Bella smiled, looking into Oma's eyes. She noticed something in them but she wasn't quite sure what it was. They looked softer, like she was looking at her in a different way. Not that she was looking at her in a bad way before, but now she seemed to have a look of compassion in them. Bella's thoughts were interrupted, hearing her name being called from down the hallway.

"Bella."

Bella peaked her head out of the bathroom to see Mom coming down the hall.

"Yeah?"

"You need to go say goodnight to everyone; it's bedtime." Mom told her.

Bella nodded, turning her attention to Oma. "Goodnight Oma. Thanks again for the cake and the easel, I love them both." She told her, giving Oma another hug.

"You're welcome, dear, sweet dreams."

She nodded, releasing Oma, grabbing her scooter and rolling her way to the living room to say good night to Dad and Grandma. Upon entering, she saw Dad sprawled on the couch watching television, while Grandma sat in the chair reading a magazine. Dad looked her way when she walked in and leaned the scooter against the door.

"Night, Dad." She said, leaning down and placing a sweet kiss on his cheek as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Night, peanut. You going to take that to bed with you?" He asked with amusement as he hugged her and placed a kiss on her cheek as well.

"No." She chuckled, leaning back to look into his face.

"Good, cuz if you're going to sleep with anything, it's going to be the super rad skates I got you."

Bella laughed at him and rolled her eyes. "I ain't sleeping with those either."

"Damn." He mumbled, pretending to be hurt.

Bella snickered at him, causing his pout to turn into amusement. "Go tell your Grandma goodnight." He told her, gesturing toward Grandma sitting in the chair.

Bella moved over to her and gave her a hug. "Night Grandma, thanks for the cake and the museum tickets. I can't wait to go." She told her softly.

"You're welcome, honey, it was my pleasure to do that for you." She told Bella, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Bella released her and made her way out of the living room, bidding her Dad and Grandma goodnight once more. As she entered her bedroom, she made a run for her bed and flung herself onto it, bouncing slightly as she laid her head down her pillow. Today had been a great day; a memorable day. She had already thanked Mom and everyone for giving her this party, but she felt like she couldn't thank them enough. She needed this to help feel like she was moving on with her life.

"Ready for bed?" Mom asked as she made her way into the room.

"Yeah." She replied softly.

Mom frowned at her as she sat down on the edge of the bed, facing Bella. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

Mom nodded. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Bella shrugged. "I was just thinking that today was a real good day. You made it special for me and all my friends came to my party and I'll always remember it." She told Mom softly, fidgeting with the blanket.

When Bella glanced up, Mom had a sweet smile on her face as she placed her hand over Bella's, giving it a squeeze. "It was special for me too. I'm so happy that I had the chance to do all of that for my daughter. You've had a rough couple of years and I wanted you make new memories."

Bella nodded in agreement. "Mom, do you think someday I'll forget everything that happened to me?"

She sighed softly, rubbing her thumb over Bella's hand. "No, sweetie, I don't think you'll forget. But I do think you'll heal."

"Yeah, me too." Bella told her, her lip curving into a smile. A furrow in her brow appeared a moment later, a sudden question coming to her mind. "Does Oma know about me, Mom?"

Mom arched her brows in surprise at her question. "She…" She started, pausing slightly before continuing. "Listen sweetie, that's something your Dad and I wanted to talk to you about. He had to tell her today because she overheard a conversation between him and Max. We didn't want to bring it up on your birthday, but we were going to tell you."

Bella nodded. "She had a different look on her face when I was talking to her. It's ok, she had to know."

Mom nodded in agreement. "Thank you for understanding."

"You're welcome."

"You should get some sleep, it's been an exciting day."

"Ok." Bella replied, turning onto her side, facing Mom.

Mom leaned down and placed a kiss on her temple, gently combing her fingers through Bella's hair. Bella closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of her Mom's gentle caresses.

After a few moments, she whispered. "Call me if you need me, baby. Have sweet dreams tonight, ok?"

"I'll try." Bella mumbled, just before she slipped into unconsciousness.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, everyone. I appreciate your patience since I took so long to get this chapter posted. It won't take as long to post the next chapter…I hope.**


	55. Chapter 54

**Finally posting! Well, at least it didn't take me a month this time. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chap. I'll be posting the next one as soon as I can, but unfortunately it won't be before Christmas. So, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas wherever you are in the world. To my fellow Brasileiros out there….Feliz Natal!**

**Chapter 54**

6:45 AM – Sunday

House lay on his left side facing Cuddy, who was lying next to him in their bed. He brought his right arm over and placed it gently around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Cuddy lay her head on his bicep and placed a tender kiss on his lips as she smiled at him and snuggled into his warm embrace. His fingers began leisurely caressing her spine as they exchanged more kisses.

"Cold?" He asked her, his voice just above a whisper as he continued to run his hand over her back.

"A little." She whispered.

"Might have something to do with you being gloriously naked." He replied, looking down and getting a peak at her breasts. "Need me to warm you up again?" He asked, bobbing his eyebrows suggestively.

Cuddy chuckled at him. "Hm, I know you're good, but you're not that good."

"Wanna bet?" He asked, tilting his pelvis forward allowing her to feel just how good he was. He leaned over and kissed her again as he combed his fingers through her hair with his other hand.

She smiled as she kissed him, chuckling softly. "I'm afraid you might have a heart attack if we go again this soon." She told him around a laugh.

"Hey, hey…don't make me prove you wrong." He replied, moving his hand under the sheet at her waist and giving her a tap on the ass.

She laughed again at his indignation. Cuddy leaned in and kissed him once more, gently caressing his scruffy cheeks with her fingers as he stroked her hips, thighs and back.

Cuddy leaned away from him and looked into his eyes for a moment; an inquisitive look appearing on her face.

"What?" He asked her with a smirk on his lips, wondering what she had on her mind.

"Speaking of betting…" she began, speaking softly as she changed the subject.

House huffed and rolled his eyes. "No."

Cuddy scowled at him. "What do you mean, no?"

"We're not talking about this now…can't we just forget Chase said anything and just enjoy being naked in bed and possibly have more sex before anyone else in the house is awake enough to _hear_ that we're having sex?"

"You not wanting to have this conversation means that it's a bigger deal than you said it was yesterday and you don't want me to know why."

"Ignorance is bliss."

She frowned at him, her expression becoming more serious. "House."

House sighed with frustration. "Why are you pushing this? I already told you it wasn't a big deal."

"Yeah well, I want to know the details so I can judge for myself how big of a deal it is. Did you let Bella gamble with real money?"

He should've known this was going to come back and bite him in the ass someday. It was his own fault for inviting Chase to play since that idiot couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life.

"Well that would just be irresponsible parenting wouldn't it?" He snarked.

"Just answer my question, House." She replied with exasperation.

House removed his arms from her around waist and rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. "You really know how to kill a mood, you know that?" He stated sharply.

"I want you to tell me."

House turned his head to look at her with a scowl in his face. "Why?"

"Because I want the truth and I want it from you." She told him, her irritation at his evasiveness growing. She propped her head up, as she looked him in the eye, waiting for him to answer her.

"It's really hard to have a fight with you when the twins are staring at me like that." He stated, shifting his eyes down to her breasts.

She rolled her eyes and covered herself up before looking at him expectantly, still waiting for him to answer her question.

House shifted his gaze back to the ceiling. "Yes…we played with real money. There, happy?"

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that she shook her head. There was silence in the room for several minutes before she spoke again.

"Why? Why would you let her play, House? I asked you not to. I don't want her gambling, she's just a child."

"Cuddy, you're acting like we do this on a regular basis…that was months ago."

"How much did she win?" She asked, ignoring his statement.

House sighed loudly, becoming impatient with this interrogation she had going on. "Why does it matter? We played once with real money and we haven't done it since. I don't see what the big deal is."

"Does she still have it?"

House threw his hands up in frustration before throwing the sheet that was covering him, off of his body. He sat up and planted his feet on the floor with his back to Cuddy. He opened his mouth to answer but before he could, her cell phone rang on the bedside table. House turned his head to look at Cuddy, watching to see if she would answer it. She stared back at him with a bit of frustration and a tinge of anger, not making a move to answer her phone. House turned his head away from her and stood up, walking naked into the bathroom.

"Answer your phone, Cuddy." He threw over his shoulder before he closed the door to the bathroom.

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10:08 AM

Bella opened the front door, carefully stepping inside the house with her skates on her feet. She slowly rolled her way into the kitchen, needing hydration after skating up and down the driveway for the last hour. She was kind of getting bored of going around in circles and wanted to skate in the park. She wanted to get really good and that wasn't going to happen by going in circles in her driveway. Bella was feeling more confident with skating now that she had spent some more time on them. She fell several times but always managed to get herself back up. She had gone out there an hour ago, wanting to learn to do it by herself since Mom went to the grocery store with Grandma and Dad had left for the hospital to help a patient before Bella even got up this morning. Oma had stayed to watch her and Bella had convinced her to let her go outside alone. She knew Oma was watching through the window in the dining room, but Bella didn't mind that.

Last night, Mom told Bella that Dad had told Oma everything about what had happened to her. Bella knew it would come out eventually and she didn't have a problem with Oma knowing. She didn't want to lie to anyone anymore and Oma had the right to know, since she was her Oma now, just like Grandma had to know. To be honest it was a relief that everyone in her new family knew about what had happened. She could speak freely about anything she felt she needed to talk about and nothing was a secret. Before, she wouldn't have liked that everyone knew. She would have been angry and resentful if Mom and Dad had told anyone without her permission. But she learned her lesson about that when she ran away and how they had all been forgiving for what Bella had done. She realized now that they loved her and she was a part of them. She was their family and they were hers.

As Bella skated into the kitchen, she noticed that Oma was standing at the island pouring a glass of lemonade. Bella smiled; how did she know that's why she came inside?

"Hi Oma."

"Hi darling. Thirsty?"

Bella nodded, leaning against the island for support as Oma handed her the glass.

"How did you know I was thirsty?"

"Because I'm Oma; I know these things." She stated, giving Bella a wink as a small smile curved her lips.

Bella smiled in return, taking the glass that Oma was offering her. "You was watching me at the window, that's how come you knew."

"Well, there's that too." She replied.

Bella giggled before taking a drink of the lemonade. After swallowing, she set the glass down and looked up at Oma. "Oma, can we go to the park? I'm tired of skating in circles in the driveway."

"I don't see why not. I hope you know where the park is." She answered.

Bella nodded. "It ain't far, Oma, it's just down the street." She replied, pointing in that general direction.

"Ok. But we need to leave a note for your Mom and Grandma to let them know where we're going."

"Ok, I'll write it." Bella replied, excitedly.

Bella slowly turned around and rolled over to the counter where the phone and the stationary are located. She took a piece of paper and scribbled a note to her Mom and Grandma.

_Dear Mom and Grandma,_

_Me and Oma went to the park so I could learn to skate better. Don't worry, Mom, I have all my pads on, and my helmet._

_I love you, Bella and Oma._

Bella rolled over to Oma when she was finished and handed her the note. "There Oma, we can just put it on the counter and they'll see it."

"Alright, dear, show me the way." Oma replied, setting the note down on the island so that it was visible to them when they entered the kitchen.

Bella smiled excitedly and turned around to leave the kitchen, skating to the front door. As she led Oma outside and as they slowly made their way to the park, Bella wondered if Oma was going to mention to her that she knew everything that had happened in her past. She didn't mind talking to Oma about it for a little bit, but she didn't want to dwell on it. Bella wondered if Oma thought that she'd be afraid to talk about it.

"Darling, don't get too close to the road." Oma instructed, waving her back over to her.

Bella looked up and skated on the other side of Oma, away from the street.

"Oma." Bella started, after a moment of silence between them.

"Hmm?"

"My Dad told you about me yesterday. It's alright if you want to ask me some stuff, ok?"

Oma shifted her eyes to Bella, looking surprised by what she'd said. "Oh, I didn't know that he'd told you already. We don't have to talk about that, honey. You must want to just forget all about it."

"I wish I could…well, really, I wish that it didn't happen. But Mom and Dad and Dr. Sloane say that if I talk about it, it'll help me to heal better." Bella replied. "And I guess they're right because since I been talking about it, I don't have as many nightmares and I don't think about it as much as I used to. Mom said that I won't ever forget but that someday I'll heal from it."

Oma looked at her curiously but also with a bit of awe as well. She shook her head and marveled at Bella. "I think you're the bravest little girl I've ever met."

"I ain't that brave. I didn't talk about it for a real long time and I never really told nobody. I always ran away from people. I ran away from Mom and Dad a bunch of times…especially when I found out they knew about me and didn't tell me. They figured it out after they knew me for a while. I only talk about it now because after I ran away, I realized that I had to talk if I want to move on from it."

"Then you must realize that's a very brave thing to do. A lot of people go through horrible times in their lives but they're never brave enough to get help."

Bella frowned at her, noticing that she had spoken that as if she were a million miles away in her own thoughts. Maybe she wasn't talking about what Bella had gone through; maybe she was talking about something _she_ had gone through. "Are you brave, Oma?" Bella asked.

Oma snapped her attention back to Bella, a deep frown of sadness overtaking her expression. She didn't respond for a few moments, as her eyes seemed to mist over with tears. "Not as brave as you, darling." She replied softly.

Bella reached for Oma's hand and gave it a soft squeeze, hoping to reassure her. That's what Mom did when she wanted to be reassuring so she hoped it worked for Oma. Oma smiled at Bella so it must've helped. Bella returned her smile, happy that she had helped her feel a little better.

"I'm sorry about the horrible things that happened to you." Oma told her sincerely, squeezing Bella's hand in return.

Bella nodded. "I'm getting better."

Oma's smile grew as she nodded. "I'm glad. You're a very special little girl. Anyone that can make my son happy after all the years of misery he's been through is special."

"Because of _his_ Dad?"

"Partly…but also because of his leg. My son…your Dad, was a very unhappy man for a lot of years."

Bella nodded in understanding. "Is that why he always pretends to be mean when he really isn't?"

"I suppose. But there were a lot of times when he was mean and meant every bit of it…especially toward his Dad."

"But wasn't his Dad mean to him? Maybe my Dad was mean to his Dad because he was mean first."

Oma looked at her sadly and nodded her head. "You're right. I suppose that is why he was mean."

"When I was on the streets in New York, I seen a lot of kids get beat up by their moms and dads. Is that what happened to my Dad?" Bella asked.

Oma averted her eyes from Bella. "I'm not sure I should be talking to you about this, honey. Greg might get upset if he knew that I told you about his past with his father."

"Ok, Oma." Bella replied, recognizing that _she_ didn't want to talk about it. Bella looked up at her. "It makes you sad too, doesn't it?"

Oma looked over at Bella once more and slowly nodded her head. "Yes, honey, it makes me sad too. Because I should've been as brave as you are a long time ago, but I wasn't."

"It ain't easy to be brave. I wasn't that brave either, but Mom and Dad helped me to be."

Oma nodded in understanding. "I wish I'd had someone like that in my life back then, but times were different and people just didn't talk about stuff like that."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Oma."

"Me too, honey." She replied softly. A moment of silence passed between them before Oma spoke once more. "Do you mind if I ask you about your brother?"

"Ask what?" Bella wondered, a furrow in her brow.

"Well, Greg told me that he died and that you saw what happened."

Bella averted her eyes, looking down as she continued to skate slowly down the sidewalk, holding onto Oma's hand. "Yeah. He was shot." She replied, softly.

Oma nodded with sadness in her eyes as she looked down at Bella. "Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that your friend Max couldn't find the men responsible."

Bella suddenly stopped her progress down the sidewalk, nearly falling, and frowned up at Oma. "He couldn't?" She asked, surprised by that information. Bella guessed that's what Oma had overheard Dad and Max talking about. But why didn't Mom and Dad tell her?

"You didn't know?" Oma asked with surprise. "I thought Greg told you about our conversation?"

Bella shook her head.

"Oh dear. I'm sure he was going to tell you. I'm so sorry, I should've just kept my mouth shut."

"They ain't looking for those men no more, Oma?" Bella asked, not particularly caring that Mom and Dad didn't tell her about the conversation with Max. She knew they would eventually. She trusted them again and she was sure they were going to tell her. They were probably just waiting until Oma and Grandma left.

Oma raised her eyebrows in surprise that she still wanted to talk about it. "No, darling, I'm sorry. From what I overheard yesterday, they couldn't find them. But we shouldn't talk about this, your parents need to be the ones to talk to you about this."

"But if they ain't looking no more, they'll never find them. What about Mattie? It ain't fair. Those men killed Mattie, they should go to jail." Bella said emphatically, ignoring what Oma had just told her.

"Honey, I don't think they have a way to find them anymore. But as I said, you need to talk to your parents about this…I've already said too much. Come on, let's go to the park." Oma told her, taking a step forward until Bella began skating down the sidewalk once more.

Bella followed Oma, but her mind wasn't on the park anymore. Now her mind was on figuring out how she could find the men that killed Mattie. Dad had been trying to find them for a while, but maybe there was something Bella could do to help. Before now, she didn't want to think about seeing those men again in her life, but she'd had time to talk about everything that had happened and to heal just a little bit. She was surprised at how upset she felt that those men wouldn't go to jail for what they did to Mattie. She owed it to Mattie to find them and make them pay. She changed her mind…she wanted to find them now.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

1:00 PM

Cuddy was typing away on her computer as she sat on the couch in the living room, trying to busy herself with work to keep from thinking about the argument that she and House had that morning. After he had locked himself in the bathroom she had answered her phone and learned that a patient had been brought into the ER and no one could figure out what was wrong with her. She instructed them to admit her and she would get House there as soon as she could. She had seen the look of relief on his face when she told him he had a patient waiting for him at the hospital.

All morning, her mind had been occupied with the argument they'd had and trying to fill in the blanks of what he wasn't telling her about the poker game. She knew they had played and that Chase was involved and probably Wilson as well, since he and House didn't do anything without one another. She would definitely be yelling at him later, as well as Chase and Bella. But for now she wanted answers. Cuddy thought of asking Bella, but to be honest she wanted House to be the one to tell her everything. He was the one responsible for her that night and it was him that she wanted to hear the truth from. What she wanted to know was if Bella had won any money and how much? Did she still have it or did she spend it? But the biggest question that was gnawing at her was: Did Bella win enough money to get herself to New York when she ran away?

"Mom?" Cuddy suddenly heard Bella ask as she stood in the doorway.

"Mmhm?" She replied, keeping her eyes on the screen of her laptop as her fingers moved over the keyboard.

"When's Dad coming home?" She asked.

"I don't know, honey, he's still with his patient."

"Oh. Can I call him?"

Cuddy continued typing, having barely heard what Bella said as her mind went back to those questions.

"Mom, can I call him?" Bella asked once more after not receiving a response.

Cuddy looked up from the computer and furrowed her brow. "He's working, sweetheart. What do you need to call him for?"

Bella shifted her eyes to floor and shrugged her shoulder. "Nevermind." She answered, turning around and heading out of the living room.

Cuddy frowned in confusion and concern, wondering what was bothering Bella. After a few minutes, she set her laptop down on the couch and stood up, making her way to Bella's room to make sure she was ok.

The door to Bella's room was closed and as Cuddy knocked, she heard shuffling on the other side, and the doorknob turn as she opened it. Bella stuck her head through the crack in the door and looked up at Cuddy.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?"

"Painting something for Oma." She answered, swinging the door open to reveal that she was indeed painting.

"Shouldn't you leave the door open, so you won't inhale the fumes from the paint?" Cuddy asked.

"They ain't that strong but the window is open anyway." Bella replied, pointing toward the window.

Cuddy nodded. "Is everything ok, honey? Why did you want to call your Dad?"

"I just wanted to talk to him." Bella answered with a shrug.

Cuddy smiled at her. "Miss him that much?"

Bella's lip curved into a small smile. "No, I just wanted to ask him something."

"Is it something _I_ can help you with or just Dad?"

Bella thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess I could ask you too."

Cuddy nodded. "Ok. Can I come in?"

Bella nodded and stepped aside so Cuddy could enter. She made her way over to the bed and sat down, waiting for Bella to join her. Cuddy looked over at the painting that Bella was working on and smiled. It was a landscape painting. Cuddy had no idea where it was, but she guessed it was from somewhere in Bella's imagination. She had it sketched out with pencil but had only painted one layer of the sky so far.

"Your painting is going to look nice for Oma." She complimented with a smile.

Bella smiled in return as she sat down next to Cuddy on the bed. "Thanks."

"So what's going on?" She asked Bella, gently moving a curl away from her face.

Bella shifted her eyes to her fingers that were fidgeting with a thread on her jeans. "Umm. Today…when Oma took me to the park we was talking about how she knows about me and stuff…and she said that Max told Dad that he couldn't find the men that killed Mattie." She said before glancing up at Cuddy to gauge her reaction.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows in surprise that Blythe had told her that. She and House had wanted to have a conversation with Bella about this first, but apparently it was no longer necessary. Cuddy nodded in affirmation of what Bella had said and sighed deeply. "That's true, sweetheart. We wanted to have a talk with you about that, but…"

"You was waiting till Grandma and Oma left, I know." Bella interrupted. "I ain't mad about that. I just…" She started to say before pausing and shifting her eyes away once more. "You know how mad I got when Dad was asking if I would point out the men that killed Mattie?"

Cuddy nodded, remembering how pissed she'd been at House for pressing the issue with Bella when she was clearly opposed to it.

"Well…I changed my mind. I want to find them. It ain't fair that they don't have to go to jail. It ain't fair to Mattie." She replied, a deep frown in her brow and a troubled look in her eyes. "They shot him and he's dead…they need to go to jail." She added with conviction.

Cuddy furrowed her brow as well and gently brushed another curl away from her face. She placed a kiss on her forehead. "I know, baby. They deserve to go to jail, but Max said they've done everything they can right now to find them and until they do…well, we just have to wait."

"But, I know what they look like, Mom. I can point them out to the police. Dad said they wouldn't even know it was me that told them."

"I know that, honey, but they need to find them first." Cuddy stressed, lifting Bella's chin to look into her eyes. "You said you don't know their names, right?"

Bella shook her head.

"Well, until the police find their names, there isn't much that they can do. Do you understand?" She asked her softly, wanting to make sure Bella got what she was saying.

Bella nodded sadly. "I have to live with it." She answered, a small tear spilling out of her eye.

Cuddy's heart broke at her words, knowing they were true but not wanting them to be. "Listen to me, Bella. I know this is hard and unfair, but you have to have hope that someday you'll get justice for what was done to you and Mattie. Max said they posted your drawings up on internet so that if any policemen see them, the men will be questioned about what happened, ok? They won't stop looking."

Bella nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything. She laid her head down on Cuddy's chest and closed her eyes. Bella swept her hand across her eyes and sniffed. Cuddy held her, hoping she would be able to someday get past all of this.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I wish I could do something to change this. You deserve closure and I wish I could give that to you."

Bella didn't respond except to wrap her arms around Cuddy's waist. Cuddy rubbed her hands over Bella's back as she hugged her tightly, wishing that things had turned out differently.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:30 AM – Monday

House stood in his mother's embrace, as they said goodbye, in front of the security gate in the airport. Laura Cuddy had left Sunday evening and Mom's flight would be leaving in about an hour. She had seemed to enjoy her time there with her granddaughter and House had actually liked having his mother around. It was nice getting to talk to her without having to hear his father's disapproving comments about his life.

"Goodbye, son. Thank you for introducing me to your daughter. She's a wonderful young lady."

"You're welcome, Mom. I told you she'd love you." He answered, stepping out of her arms and offering her a smirk.

Mom laughed and nodded her head. "Yes you did." She replied. "You're a wonderful father, Greg, and I'm so proud of you. Bella is very lucky."

"Eh, you're my Mom, you're supposed to say that." He replied dismissively with a teasing smirk on his lips.

"Stop it…I mean it, Greg. You are doing a great job." Mom told him sincerely.

House nodded in thanks as his lip curved into a small smile. "Be safe, Mom. And don't be a stranger, I know Bella can't wait to see you again."

Mom beamed at his words and nodded. "I expect a visit from all of you."

"We'll try."

"Well, I know that's the best I'm going to get out of you so I'll take it. Don't disappoint me."

He chuckled. "I won't."

House picked up her carry on bag and handed it to her before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Bye Mom."

"I love you, Greg, take care of your family."

He nodded once more and watched as his Mom turned and made her way through security and out of sight toward her gate. He turned around and began walking down the long, over crowded corridor that lead out of the airport. When he reached his car, he sat in the driver's seat for a few moments thinking about what his mother had told him. She was proud of him, and she thought he was a good father. He knew she wasn't lying and that she really believed that because as his mother could tell when he was lying, he could tell when she was lying as well. Her belief in his abilities as a father meant more than he would ever admit to anyone. She thought better of him than he deserved, because he wasn't sure that he believed in his own capabilities as a father. As he sat there, he thought about the tension between he and Cuddy ever since they had argued yesterday. At first, he didn't think it was that bad, but the tension had definitely increased, no doubt because she'd had time to stew over it. They had barely spoken to each other when he got home that evening. He had no idea why the hell she had a problem with the fact that he'd let Bella play poker that time. It was ancient history, and it wasn't that big a deal. He just hoped she'd get over it soon because her attitude about this was starting to piss him off.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:45 AM

Cuddy sat behind her desk with charts and reports spread out around her. She was busy; very busy and she was in a bad mood. No one had been in her office to bother her all morning except for Regina bringing her charts to sign, but even she didn't say much and promptly left when she had gotten what she came for. The cause of Cuddy's bad mood was a certain 6'2" diagnostician and a 4'1" 9 year old. Cuddy and House had barely spoken this morning as she got ready for work and he got ready to take Blythe to the airport. She was still pissed about yesterday's argument and that he seemed to be avoiding the issue and thought it was no big deal that he'd lied to her about keeping Bella from playing poker. She feared it was worse than just an innocent poker game because the more she thought about it the more sense it made that Bella had won quite a bit of money. If she hadn't; House would've just said so instead of insisting it wasn't a big deal.

Another reason she was in a foul mood was because this morning had been a nightmare. It had been hectic trying to get Bella up and motivated to leave on time. She had ignored every attempt to wake her and had fallen back asleep, which ultimately caused them to be late. When she finally did get up, she took her sweet time getting ready because she couldn't decide what she wanted to wear. And Cuddy had to argue with her about taking her skates to school because she wouldn't have time to use them. She knew Bella just wanted to take them to show Mrs. Decker but Cuddy felt it was unnecessary because she'd have to carry them around with her everywhere for no reason. On top of that she had to listen to Bella whine about the fact that she wouldn't get to go to Maya's this week because they were leaving on vacation so she'd have to stay at the hospital after her tutoring. Cuddy knew when the school year started she'd have to get Bella into some after school activities or hire a babysitter, because she couldn't keep bringing her to the hospital and expect her to behave while Cuddy worked until late afternoon.

In the middle of all of this was Blythe. She had done her best to help with Bella but Bella seemed intent on not doing what she was told when she was told to do it. She wasn't being disobedient on purpose; she was just lollygagging around which made everything more difficult. Cuddy didn't lose her patience with Bella very often but today was too much and she'd ended up snapping at her which made Bella mad and they hadn't spoken a word to each other until she dropped her off at school.

Cuddy had to apologize to Blythe before they left because of the terrible morning they'd all had and the fact that she was sending her off with everyone in a bad mood. Bella's goodbye to Blythe could've gone better and Cuddy felt even worse for the way Blythe had to leave her granddaughter. That hadn't helped her mood to improve either.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to her office swung open and the object her moodiness strolled in, sitting down in front of her desk.

"The word around the water cooler is that the Dean of Medicine is in a foul mood…there isn't any truth to that rumor is there?" House asked her, the corner of his lip curving into a smirk.

"Leave, House. I'm busy." She told him.

"Hmm…I guess it's true. It's not that time of the month yet, so it can't be that." He replied, knowing full well why she was in a bad mood.

"House, unless you have a medically relevant reason to be in here, or you've come to apologize, I suggest you leave and get back to your patient."

"I don't have anything to apologize for…want to go to lunch?" He asked.

She glared at him and shook her head. "No, and I don't want to fight with you, so just leave."

"Come on…I'll even buy this time." He replied, nodding toward the door.

Cuddy stared at him, feeling the tension growing in her neck and shoulders because of her anger toward him and how flippant he was being. "Get out." She told him in a quiet and dangerous tone.

He narrowed his eyes at her as he sat there for a moment. Without saying another word he stood and made his way out the door. She sighed in relief that he was gone; she didn't want to have a screaming match about their personal lives in her office for everyone to hear. She came very close to biting his head off and this wasn't the time or place for a fight between them.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

3:00 PM

Bella was sitting on the floor in Dad's office with her homework spread out before her. She was working on her math problems while Dad sat at his desk reading through a giant medical book. She was working on her last problem and Dad had promised he'd buy her something from the vending machines when she was finished. She worked the problem out in her mind and smiled when she got the answer, writing it down on her paper. She threw her pencil down and raised her hands victoriously.

"Done!" She exclaimed happily, looking up at Dad.

He smirked at her and took his glasses off. "Bring it here, let me see."

"You don't believe me?" She asked him, lowering her arms.

"Yes, I believe you, but I want to check them over."

Bella grabbed her papers and stood up making her way over to where Dad was seated, handing him her homework. His eyes scanned over the page, looking at each problem. After a few minutes he looked up and smirked at her, raising his hand up. "High five, peanut."

Bella smiled and gave him a high five. "I got them all right?" She asked him.

"Yep. Great job, smartypants."

"Does that mean I get two snacks?" She asked hopefully.

"That wasn't in the negotiations, but I suppose we can overlook that…this time."

"Yes! I already know what I want." She stated.

Dad grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and handed her two dollars. "Bring me something."

"I get to go by myself?" She asked him with surprise.

"You know where the machines are, right?"

She nodded.

"Good…then go on." Dad said, gesturing for her to be on her way.

"Ok!" Bella replied, taking off toward the office door.

"And don't you dare come back here with Gummy Bears!" He called out to her.

Bella chuckled, having heard what he'd said just as the door closed behind her. She quickly made her way to the vending machines and put her money in before making her selections. When she was finished, she pocketed the change and made her way back to Dad's office. She set a chocolate bar on the desk for him.

"There, see? No Gummies." She stated with smartass smile.

"You didn't get me a Coke." He replied with disappointment, looking at the Coke and Cheetos in her hands.

"You only gave me $2, Daddy, there wasn't enough left." She replied with a roll of her eyes.

Dad grabbed his chocolate bar and tore into it. "Fine, then give me back my change and go keep yourself occupied while I try and save my patient's life." He told her, shooing her away.

Bella handed him the change in her pocket with a smirk. "Can I go see James?"

"Yeah, get out of here. He's probably just sitting on his ass pretending to work anyway."

Bella chuckled as she left Dad's office, but not before hearing him yell through the door.

"Tell him I said to get off his ass and get to work."

Bella made her way from Dad's office to James's office with her can of Coke and bag of Cheetos from the vending machines in her hands. She had been in Dad's office ever since Mom had picked her up after her tutoring lessons and brought her back to the hospital, much to her chagrin, because Maya and her family had left for vacation this week and were going to be gone for several days. Bella was completely bummed about it and she had begged her to ask Simon or Ellie's moms if she could go to their house instead of staying at the hospital. Thankfully, Mom had been able to get permission for her to stay at Simon's tomorrow and Ellie's on Wednesday and possibly Friday, but she would have to spend a few hours at the hospital on Thursday before she went to her session with Dr. Sloane. Mom and Dad had been mad at each other for the past couple of days and she wasn't really sure why. It didn't bode well for what she was hoping James would help her with, but it never hurt to try.

As she stepped up to the door, she knocked lightly, hoping to surprise James.

"Come in." He called out.

Bella opened the door and stuck her head in, giving James an exaggerated smile. "Hi, James!"

"Bella, what are you doing here?"

"I have to stay here today because my friend Maya is at the beach in Florida."

"Lucky her."

"Yeah, but not so lucky for me because I have to be bored to death."

James chuckled at her and gestured for her to enter and have a seat. "Well, I hope it won't come to that."

Bella nodded and made her way to one of the chairs across from his desk. "Watcha doin'?"

"I'm doing boring stuff, but it's lucky for me that you showed up because I was starting to feel my life slipping away from me."

Bella chuckled. "Dad said you was probably sitting around on your ass."

James rolled his eyes. "Don't say ass…I'm pretty sure he didn't mean for you to repeat what he said."

"Yuh-huh he did. He said to tell you to stop sitting around on your ass and get to work."

"Is that right? Well, you can tell him that I'm not like a certain doctor around here that does actually sit around on his ass and he knows who I'm talking about."

"You?" She asked, with a smirk.

"Hey, whose side are you on?"

"The side of the one that pays for my food." She answered, holding up her snacks for him to see.

"Geez, you really are House's kid." James replied.

Bella smiled. "Want some Cheetos?" She offered, changing the subject.

James chuckled at her and shook his head. "No thanks."

"Come on, they're really good. I love 'em because when you eat the whole bag your fingers get orange and then you get to suck all of the cheese off."

"Well, when you put it that way how can I refuse?" He replied and reached over, taking a couple of them from the bag in her hand.

Bella smiled, delighted that he had accepted her offer. She set her can of Coke down on the desk and began eating her Cheetos. James gave her a smile and ate his as well. The reason that Bella had come into James's office was because she wanted to talk to him about helping her set Mom and Dad up to get married. She knew he would help her if she asked because James liked that they were taking care of Bella together. Initially, she wanted to them to get married because they loved each other and she thought it would be cool if they were married, but now she wanted to make sure that Dad would be there with them forever. She had been feeling a little uncertain lately…ever since Mom and Dad had been fighting and she thought that them getting married would help.

"James?" Bella began.

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course…anything."

"Did you know my Mom and Dad for a long time?"

"House and Cuddy? Yeah, I've known them for several years, especially your Dad."

"Are you like his brother?"

James shrugged and looked at her doubtfully. "I don't know about that. Maybe, in a way…I suppose. We've known each other long enough."

Bella nodded. "What about Mom? Are you like her brother too?"

James furrowed his brow and tilted his head in suspicion. "Why are you asking? What are you up to?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Yeah sure. Spill…what's on your mind?"

Bella sighed. "Well…I was thinking it would be really cool if Mom and Dad got married and I want you to help me set them up." She told him, the words spilling out of her mouth in a rush.

James arched his eyebrows in surprise and Bella watched as his mouth opened and closed without any words coming out. Finally, he said, "Pardon me?"

Bella huffed, not really wanting to repeat it but she took a deep breath and readied herself to tell him again. Before any words came out of her mouth, James held his hand up and stopped her.

"I heard you…I just can't believe you said that."

"Why not? Don't you think it would cool if they was married? My real mom and dad was married." She added with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Bella…" He began. "I think it would be amazing if your parents were married, but…" He paused and she could tell he was trying not to hurt her feelings. James sighed and continued. "Listen, sweetheart, I know how much having this new family means to you. Cuddy and House are wonderful parents to you and you deserve every bit of this second chance that you've been given. But the thing is…I know House, and it breaks my heart to tell you that I don't think he's ever going to want to marry your Mom. Not because he doesn't love her, because I believe he does; but because, he doesn't really believe in marriage. Does that make sense?"

Bella frowned, not really understanding. "No. How come he wouldn't want to marry her if he loves her?"

James sighed softly, not know how to answer that.

"He lives with us now, he's my Dad. It wouldn't be any different if they was married. We would still live together and he'd still be my Dad."

"That's true…and that's what House would argue as well if you were talking to _him_ instead of me. Except he'd tell you that since nothing would change, what's the point in getting married?"

"Because…it _is_ different." Bella stressed. "Because if Mom and Dad was married, he might not ever leave us." She explained.

James nodded in understanding. "You would feel more secure in him being there for you."

"And Mom." She added.

James stared at her for a moment before he furrowed his brow in concern. "Is there something wrong, Bella; with your Mom and Dad? Are they fighting?"

Bella averted her eyes and nodded. "Mom's mad at him for some reason. I don't why."

"I thought there was something off about them today." He commented.

"Yeah, Mom was pissed this morning and she got mad at me cuz I wasn't hurrying and I made us late. But I know she wasn't mad at me really, she was mad at Daddy, because they didn't even to talk to each other today."

James nodded. "Bella, marriage doesn't guarantee that they won't fight. In fact it pretty much guarantees that they will; but them fighting doesn't mean he's going to leave, ok? They're House and Cuddy, their relationship is built on fighting. They've always been this way." He assured her.

Bella sighed sadly, understanding what he was saying but not wanting to accept it. "So you won't help me?"

James was quiet for a few moments, thinking about his answer. "Sweetheart, you know I would do anything for you…but, wouldn't it be better to just talk to them?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know…maybe." She mumbled. This wasn't going the way she had hoped it would. She looked at James with disappointment. "He would say no wouldn't he? Dad wouldn't want to marry Mom."

James sighed heavily and slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Bella lowered her head and dropped her shoulders in sadness.

"Look, I still think you should talk to them. Let them know how you feel."

"Why? If Dad will say no anyway…" She shrugged, not seeing why it would make a difference.

"You don't know that for sure."

"But you just said…"

"I know, and you asked for my opinion and my help. I'll be happy to be there with you if you want to talk to them."

Bella thought about that for a moment but finally shook her head. "No thanks." She replied, standing up, gathering her snack and making her way out of James's office.

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7:35 AM – Tuesday

House limped into the kitchen dressed in his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Cuddy looked up as he came in but shifted her eyes away from him and finished making Bella's breakfast. They didn't speak as he made his way to the coffee maker and poured a cup for himself. She could feel his eyes on her when he turned around with his cup of coffee in his hand. Cuddy ignored him and set Bella's plate on the table for her.

"Bella, come eat, sweetie!" She called her.

She heard Bella's footsteps as she ran from her bedroom into the kitchen. She was wearing her painting jeans; the ones with paint all over them and holes in the knees, and her purple kitty cat t-shirt. Cuddy frowned at her appearance.

"Bella you can't wear that to school, why do you have those on?"

"Because they're comfortable and I like 'em." She answered as she sat down at the table.

Cuddy shook her head. "Go find something else to wear."

Bella huffed. "Why? I want to wear these, they're comfortable." She whined.

"No. It's ok to wear them when you paint, not to school."

"But it ain't real school, it's just Mrs. Decker and she don't care."

Cuddy looked at her with a stern expression; otherwise known as her 'mommy face.' "Go change." She stated.

Bella shifted her eyes from Cuddy to House, who was watching the entire exchange as he leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee. "Dad, tell Mom it's ok to wear 'em to school."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows, miffed that Bella would try to supersede her authority like that. Cuddy shifted her eyes to House, wondering how he would respond. House looked at Cuddy briefly before shifting his eyes to Bella. "Do what your Mom told you to, kid." He uttered softly.

Bella pouted at him, her brow furrowing in disappointment before she stood up and made her way out of the kitchen. Cuddy looked back at House after watching Bella leave in a huff. House glanced at Cuddy; they stared at one another for a moment.

"Thank you." She finally told him, appreciative that he had backed her up.

"Don't thank me, I didn't see anything wrong with what she was wearing."

Cuddy glared at him. "What?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"There was nothing wrong with letting her go to school with comfortable clothes on."

"She has other clothes that are just as comfortable and look nicer than those ratty jeans."

House rolled his eyes. "Because it's important to look immaculate for her non-school school day?"

Cuddy scoffed. "You're just arguing with me because you're upset with me."

"I'm not the one that's upset. You're the one that can't let this go." House replied, taking the last sip of his coffee and placing the cup in the sink before turning around to leave the kitchen.

"Could you please put that in the dishwasher?" Cuddy asked as he was walking away, her level of anger rising because she knew he was just arguing with her to piss her off. Plus, she hated when he left dishes in the sink when they could easily be placed in the dishwasher.

House turned around and glared at her before walking out without doing as she asked.

Cuddy fumed. He was being such an ass. They needed to talk about this and try to figure out a way to move past it, but she really didn't feel like being anywhere near him at the moment.

A few minutes later, Bella came back into the kitchen wearing a different pair of blue jeans; ones without any holes or paint on them. She made her way to the table and sat down to eat her breakfast. She propped her head in her hands, picked up her fork and started eating her eggs. Cuddy watched her silently, knowing she was still mad. She needed to fix this between them because she didn't think she could handle having tension with Bella and House at the same time.

"Thank you, Bella." She told her softly. "You look pretty." Cuddy added.

Bella kept her eyes on her food as she nibbled at her bacon. "Thanks." She mumbled between bites.

"Simon's mom offered to pick you up at school today, so look for her instead of me, ok?"

"K." She answered listlessly.

"If you want, you can take your skates with you today."

Bella looked up at her. "I can?"

"Sure. I imagine you'll need them to keep up with Simon today." She added with a smile.

A smile tugged at Bella's lips as she nodded in agreement.

Cuddy's smile grew, happy that they were back on track with each other. "Finish your breakfast, we need to leave pretty soon."

Bella nodded and continued eating. Cuddy's smile slowly fell from her face as she made her way out of the kitchen, thinking about House and how they were going to fix this tension between them. She was still mad that he wouldn't tell her anything about the poker game so as far as she was concerned, the ball was in his court. He should be the one apologizing to her. If they didn't fix this soon, she didn't know how they were going to move on. This couldn't hang between them for the rest of their lives.

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9:15 PM

House stepped through the front door after another very long day at the hospital trying to heal his patient. Thankfully, he had a breakthrough and was able to save the woman's life. He hung his leather jacket up on the coat rack beside the door and threw his keys on the table. He heard movement in the kitchen and made his way in there. As he rounded the corner, he saw Cuddy with a glass of water in her hand as she closed the refrigerator. She glanced up at him and gave him a tight smile.

"Hey." She greeted flatly.

"Hey." He answered, not unaware of the tension still hanging between them.

"How's your patient?"

"She'll live." He answered, looking her in the eyes.

She nodded with satisfaction at his answer before moving forward and around him, making her way to their bedroom. He sighed and rolled his eyes, following her. That was it, dammit, he was going to put an end to this right now.

As they both entered the room he shut the bedroom door. "I've had about enough of this shit, Cuddy." House told her.

"Excuse me?" She asked, turning around and facing him with raised brows, surprised at his words to her.

"You've had a stick up your ass for the last two days and I'm getting sick of it."

She narrowed her eyes at him and set her glass of water down on the bedside table. "You want to know what I'm sick of, House?" She asked with anger in her eyes.

"Please, do tell." He responded smartly as he stood there waiting, leaning heavily on his cane.

Cuddy glared at him, tightening her jaw. "I'm sick of you not doing what I ask when it concerns my daughter."

The fact that she referred to Bella as _her_ daughter and not _their_ daughter, didn't go unnoticed by him.

"I still want you to tell me everything about this poker game that Bella played with you, Wilson and Chase. I want you to stop avoiding the issue."

"Oh god." He swore, rolling his eyes. This was ridiculous, he thought. He sighed and looked at her squarely in the eye. "I don't know how many times I can say it…it was not a big deal, Cuddy. It was a stupid game. Why the hell are you so bent out of shape about this?"

Cuddy stared at him, tightening her jaw and trying to keep her anger at bay. "It's not so much the game that pisses me off, House, although that's part of it. I'm more concerned with what the outcome was. Did Bella win enough money to run away to New York?" She asked bluntly, finally asking the question she'd been wanting an answer to this whole time.

House scowled at her. "What? The kid's a con artist, Cuddy, she didn't need money to get to New York. She probably flashed her cute little smile and doe eyes to get what she wanted. She's been known to do that on occasion, you know?"

Cuddy scoffed at him, shaking her head. "Right…she talked her way there. Answer my question." She demanded.

"You underestimate how smart that kid is, Cuddy. She didn't any money." He repeated.

Cuddy stared at him, waiting for an answer.

House rolled his eyes. "$350." He stated simply.

She gaped at him. "My daughter had _three hundred and fifty dollars_ in her possession and you never felt the need to mention it me? She's 9 years old, House! She shouldn't have that kind of money and she sure as hell shouldn't be gambling to get it!" She argued, raising her voice at him. "How could you do this? How the hell could you let a child gamble for that much money? And how the _fuck_ could you keep that from me?" She snapped at him in utter disbelief and anger.

"So let me get this straight…you're blaming me for her running off to New York, is that what I'm hearing from you?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"She couldn't have gotten there otherwise. So yes, I do blame you for her getting to New York. I told you I didn't want her playing poker, but you did what you always do and ignored everything I said to you. You didn't even think about the consequences of letting her play. She's my daughter, House. You should never have let her keep that money. I could have lost her, she could have been killed because of your stupidity!" She spat angrily.

House stared at her, a flash of hurt crossing his eyes at her words. He recovered quickly, his face taking on a more defiant expression. "The truth comes out, huh? I knew you'd eventually blame me for her running off. Yeah, everything's my fault; after all I'm the screw up, right? It's easier to blame me that way it absolves you of any guilt you feel for your part in it."

"That is not fair, House, I _never_ said that I wasn't…." She began before he interrupted.

"You know what occurs to me, Cuddy?" He asked rhetorically. "You're still acting as if she's just _your_ kid. And that I didn't go through the same hell you did when she was gone."

Cuddy scowled at him and shook her head. "I'm not saying you didn't. But you _lied_ to me, House, and you are the one that paved the way for her to leave, not me." She replied.

"Riiiight…next you're going to accuse me of actually driving her to New York and pretending I had no idea where she was the whole time?"

"That is not what I'm saying."

"Then what the fuck are you saying, Cuddy?" He bellowed, his voice bouncing off the walls of the bedroom. "Because it sounds to me like you're blaming me for everything that's gone wrong here. It sounds to me like you're saying if I hadn't been around, none of this would've happened."

"That's not true and you know it. You are letting your insecurity of being a good father become the issue."

"That's what this is about isn't it?" He asked. "What the hell kind of father let's his kid play poker? That's what you've been getting at, right?"

Cuddy shook her head. "House, she loves you as her father…"

"She does!" He raised his voice at her once more, pointing his finger toward Bella's bedroom. "You don't." He added in a quieter, softer tone as he moved his finger and pointed it in her direction.

He sighed heavily and shook his head at her, the hurt returning in his eyes. "All of this talk about me being a good father to her; convincing me that I could be, but you're never going to see me as her father, are you? I'm too much of a screw up." He stated. "I'm never going to be good enough, am I? Any decision I make is going to be questioned and debated about. You're right Cuddy, I should never have let it get this far."

She frowned, shaking her head at him and not knowing what to say.

They were both silent for few moments before House continued. "I can't believe I let myself get fooled into thinking this was going to work out for all of us. That I had what it took to be a father to that kid. I should've known better. I'm a world class fuck up, what the hell was I thinking, wanting to raise a child?"

Cuddy stood there in silence, stunned by his words. She didn't believe a word of it, but she couldn't bring herself to dispute him because of her anger at what he'd allowed to happen. She did blame him for Bella running away. She knew she was at fault as well, but he was the one that made it possible.

House nodded, her silence speaking volumes to him. "I'll tell you what, Cuddy, I'm going to save you from having to do what should've been done from the beginning. That way when she asks, you can tell her I'm the bastard that walked out. This whole thing was a mistake." He continued, moving to the bedroom door, opening it and walking out. House made his way to the front door. As he passed Bella's room, her door flew open and she came out, following him to the front door.

"Dad, where are you going? Why are you and Mom fighting?" She asked, grabbing his hand and giving it a tug, so he would turn around to face her.

House reached for his jacket and keys and blinked slowly before turning his head and gently pulling his hand out of hers. He faced the door once more before he opened it. After putting his jacket on and before walking out, he spoke softly to Bella. "I'm not your Dad, kid. I never was."

House walked out the door, closing it behind him. He didn't turn around when he heard it open once more as Bella followed him out.

"Yes, you are! You're my Dad, you have to come back!" She screamed at him as she followed him down the pathway to where his bike was parked in the driveway.

House straddled his bike, snapping his cane in its place and putting his helmet on his head. Bella grabbed his arm and pulled on him, begging him to stay. House looked up and saw Cuddy standing in the doorway, watching everything unfold.

"Daddy, don't go. You have to stay here with us!" She begged, tears drenching her face.

House started his motorcycle, drowning out the sound of Bella's cries. He couldn't stand to hear her begging him any longer. He knew he was breaking her heart but it was for the best. He had to get away from there.

"Daddy!" She sobbed, keeping a death grip on his arm.

House tried to remove her hands from his arm without hurting her but every time he succeeded she would take hold of him once more. He lifted his gaze when he saw Cuddy's hands take hold of Bella's small ones and pull her away from him. Bella kicked and screamed in Cuddy's arms, trying to get out her firm grasp. House stared into Cuddy's eyes one last time before revving the engine and backing out of the driveway. He didn't look back as he took off, his tires screeching on the pavement as he peeled out as quickly as he could.

**A/N: I probably just pissed off a bunch of people. :-/ I know I said I'm winding it down but don't worry, I'm not going to leave you with a crap ending…so please keep reading my story. :-D I love you for your reviews and/or angry rants.**˚mkmkkmmmm what did I fff


	56. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

Bella kicked her legs and succeeded in wriggling out of her mother's grasp, getting to her feet and running down the driveway after her Dad. She watched as he took off down the road.

"Daddy!" She screamed. "Daddy! Come back!" Bella sobbed, seeing only the red glow of the taillight on his bike as he drove away. "You was supposed to get married, you wasn't supposed to leave!" She hollered after him.

Bella collapsed onto the pavement in the driveway, her legs curled under her as she slouched forward on her hands and sobbed for her father to return. After a moment she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders as Mom tried to console her. Mom gripped Bella's arms and attempted to pull her to her feet. Bella continued sobbing, her shoulders shaking.

"Bella, let's go inside, honey." She heard Mom tell her softly.

Bella ignored her and continued sobbing and mumbling for her Dad to return. "Daddyyyy!" She cried. "Come back."

Mom kneeled down beside her and whispered into her ear. "Baby, he's gone, let's go inside."

How could this be happening? She thought. How could Dad just leave like that and say that he had never been her Dad? Mom and Dad were supposed to stay together and take care of her. She wanted them to get married and take care of her together, forever.

"Come on, Bella." Mom coaxed her gently.

Bella looked up at Mom, the sadness displayed on her face as she cried. "Why did he leave? Why was you fighting?" She asked brokenheartedly as her tears continued to streak down her face.

"Let's go inside, baby." Mom insisted softly.

Bella threw her arms around Mom's neck and felt her embrace Bella tightly as she continued crying. Mom helped her up and Bella hopped into her arms, winding her legs around Mom's waist as she buried her face into her neck. Mom carried her back up to the house with some effort, but set her down on her feet just inside the door, so she could close and lock it behind them. Bella looked up at her with tear stained cheeks and sniffed, unable to stop the tears from flowing. She wanted her Daddy back.

"Why would Daddy leave? I thought he loved us." She asked, moving her arms around Mom's waist.

"He does, Sweetheart. He loves you very much." Mom told her softly, combing her fingers through Bella's hair. "Let's get you into bed."

"I don't want to go to bed, I want Dad!" She cried. The last thing she wanted to do was sleep. She had been awakened by yelling a few minutes ago, hearing them screaming at one another. It had scared her and she had started crying as she lay there, until she heard their bedroom door open and Dad's heavy steps coming down the hallway.

"I know." Mom answered softly. "But he's gone, baby." She heard Mom say with regret.

Bella's face fell as she started sobbing again. "Nooo…he can't leave us. You was supposed to get married and take care of me forever." She explained through her cries.

Mom furrowed her brow at her, seemingly confused by what she was saying. "Sweetheart…why would you think we were getting married?"

"I just wanted you to." She shrugged her shoulders, still gripping her mother tightly around her waist. "Then we would be a _real_ family, just like I used to have." She mumbled into Mom's abdomen through her tears.

Mom sighed softly and stroked her hands over Bella's back before slowly leading her to her bedroom and sitting down on the bed. "Hop up here, let's talk for a few minutes." Mom told her, patting the bed beside her.

Bella swiped at her wet cheeks and crawled into bed, sitting beside Mom and curling her body into her. Mom held her tightly as she leaned against the headboard, and placed a kiss on top of Bella's head. Mom sighed softly.

"I know you're confused about what's going on, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, ok?" She told Bella reassuringly. "We're going to talk about this, but I don't think we should talk about all of it tonight. I do want you to know that, House and I…we're not together anymore, sweetheart. We broke up and he won't be living here anymore. I'm so sorry, baby. I know it hurts and its unfair, but this is something he chose to do and it's not your fault."

Bella closed her eyes as fresh tears streamed down her face at what Mom had just told her. "He stopped loving us?" She asked through her tears, her breath hitching in her throat as she sniffed.

"Of course not, sweetie."

"But…he said he wasn't my Dad, why did he say that?" She asked, still crying, almost unable to get those words out because they were so unthinkable. She didn't want to have to live her life without him around; and to her, he would always be her father.

"Because he was angry and hurt…and because we broke up, honey."

"But _why_?" Bella asked insistently, unable to stop crying.

"Sweetie, I don't think we should talk about this right now, ok? I know you want answers, but you're tired and hurt, and you need to get some rest. It's late, and as much as I wish I could keep you home tomorrow to deal with all of this, I can't. You need to go to school tomorrow, we can't take a day off or you'll get behind. Your test is coming up in a few weeks and as hard as it's going to be to concentrate tomorrow, you're going to have to, ok? Everything is going to be alright."

Bella buried her head in Mom's chest, not wanting to do anything but get her Daddy back. "I don't want to go to school tomorrow…I want Dad!" She cried.

"I know." Mom whispered. "C'mere." She instructed, scooting her body down on the bed and laying her head on Bella's pillow, holding her tightly. "He hasn't stopped loving you…I want you to believe that." Mom whispered.

Bella laid her head down on Mom's shoulder, small hiccups escaping her as she cried softly. She still couldn't believe how her life had just fallen apart within a matter of minutes. It was just like what had happened with her real Mom and Dad and Mattie. They were all taken from her in a matter of minutes, seconds really, and it had changed the rest of her life. Just before Bella succumbed to sleep, she hoped that what happened tonight wouldn't change the rest of her life like the loss her other family had. She couldn't afford to lose another Dad. She had to get him back any way she could. She didn't have a choice in getting her real family back because that was impossible. But her new Dad wasn't dead, she could do something about it and she was going to fight to keep him.

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11:45 AM – The Next Day

House was sprawled out on his stomach in the hotel room he'd checked into last night after having driven around Princeton for 2 hours, thinking about what had happened. Since Wilson was now living in his apartment, he didn't want to show up there and have an excruciatingly long talk about what an ass he was for leaving Cuddy and Bella. He didn't feel like seeing or talking to anyone. After checking into the hotel, he had made his way to a bar, gotten drunk off his ass and ended up taking a cab back after being kicked out of the bar at 2 AM.

House lifted his head off the bed and opened his eyes. Seeing the room spin, he groaned loudly in pain as his head was pounding from the hangover he was currently experiencing. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes, hoping the dizziness would abate and his headache would disappear. As he lay there, he remembered the look of grief on Bella's face last night as he pulled out of the driveway. The tears spilling down her small face as she begged him to stay. He remembered the look on Cuddy's face as well. There were no tears in her eyes last night, no sorrow. She didn't seem to be affected at all by him leaving. He could still remember the anger in her eyes and hear the venom in her voice. Bile made it's way into his throat at the memory of last night as well as all the alcohol he had consumed. House quickly but carefully stood up and limped as fast as he could to the toilet, spilling the contents of his stomach into the bowl. He collapsed on the tile floors, leaning his body against the wall and breathing heavily when he was finished.

As he sat there, he suddenly heard his cell phone ringing on the bedside table. He ignored it, not caring who it was and having no intention of speaking to anyone. It was probably Wilson, wondering where the hell he was and why he hadn't shown up to work. Other than Cuddy, he was the last person he wanted to talk to right now; so he stayed on the floor of the bathroom, puking into the toilet until he collapsed on the floor, unable and unwilling to move.

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11:58 AM

Cuddy sat in her office, staring at the computer screen in front of her, unable to concentrate on her work. This morning had been tough, getting Bella up and out of the house so they could start their day. She had started crying again, when she remembered what had happened last night and that her dad wasn't there. Cuddy had tried to console her the best that she could, but she knew it wasn't good enough. She knew Bella would have a hard time at school today and that she needed to talk to her about what happened, but it was hard enough for Cuddy to deal with what had happened and what had been said between her and House that she didn't think she had the energy to explain everything to Bella right now. She wouldn't be able to avoid it forever though, she knew that, but she needed time to process.

In the midst of her thoughts, Cuddy heard a knock on her office door. She looked up and saw Wilson standing on the other side. She waved him in, knowing already why he was there.

"Hey. Where's House today? I haven't seen him all morning." Wilson asked as he came to sit across from her.

Cuddy furrowed her brow. "You haven't talked to him?" She asked, surprised that he didn't seem to know what was going on between them.

"No, I've been calling him all morning and left a couple of messages, but I never got an answer. I asked his team if they'd seen him but they told me he hasn't been in today."

Cuddy nodded, not particularly surprised that he hadn't bothered coming into work today. "I haven't seen him, Wilson." She told him softly, lowering her gaze to her laptop and pretended to work.

"What do you mean you haven't seen him? Are you two still fighting?"

Cuddy sighed and looked back up at Wilson. "No, we're done fighting. We broke up, Wilson. I haven't seen House since he left last night."

Wilson stared at her in shock for a moment, clearly not expecting those words to have come out of her mouth. When he finally snapped out of it, he stood up and began pacing the office. "What? You broke up? What the hell, Cuddy? What happened?" He ranted. "I thought you guys were just having one of your House/Cuddy arguments and it would eventually blow over. What the hell happened?" He asked once more in confused outrage.

She looked at him. "We had a fight and he left, Wilson. I don't want to talk about this right now."

Wilson watched her, a scowl appearing on his face. "He left?" He asked in disbelief. Wilson moved to sit down again, looking at Cuddy with concern. "Well, where the hell did he go?"

"I don't know. I guess I assumed he'd go knock on your door last night."

Wilson shook his head and tried to calm himself. He sighed with concern. "Cuddy…what happened? I thought you guys were doing ok?"

She huffed and glared at him. "We were doing fine until I found about your little poker game with my daughter a few months ago." She answered, as some of the anger she still felt was thrust in his direction.

"Poker game? What poker game?" He asked with a scowl.

"I thought if anyone would have enough sense not to let a child play poker, it would be you, Wilson." Cuddy replied, ignoring his questioning stare.

At her comment, a look of realization appeared on his face.

"Oh…that poker game."

"Why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you say something to me or at the very least, talk some sense into House before he let her play?"

"Cuddy, it was just a game."

Cuddy shook her head in disbelief. "I was not just a game. You played with real money, Wilson. And my _9 year-old_ daughter won a significant amount of it that night, which she later used to run away to New York."

Wilson sighed and shook his head before he finally realized where she was going with that line of thought. "Wait a second, please tell me you didn't blame House for Bella running away?"

"Of course I blamed him, it was his fault."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Wilson asked angrily, standing up from where he had been seated to glare down at her.

"Excuse me?"

"It wasn't just his fault Bella ran off…you can't put that on him!" Wilson exclaimed.

Cuddy stood up from behind her desk and glared back at Wilson. "_He_ was the one that was responsible for her that night. _He_ was the one that let a _child_ play poker with _real_ money. _He_ was the one that let her keep that money and neglected to tell me about it. _He_ was the one that lied to me in the first place, saying that he wouldn't let Bella play anymore but did anyway. The money she won from that poker game allowed her to leave town and…"

"Ok, stop it right there." Wilson interrupted, pointing his finger at her. "Bella left because both of you lied to her about her brother. She didn't leave because House handed her a wad of cash."

"I didn't mean it like that, and you know what I'm saying, Wilson. I know the reasons she left…and I accept my part in it. But you cannot honestly sit there and tell me that House wasn't irresponsible that night…that all of you weren't. I expect something like this from House, but you and Chase should've known better."

"Then why are you more pissed at House than you are at me and Chase? Why is House the one taking the heat?"

"Because he's her father!" She yelled at him. Wilson stared at her, his brow furrowing as some of his anger dissipated. "At least…he was." She added, shifting her eyes away from him.

"So he left." Wilson stated, drawing her eyes back up to his.

Cuddy nodded.

"Idiot." He accused.

She narrowed her eyes, feeling her anger return at his audacity. "Excuse me?'

"Not you…him." He replied. "Well, both of you." He amended, rolling his eyes.

"Why am I…" She started before he interrupted.

"You shouldn't have let him go, Cuddy. You know what this is going to do to him."

She scoffed. "Right…poor House. You know what, Wilson, get the hell out of my office before I end up doing something I regret. I'm so sick of hearing how fragile House is…well, he's an adult and capable of taking care of himself and making his own decisions. He should've known better than doing what he did and he's just going to have to live with it." She told him bitterly, waving him off and making her way back around her desk.

When she turned around, Wilson was still there, looking at her as if she had completely lost her mind. "That's it, huh? You're right and he's wrong…it's that simple?" He responded. "I wasn't there, Cuddy, but I'd hazard a guess that you blaming him for Bella running away brought up some insecurities about his ability of being a good father to Bella, am I right?" He asked. "I'm not saying you're wrong for being upset about the poker game and being lied to, but don't you think blaming him for Bella leaving is a bit extreme and completely unfair? You should probably be thankful Bella had that money…it probably saved her life." He pointed out before turning around to leave. When he reached the door and before he walked through, he stopped and turned around. "I hope you know what you're doing, Cuddy, because House isn't the only one that has to live with him walking away; Bella does too." He stated gently. "And for what it's worth…you're right, I should have stopped the game and I'm sorry."

He didn't wait for a reply before he turned once more and walked out of her office, closing the door behind him. Cuddy dropped into her chair, exhausted after their exchange and for everything that had been happening lately in general. She sighed softly and propped her head up in her hands, rubbing her forehead as she thought about Wilson's words. Maybe he was right but she still couldn't excuse House for his irresponsibility and the fact that he'd lied to her this whole time. She knew she'd hurt House by not refuting any of the things he'd said regarding his ability to be a good father. She knew he was good father…a great father, but she had been _so_ angry with him.

Cuddy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. After another moment, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Bella's school. She wanted to see how she was doing and perhaps talk to her for a moment. Cuddy needed to hear her voice to maybe reassure herself that everything would be ok and that she hadn't made a mistake in sending Bella to school. She knew how much Bella loved House and Cuddy also knew this was still affecting her negatively and would for a while. She didn't have any answers about what was going to happen and if they would eventually work this out. She had no reassurances to give except that Cuddy was there for her and they would deal with this together.

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10:15 PM

Bella sat in her tent, tears spilling down her face as she thought about how much she missed her Dad. She hadn't seen or heard from him all day and Mom hadn't mentioned him either except for when Bella asked about him at dinnertime. Mom had been trying to reassure her that everything would be ok, but she didn't really want to talk about Dad and what had happened to make him leave. That upset her because she wanted answers. Bella had barely eaten anything today and she had trouble concentrating at school. Bella had talked to Mom a little bit today but it didn't really help her to concentrate any better. After school, she had talked to Ellie about what had happened and she was understanding and let Bella cry without thinking she was stupid. Ellie's parents didn't get along either and it scared Bella that she was now in the middle of a situation like that as well. Nevertheless, Bella had been thankful for her friend today because she really needed her. All she wanted to do was talk to Dad and ask him to come back home. She knew they could work this out if they just tried real hard.

A sudden thought appeared in her head and she audibly gasped at the idea. She could call him. She knew his phone number by heart because she had called him a million times before. Bella stood up and made her way to her bedroom door, quietly opening it and peaking in the hallway, hoping that Mom was already in bed. The house was dark and Bella could see that Mom's light was out in her room. Bella wiped the tears from her eyes and quietly tiptoed her way to the kitchen. She took the phone off the charger and walked back to her bedroom, closing the door just as quietly as she had opened it. She tucked herself back into her tent in the corner of her bedroom and started dialing her Dad's cell phone number. She heard it ring and ring and ring until his voicemail picked up.

_This is Gregory House, I'm not sorry I missed your call and if you want to leave a message, suit yourself. But don't expect me to call you back._

"Daddy…where are you?" She asked softly, tears suddenly springing to her eyes and trying not to sound like she was crying but unable to control her emotions. "I miss you." She told him, a small sob escaping her lips before she sniffed and tried to compose herself once more. "Come home, Daddy. I want you to come home. Please? I miss you." She continued, her attempts to keep her emotions in check weren't working and she broke down, crying softly into the phone. "I'm worried about you, Daddy. I want you to come home." She cried. "Please? I need you."

Bella didn't know what else to say so she pressed the end button, hanging up the phone. She continued to cry until she became so tired she could no longer keep her eyes open. She fell asleep a few minutes later, clutching the phone close to her chest, just in case he called her back.

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10:30 AM – The Next Day

"_House, where the hell are you today? I haven't been startled by the sound of my office door busting open. Does Cuddy know you didn't show up to work? If I'm supposed to be covering for you it'd be helpful to know that beforehand. Call me."_

"_House, it's Foreman, where the hell are you? We have a new patient, get your ass up here."_

"_Your team is wondering where you are. You have a new patient. You know they can't do anything without you so get your lazy ass out of bed._

"_Hey House, I'm headed to lunch so if you plan on eating today I suggest you come now."_

"_House…are you ok? I'm worried about you. I talked to Cuddy, she told me what happened. I'm here if you want to talk…call me."_

"_House I know you're angry, but you can't just hide from this. Think of Bella; she needs her father and she needs to know he's ok. Call me so I have something to tell her._

"_At least call me so I know you're still alive, you jackass."_

"_I'll call you every minute if I have to…pick up your damn phone._

"_Daddy…where are you? I miss you. Come home, Daddy. I want you to come home. Please? I miss you. I'm worried about you, Daddy. I want you to come home. Please? I need you."_

"_I'm going to file a missing person's report if you don't show up tomorrow. I know you're wallowing in your misery…but get over it. I told Cuddy she was an idiot but to be fair, so are you. You need to work this out with her, House. Your kid needs you and so does Cuddy…even if she's too angry to admit it."_

_Dad, I don't know why you left. Mommy's not talking to me about it, she just said everything would be ok but I need you to come home because I don't want to lose another Daddy, ok? Please? I love you."_

House lay on top of a picnic table in the park, near the hospital, where he always seemed to find himself when he needed to escape. He lay there with his cell phone at his ear as he listened to his voicemail messages from the past two days. He closed his eyes at the words Bella had left him, hearing the sadness in them as she cried for him last night and in the words she had spoken to him this morning. Bella had called him twice and he figured Cuddy didn't know about her calls to him, because she had been talking just above a whisper, as if she were hiding it. He sighed with frustration at how screwed up everything had gotten. He'd been MIA for the past two days, not wanting to see or talk to anyone. Wilson had called him endlessly. But none of the messages were from Cuddy. She hadn't called him once; wondering where he was and why he hadn't shown up to work. Not that it was surprising. He didn't really expect her to call him and he didn't want to hear anything she had to say and he certainly didn't want to talk to her.

House hung up the phone after listening to his last message and placed it in his pocket. He looked up at the cloudless sky, seeing a shiny, silver dot about 35,000 feet above his head, moving across it in what appeared like slow motion but was in fact going about 500 miles per hour and leaving a trail of smoke behind. He wished he were on that plane, flying far away from his problems. But Wilson was right, he couldn't run or ignore the problem…it wouldn't solve anything. He made his choice and now he had to live with it and move on. Tomorrow he'd be going back to work. He knew he had to face her sometime. But that would be the easy part…it was facing Bella that he was dreading.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:00 PM

Cuddy sat at the kitchen table with a mug of tea in front of her, looking out the window, as the summer sky grew dark. The last few days had been a nightmare. She couldn't think or concentrate on her work because she kept running the argument she'd had with House over and over in her mind, hearing his angry words and replaying hers in return. She had never intended for it to get this far. She had never wanted House to leave. Sure, she was angry with him, but she didn't want any of this. She loved him.

Cuddy knew he felt insecure about being a good father and she had never wanted him to think she thought he was a bad father. She was angry at what he'd done; he was irresponsible for letting Bella play that stupid game and by extension, giving her the means to run away, but the thought of him being a bad father never entered her mind. He was a wonderful father and she thought he had overreacted, putting words in her mouth that she didn't mean; but it was her fault for not stopping him. She needed to talk to him and she knew it wasn't going to be easy to break down that wall he had rebuilt around his heart. The damage she had done to him was great and she didn't know if he would ever let her in again.

And then there was Bella. Cuddy hadn't exactly been forthcoming about the argument that caused her father to walk out. Bella was confused and hurt and Cuddy needed to have a talk with her. Cuddy felt as if she had been a bad mother the last few days and had failed in helping her daughter feel assured that everything would be ok…even if it wouldn't. She propped her head in her hand and closed her eyes, thinking of how Bella must be feeling right now. She would be feeling abandoned…again. Even though she still had Cuddy, an important person in her life was missing once more and it was partially Cuddy's fault. She lifted her head and prepared herself to go talk to Bella. Cuddy allowed herself a minute to think of what to say before she stood up and made her way out of the kitchen.

When she reached Bella's room, the door was closed. She knocked softly, but didn't receive an answer. She turned the knob and popped her head into Bella's bedroom, noticing she was in her tent, again. She had spent most of her time in there the last two days; it was her comfort zone. Cuddy wasn't sure how her session with Dr. Sloane went today, but when she came out she seemed to be a bit angry and wanted to be left alone. She couldn't blame her; this was an impossible situation for her.

"Bella?" She called out, stepping into the room.

She didn't receive an answer right away but after another moment, in a small voice she answered, "What?"

Cuddy made her way over to her and sat down, crossing her legs Indian style and sighing softly. "Can we talk?"

Bella shrugged as she kept her eyes on the drawing she was working on in her sketchbook. Cuddy made note of the phone sitting beside her, as she was no doubt expecting House to call. She frowned sadly, knowing that he wouldn't.

"Have you been trying to call House?"

"He's not House, he's my Dad." She corrected firmly.

"Bella…" She began softly.

"He's my Dad…I don't care what you say." She spat.

Cuddy looked at her sternly. "I know you're angry, but that doesn't excuse your tone." She told her calmly.

Bella lowered her gaze back to her drawing.

Cuddy sighed. "We need to talk, Bella. I know I haven't been very easy to get along with the last few days and I haven't been a very good mother and helped you through this, so I think it's overdue. I want you to understand what happened." Cuddy told her, reaching out and stilling Bella's hand that was drawing, trying to get her full attention.

"Was he mean to you?" She mumbled, staring at Cuddy's hand on top of hers. "Is that why he left?"

"If you mean, did he hit me…no, of course he didn't. House would never do that."

"I know." She answered softly, her eyes still averted. "He's not House, he's my Dad." She corrected again as an afterthought.

"Bella, look at me, sweetheart."

She slowly lifted her gaze to Cuddy's, but kept her head lowered. "I know your heart is broken and I know you don't fully understand why this happened, but that's why we need to talk about this, ok? Do you think we could do that?"

"Why aren't you mad that he left? Did you want him to leave? Did you _make_ him leave?" She asked, her brow wrinkled in confusion and still a little bit of anger.

"Of course I didn't want him to leave…_and_ I didn't make him leave."

"But you was fighting; you both yelled, I heard you."

"I know. I'm so sorry, I didn't want you to hear any of that."

"Was it because of me?" Bella asked, the wrinkles in her brow deepening.

Cuddy wanted to say no, but she wasn't going to lie to her. "Not in the way you think." She reassured her before sighing softly. "Bella…" She started, rubbing her fingers over her forehead. "If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?" She asked, looking up at Bella, hoping to start her explanation as to what had happened.

Bella lifted her head, looking into Cuddy's eyes and nodding slowly. Cuddy nodded as well in acceptance of her answer. "How did you get to New York?"

Bella scowled at that, confusion etched all over her face. "What do you mean?"

"How did you get to New York? Did you take a cab? A bus? Did you swindle your way there? If not, how did you pay for it? Did you steal money to get there?" Of course Cuddy already knew the answer but she want to see if Bella would tell her the truth.

"What does that got to do with Dad leaving?" She asked, still confused about her question.

"I'll get to that. Just tell me how you got there."

"I didn't steal nothing; I had my own money." Bella answered.

"How did you have enough money to get there, Bella? That's what I want to know."

"I-I…" She stammered. "I won it." She mumbled, lowering her head.

"You won it in a poker game." Cuddy finished for her.

"Yes." She whispered.

"You played after I asked you not to, right? House let you play?"

"Yes." She answered, her tone and expression telling of the shame she felt.

"Not only did you play after I asked you not to but you played with real money and…you _won_ a lot of money. Do you understand where I'm going with this, yet?"

Bella shrugged, still appearing unsure of her meaning. Cuddy gave her a moment to think it through, not wanting to spell it out for her. Bella was smart; she'd figure it out. After another moment of silence, Cuddy noticed the moment that understanding clicked in her head. She looked up at Cuddy, the frown in her brow returning.

"You yelled at Dad because he let me play poker and then you blamed him cuz I ran away?" She asked, her tone mirroring the shock on her face.

"If he didn't let you play, you wouldn't have had the money and you wouldn't have run away." Cuddy rationalized.

Bella's anger suddenly burst out of her and she straightened her spine, scowling at Cuddy, and throwing her sketchbook down beside her. "That ain't true. I coulda got there without money. I didn't need it but I was lucky I had it so I wouldn't have to steal. I'm glad I had that money. It was good that Dad let me play poker that night." She exclaimed. "You did make him leave. This is all your fault."

Cuddy's eyes grew wide. "Excuse me? This isn't my fault. I did not make…"

"You know how I woulda got to New York without money? I'll tell you. I woulda conned somebody to take me to the bus station, then I woulda conned somebody else to get me a ticket on the bus…or I woulda snuck on. That's it, it's easy. I did it all the time when I was by myself. I didn't need no money." She ranted, looking Cuddy in the eye the whole time as anger seethed out of her. "I didn't need that money. I woulda found a way. It wasn't all Dad's fault I left, it was yours too." Bella finished, leaping up and running out of the room.

"Bella!" Cuddy called after her, standing up and following her out of the room. "Bella, wait. Come back here."

Cuddy caught up to her in the kitchen, as she was about to run out the back door, where her bicycle was sitting out on the deck. She caught Bella's arm, grasping her tightly but trying not to hurt her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to find Dad. I don't need money for _that_ either." She smarted off as she spun around and looked up at Cuddy with fury in her eyes.

Cuddy looked at her in disbelief at her outburst and became upset that she would actually run away from her…again, and this time to try and find House. She saw the anger in Bella's eyes directed at her and Cuddy's anger doubled. This was not all her fault, and she was pissed that Bella was blaming her for it. "You're not going anywhere. Sit down." She instructed firmly, pointing at the chair in front of her.

Bella glared at her but did as she was told. She folded her arms in indignation. Cuddy sighed in exasperation, shaking her head in disbelief. How did they get to this place? She hadn't expected Bella to lash out like this. They were both angry and Cuddy needed to just calm down and think before she said something she couldn't take back.

"Go to your room." She told Bella, pointing her finger in that general direction.

"You just told me to sit down." Bella retorted.

"Now I'm telling you to go to your room. Go." Cuddy replied, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Bella stood and ran out of the room. A moment later, Cuddy heard Bella's bedroom door slam shut. She closed her eyes and collapsed into the chair Bella had just vacated and dropped her head in her hands. This was such a mess. She didn't know what to do. For a moment she actually wished she had House there to help her, to tell her how to fix it. She couldn't do anything else tonight. They both needed to calm themselves, but she still wanted to make sure Bella would be ok tonight and that she didn't get anymore 'running away' ideas to go find House.

She stood up and made her way to Bella's bedroom. Cuddy opened the door, noticing that Bella was back in her tent. She had just put the phone down when she noticed Cuddy in the doorway.

"He won't call you back, Sweetheart."

"Yes, he will." She sassed.

Cuddy sighed, not wanting to argue anymore. "Can I trust you to stay here tonight and not go off looking for House? No one knows where he is anyway, Bella."

"I ain't gonna run away."

"You were about to a few minutes ago."

"I changed my mind. And he's not House, he's my Dad."

"Fine. I don't want to argue with you anymore. I'm going to bed, I suggest you do the same."

Bella stared at her, giving her no response and making no effort to do as she was told.

"Now, Bella." She told her firmly.

"I'm sleeping in my tent." Bella told her defiantly.

"Of course you are." She replied with a tired sigh. "Goodnight."

She didn't receive a response so she tiredly closed the door a bit harder than she probably should have and made her rounds; making sure all the doors were locked and turning off all of the lights. When she entered her bedroom, she stood in the doorway, seeing House's clothes and other belongings he'd brought with him when he moved in. Everything he owned was still here and she had no idea where the hell he'd been for the past two days. She was still pissed at him, but she also still loved him and hoped he was ok and not in some alleyway drunk off his ass or…in jail.

Cuddy finally took a step forward, entering the room and making her way to the bathroom to do her nightly routine of getting ready for bed. Once she was settled, lying alone in her bed…their bed. The emotions she'd been holding in for the last few days suddenly swept over her and she was helpless to stop it. She covered her face with her hands and cried, silently at first, but after a moment the floodgates opened wider and her cries became more forceful. Her shoulders began shaking and she turned onto her side, crying into her pillow.

She didn't know how long she'd been crying but she suddenly startled when she felt a hand on her arm and her eyes flew open, seeing Bella sitting next to her on the bed with the saddest look she'd ever seen on her face.

"Mommy." She mumbled sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Mommy. Don't cry no more ok? I didn't mean to make you cry."

Cuddy reached out and enveloped Bella in a hug, overwhelmed that she had come in to check on her even when she was angry at her. She pulled Bella down next to her on the bed and kissed the top of her head. "I'm ok, baby. Thank you for coming to check on Mommy."

"I heard you crying. I don't want you to cry." Bella responded, her voice muffled as she laid her head on Cuddy's chest and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry I got upset with you."

"Me too. I don't want to be mad at you." Bella told her, causing a smile to form on Cuddy's lips.

"Me either, baby."

They both fell silent for several minutes, holding each other and Cuddy thought that Bella had fallen asleep but was surprised when she spoke.

"I want my Daddy back, Mom. I don't want to lose another Dad." Bella told her softly.

"I know. But I can't make him come back, sweetheart." She whispered.

Bella pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. "But can't you try? How come you're most mad at him and not me? If you can stay mad at him for playing poker with me, you got to stay mad at me too because I was the one that played, he didn't make me."

"He was the adult Bella, he should've known better, and above that, he let you keep the money." Cuddy replied. After a moment, she continued. "You both lied to me about this and it hurts me that you would do that."

"And don't think that you're getting away without any punishment either." Cuddy added as an afterthought.

Bella looked away and nodded, accepting that she'd have to pay for her crimes. After a moment, she looked back up at Cuddy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie."

"Maybe not, but…just like it hurt you when I lied to you, it hurts me that you lied to me, Bella." Cuddy told her softly, gently combing her hair away from her eyes.

Bella frowned and nodded her head in understanding. "So you _are_ mad at me?"

"No, but I'm taking your bicycle, scooter and skates away for 3 weeks. And you aren't allowed to go to your friends' houses for 2 weeks except to Maya's because you have to. And I want a promise that you will never gamble again in any way. Am I clear? It may seem harsh, but this _will not_ happen again." She stressed.

Bella didn't respond, so Cuddy leaned away from her so she could look into her eyes, seeing Bella's mouth agape. "Bella, am I clear?" She asked once more.

Finally she nodded, pouting her lips and furrowing her brow. "Yes, Mom." She replied softly.

"Thank you. And let me be even more clear…if this ever _does_ happens again, expect a lot of boredom to come your way because all toys, drawing, painting, tv, trampoline, tree-climbing, friend, and park privileges you currently have will be taken from you for even longer than that. Instead, you'll be sitting in your room doing nothing, or doing your chores around the house. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am." She mumbled, her eyes having shifted away from Cuddy.

Cuddy nodded, satisfied that they understood each other. "I don't want to punish you, Bella, but honestly I don't know what else to do. I want you to understand that gambling is wrong and I can't let you get away with lying to me. Ok? That's what this is about. Do you understand?" She asked her softly as she looked into her eyes and gently caressed her cheek.

"Yes." Bella answered with a nod.

"I love you, ok? I want what's best for you. With the exception of your mom, dad and brother…I want you to be able to leave your old life behind you. It bothers me that you know how to con someone into helping you leave town. You say you didn't need that money and I guess I believe you, I just didn't want to. I need you to be my little girl. I want you to have a normal childhood, despite what's happened to you. The knowledge that helped you survive in New York isn't knowledge you need anymore. Until you grow up and move out of the house, I'm the one that's responsible for you. And even then, you don't have to worry about a thing because you're my daughter and it's Mommy's job to take care of you. Does that make sense? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Bella allowed as small smile to curve her lips as she nodded her understanding. "Yes."

Cuddy smiled in response and nodded her head.

After a moment, Bella furrowed her brow. "Does this mean I don't get to go to Ellie's tomorrow?"

Cuddy laughed as she felt some of the tension she'd been holding in, ease a little at Bella's question. She placed a kiss on Bella's forehead. "No, it doesn't mean that. I need you to go to Ellie's tomorrow. But this weekend, you need to get a lot of time in on your skates, bike and scooter because come Monday, they're going away for a while." She warned her.

Bella nodded in understanding. "Ok." She replied. "I love you too, Mom."

Cuddy smiled and placed another kiss on her forehead. "Let's go to sleep."

Bella nodded and scooted in closer to Cuddy, cuddling with her as she laid her head down on the pillow. Cuddy watched as Bella closed her eyes.

As Cuddy thought about what she had told Bella and about what had happened this week, she felt like House had gotten the ultimate punishment in all of this, even though she hadn't intended it that way. But in fairness, she was being punished too because she had just lost the man that she loved and the father of her child and would probably never get him back again. Cuddy closed her eyes and gently stroked Bella's back, hoping she would sleep better tonight. After a few more minutes she heard Bella's breathing even out as she slipped into unconsciousness. Cuddy was glad they talked about this even though it hadn't gone the way she thought it would. And she was grateful that Bella hadn't stayed angry. She didn't know what she would've done if both Bella and House were angry with her. Cuddy hoped that tomorrow would be a better day for both of them. She hoped they could start to deal with this together instead of separately as they had been doing for the last two days. And she hoped that she and House would have a chance to talk soon. She wanted to get things straightened out between them, but she didn't want to be the one to go to him. He needed to come to her to apologize, he was the one at fault; but she knew him and she knew he wouldn't come to her to apologize.

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9:30 AM – Friday – The Next Day

House walked through the glass doors of the hospital lobby, his backpack over his shoulder and a scowl on his face, warning everyone around him that he wanted to be left the hell alone. As he made his way over to reception, he quickly signed in and glanced toward the clinic. He had felt her eyes on him the moment he walked in and he finally met them with his. His heart skipped a beat, seeing her standing there with a clipboard in her hand, staring at him. He couldn't read her expression. They eyed one another for a moment before he looked away and resumed his path to the elevator. He couldn't tell by the look on her face if she was still pissed, but he knew she had to be or she would've called. It didn't matter anyway; all he wanted to do was get through this damn day so he could leave. He knew Wilson would be in his face all day wondering where the hell he'd been and why he never returned his calls. He was surprised Wilson wasn't waiting in the lobby for him when he got here.

As House stepped off the elevator, he made his way to his office. His team was already there, discussing the patient he knew they had after hearing Foreman's message yesterday. He hoped it was a good case so he could concentrate on that and keep his mind off of Cuddy and Bella. When he opened the door, he walked to the table and set his bag down, his team having shifted their questioning gazes to him.

"New case?"

Foreman narrowed his eyes at him as the rest of the team stared in concern.

"Yes, we have a new case. I called you _yesterday_. Where the hell have you been?"

"Stuck in traffic." He announced.

"Funny." He replied with a roll of his eyes before continuing. "14 year-old girl presenting with-"

"You ok, House?" Kutner interrupted.

House shifted his eyes and shrugged. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, Wilson-"

"Don't care…case?" He replied, his eyebrows raised in question at Foreman.

"14 year-old girl with-"

"House." He heard Wilson say from behind him as he entered the room, interrupting Foreman.

House turned his head toward him, looking at his watch. "Wow, I've been here an entire two minutes, Wilson, you're slacking. I expected you to be waiting for me when I got here."

Wilson stared at him, unfazed by his sarcasm. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Uhhh, you'll have to be a little more specific. Foreman could probably rattle off a two-page list in a matter of seconds though."

Wilson sighed. "You know what I mean. Can we talk, please?"

"Nope. Have a patient. Foreman…continue." He replied, turning his head and gesturing for Foreman to continue filling him in.

Foreman sighed. "14 year-old girl with headache, nausea-"

"She's pregnant…next case." House interjected.

Foreman rolled his eyes. "Nooo. She's also presenting with-"

"House…we _need_ to talk." Wilson insisted.

Foreman glared at Wilson for interrupting yet again as House turned his head toward him as well. "No, I _need_ to hear about my patient."

It was Wilson's turn to roll his eyes before he stepped forward, grabbed House by the arm and yanked him out of the differential room. House nearly tripped over his own feet as Wilson dragged him out of the room. House looked at him in shock at his abrupt move. He yanked his arm out of Wilson's grasp once they were out in the hallway and glared at him. "Wilson, what the-"

"Shut up, House. Get the hell in my office so we talk about this." He demanded, pointing his finger toward his office.

"I don't want to talk about it, Wilson, it's none of your damn business so butt the hell out."

"You idiot!" He exclaimed, surprising House by his outburst. "What's wrong with you? You think walking out is going to solve anything? You think Bella hasn't lost enough already? She needs you, House!"

"No she doesn't. I'm not the father she needs, Wilson. I'm not even close to what she needs. Ask Cuddy, she'll be happy to tell you what a horrible father I am."

"Oh please! Whatever she told you, you know she didn't mean it…she was just upset. She-"

"First of all, you weren't there so you don't know what the hell you're talking about. And second of all, I don't want to talk about this. It's done, it's over…leave it alone."

"No, House, I'm not going to let you do this to Bella. She needs her father."

"Then why don't you step up and volunteer, huh? She doesn't need a screw up for a father…and I hear Cuddy's single now."

"You ass! This doesn't have anything to do with your father issues. You're the only one that thinks you're not good enough. You're just using it as an excuse because you're scared; scared of 'screwing up'. Well guess what, you did screw up…but it's not something you can't fix. You _are not_ your old man, House. This is your chance to prove that. Apologize and go home. Cuddy doesn't think you're a bad father, she never did."

"I'm not imagining this, Wilson, she blamed me for my kid running away from home. That doesn't translate to 'House is a great father'. And why the hell aren't you down there yelling at her? You're supposed to be _my_ friend, instead you're being-."

"I yelled at her yesterday. And I _am_ being your friend, House. A friend tells another friend when he's being an idiot. You do it well, trust me. Now I'm just repaying the favor." He told him. "And a friend tells his when he's wrong. You need to apologize to Cuddy and fix this, so you can both move on to raising that little girl. House, Bella is scared out of her mind that she's losing another father. She came to me the other day, afraid that you would leave and hoping that I could help convince you to marry Cuddy so that wouldn't happen."

House rolled his eyes. "Marriage doesn't keep people together, you know that better than anyone." He snarked.

"Yeah, and that's what I told Bella. But she's 9, House. To her, marriage is forever because that's all she knows. Her parents were married until the day they died. She wants that for her new family."

"She wants her new family to get married and die young?"

"No, she wants her new Daddy to stop being a stubborn jackass and go home."

House sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, Wilson, Cuddy doesn't trust me as Bella's father. I'm not going back, so just leave it alone." He told Wilson before turning around and making his way back into the office.

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3:30 PM

Cuddy was walking down the hallway on the second floor of the hospital after visiting with one of the family members of a donor when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't know what to think about what this phone call could be about, but she hoped it wouldn't end badly.

"Dr. Cuddy." She answered.

"Lisa, its Janine, how are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you doing, Janine?"

"Not too bad. Listen, I have some news for you. Are you sitting down?"

"No. Is this good news or bad news?" She asked hesitantly, wondering if she would be better off waiting until she was in the privacy of her office to get this news.

She heard Janine chuckle on the other end of the line. "It's good news…definitely good news."

"Oh." She replied, honestly thinking it was going to be the opposite. "Great, I could use some good news right about now."

She heard a pause before Janine spoke again. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, just…nevermind. What's this good news you have to tell me?"

"Well, I just wanted to call and say congratulations. Your adoption papers went through today. You and House will be scheduled to meet in front of a judge to make the adoption official in two weeks. Lisa, congratulations to all of you, I can't tell you how happy I am that this has worked out the way it has. I don't get these endings in a lot of my cases, so I'm overjoyed for you right now."

Cuddy was speechless. Of all the things she could imagine she'd be hearing today, this was nowhere on the list. Her vision became blurry as tears silently spilled down her cheeks. Cuddy leaned against the wall for support, ignoring her staff as they walked up and down the corridor. She wiped her tears and quickly escaped into the stairwell. She didn't need them to see her lose it. As more tears fell, she heard Janine speak up.

"Lisa, are you there? Are you ok?"

She sniffed and wiped her tears once more. "Yes, I'm here. I'm here." She whispered.

"I know you're shocked right now so I'm going to go and let you process what I just told you." Janine responded with a happy chuckle. "Again, congratulations. I'll call you later on and we can schedule a time to meet and go over a few things, ok?"

"Yeah, sure." Cuddy answered numbly. "I'll talk to you soon."

She hung up the phone and sat down on the steps. More tears made their way down her face as she thought about the fact that Bella would officially and forever be her daughter. An amazing smile took over and she let a small chuckle escape her lips as she wiped the tears from her face once more. This was amazing news and she couldn't wait to tell House and Bella. Her smile suddenly faded at that thought, sadness replacing the joy she had felt a second ago. When House had decided to become Bella's father, they'd had Janine draw up new adoption papers. They had both wanted it to be official, but now that they weren't together anymore, she didn't know how that was going to affect the adoption.

A fresh batch of tears sprang from her eyes and she dropped her head in her hands. The best news she could've ever heard had the potential to turn into bad news. Not that she thought the adoption wouldn't become official in time, but the question was whether it would be put on hold longer because House was out of the picture now? Her happiness had turned into sorrow, which had turned into fear and uncertainty. What was going to happen now? She needed to talk to House.


	57. Chapter 56

**Sorry for the wait! Are you guys still out there? I hope so. Here's a SUPER DUPER long chapter for you if you are. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 56**

3:50 PM

House was sitting behind his desk with his big tennis ball in his hand, trying to think about the symptoms his patient was exhibiting, but instead he found himself thinking about what Wilson had said to him earlier. Deep down he knew Wilson was right, but he couldn't take the chance he'd screw up again if he did go back. As he sat there, he heard the click of Cuddy's heals before he even saw her walking down the corridor toward his office. When she came into view he shifted his eyes to hers, just before she came through his door. He watched her walk forward and stand before his desk.

"Hi." She greeted softly, tentatively.

"Hi." He responded drolly.

She sighed softly and took a seat in the chair across from him. "We have to talk, House." She told him.

"I can't talk about this right now, Cuddy. I have a patient." He replied, with a shake of his head, not having the strength or will to argue about this again.

She furrowed her brow. "Is that going to be your excuse every time I need to talk to you from now on?" She asked, shaking her head at him.

"I'm sure I can come up with a number of excuses why I don't want to talk to you."

She scoffed at his response. "I don't know where you get off being mad at me, House. I'm the one that was lied to. But that's neither here nor there, because that's not what I came here for."

House remained silent, allowing her to continue with what she had to say to him.

She took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "I got a phone call from Janine a few minutes ago." She started. "She called to congratulate us…our adoption papers went through."

Surprised at her words, House leaned forward in his chair, looking into her eyes and trying to read what she was thinking. He wondered if she was telling him this because she wanted to go through with it alone or continue with their plans of him adopting Bella with her. He had to admit he didn't like that first option. After a moment of silence he finally spoke, deciding to get a reaction so he'd have his answer without having to ask. "Congratulations." He told her.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him questioningly. "What? House, both of our names are on those papers."

"And?" He questioned, having his answer but still feeling the need to put up his walls to keep from letting himself do what he wanted to do, but knew better than to let himself do, fully expecting to get hurt again if he did.

Cuddy leaned forward as well, tilting her head and looking at him as if he'd just sprouted a second head.

"I'm not her father, Cuddy. You made that clear." He explained.

"I never said that, House. You jumped to some pretty extreme conclusions the other night. I want you to be her father, I have _always_ wanted that." She explained.

"Cuddy, you don't even trust me with her, especially not after that damn poker game…how can I ever be her father? You'd be questioning every move I make."

"I trust you to take care of her, I _always_ have. Every step of the way, I have trusted you. But…if you're using this argument as some way of backing out because you were having second thoughts, then-"

"You accused me of funding her escape to New York, Cuddy." He replied angrily, cutting her off as he stood up and turned his back to her, looking out the window behind his desk. It still cut deep to know that she thought he would do something like that.

After a moment he heard her reply. "I know." She said softly. "And…I had no right to do that. I was wrong about that, House, and I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean I was wrong to be angry about the game. You were wrong to let her play and you were wrong to keep it from me."

House turned around to face her once more. "I'm not getting into this with you again, Cuddy. Maybe we should just go our separate ways and call it a day. The kid would be better off without me and so would you."

"Is that what you think?"

"No, that's what _you_ think!"

"No, it isn't!" She insisted, standing up from the chair she was seated in. "This whole thing is insane; I never wanted this. How can you just turn your back on her…on us?" She asked, the last question full of emotion.

"I wasn't the one bitching about a fucking game, Cuddy. We were doing fine until you decided to make an issue out of something insignificant."

"Lying is insignificant?"

"About this! Yes, I'd say it's pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things."

"I don't like being lied to, House. Especially when it concerns my child."

"_Your_ child." He stated flatly.

Cuddy clenched her jaw. "_Our_ child." She corrected.

After a moment, House shook his head. "Not anymore."

Cuddy took a couple of steps forward, glaring angrily at him. "No, House, I am not going to let you do this to her. You made a commitment when you signed those papers; you're not allowed to back out. You promised me and you promised Bella that you would be there."

"What, you're making me adopt her?" He asked with a scowl on his face.

"Yes. I told you that if you wanted in, that was it; you don't get to change your mind. You're just being stubborn because you're angry with me. You don't want to be with me, fine…but don't make _her_ pay for that." She told him bitterly.

There was silence between them as House thought about what she'd just said. They weren't even married and she was talking about them adopting a child together and raising her apart. That was ridiculous. No, they would all be better off if he stepped back from all of this and let Cuddy raise the kid on her own, just like she was going to do from the start. He'd get over the pain of losing the woman and child that he loved. He was better off a miserable bastard. He knew how to do that well; it was familiar. Raising a kid and being part of a family still scared the shit out of him, even if he'd had a glimpse of that life and had come to accept it; had been happy with it. Bella would hate him for a while but she'd get over it someday. House shook his head. "I can't." He told her finally, in a quiet, regretful tone.

Cuddy shook her head as she huffed in exasperation. "Fine, then you can explain to her why you don't want to be her father anymore." She said, her voice breaking slightly, before she turned around and walked away from him.

House expelled a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling a deep sadness in his heart; knowing that he was making a mistake but being too scared to do anything about it. Knowing that he had come to need them in his life like he never thought he would. Knowing that his daughter would hate him for doing what he promised he would never do. But he couldn't just let Cuddy walk out without an explanation.

"Cuddy." He called out in a pained voice before she was able to open the door and walk out.

She stopped with her hand on the doorhandle but didn't turn around.

"What am I supposed to do here? If this is over between us, then we can't raise her apart. I can't…" He said in explanation but stopped when he couldn't continue for fear of showing too much emotion.

Cuddy turned around to face him once more. "I never wanted it to be over between us." She told him in a soft whisper, slightly shaking her head.

House lowered his head, averting his eyes as he stared at his feet. Before he could respond, Cuddy spoke up once more.

"House, all I wanted was for you to understand that it was irresponsible of you to let her play that game with real money. Whether she won a lot of it or not, she shouldn't have played to begin with. And the fact that she did and you kept it from me…that is why I'm upset. I shouldn't have blamed you for her running away, that was over the line and I'm so sorry. I know that you were just being you…doing what you always do; breaking the rules and usurping authority. And normally I would be fine with that, it would still piss me off, but I would be fine it. But…this is _our child_, House. If you are serious about doing this with me, I need you to be the responsible adult I know you can be. You told me once that we were a team in this. How can we be a team if you keep things from me? How can we raise her together if we're going in opposite directions? You being the one that lets her get away with doing what she wants and me being the one that punishes her when she does what she wants because she thinks its allowed? That isn't how I want to parent our child."

House listened intently. She wasn't being argumentative or scolding him like she had that night everything blew up. She was being sincere in her explanation and honest in what she needed and expected of him. He looked up when he heard her walk up to him. They stared at one another for a moment before she continued.

"Bella needs you, House. You may think you don't have anything to offer her, but just think back to how well she was doing before all of this. She felt safe with us. She was getting used to having a family again. _I_ was getting used to having a family with you and Bella. But if…if you've decided you don't want this anymore, Bella and I will have no choice but to deal with it. We'll survive, House. It's not going to be easy; for her or me, but we'll survive." She continued, taking his hand in hers and holding it tightly. "We both want you to come home, but if that happens, I'm going to need something from you." She said, looking into his eyes.

He furrowed his brow in question, not knowing what she was getting at. "What?" He asked softly.

"I'm going to need an apology and a promise that from here on out, we do this _together_; as a team, in every sense of the word."

House sighed and looked away from her, turning his head toward the glass door of the empty conference room.

"If you can't do that, you're right, we can't raise her apart."

House turned his head and narrowed his eyes at her. "You're giving me an ultimatum?"

"You were ready to walk away completely, House. I'm giving you a chance to make things right and come home." She explained. "I need to tell Bella about the adoption, and I need to tell her soon. I'm giving you until Sunday at 6:00 PM to decide if you want to come back." She added, waiting for him to agree to her terms.

House nodded in understanding.

Cuddy leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek, before turning around and making her way out of the office. House watched her walk away, seeing her turn her head to look at him through the glass walls of the conference room before disappearing from sight. House dropped his head and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. He had a little over 48 hours to decide the rest of his life. What the hell was he going to do?

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5:15 PM

Bella was sitting in the passenger's seat of the car after Mom had picked her up from Ellie's house. Mom had smiled and greeted her happily, but Bella could tell she looked sad underneath. It made her wonder if she had talked to Dad and if he had made her upset today. She glanced over at her as she drove the car home.

"Mom." She spoke softly.

"Hmm?"

"Did you see Dad today?"

Mom glanced at her and nodded affirmatively. "Yeah." She answered in a soft tone.

Bella nodded. "You look sad, did he make you upset?"

Mom sighed softly and placed her hand over Bella's in her lap. "I'm ok, Sweetie. Don't worry about me."

"Why not? You worry about me, it's only fair." Bella told her, turning her wrist and clutching Mom's hand in hers.

Mom gave her a sweet smile before turning her attention back on the road, gently squeezing her hand. "Yeah. But…I don't want you to worry. We're going to be ok." She told her reassuringly before letting go of her hand and placing it back on the steering wheel.

After a moment of silence in the car, Bella looked up at Mom once more. "I'm mad at Dad." She announced. "He's being a jerk."

"Bella, don't say that about him." Mom replied gently, glancing over at her with a furrow in her brow.

"Why not? He is, and you're mad at him too so why can't I call him a jerk?"

"You shouldn't call anyone a jerk, but especially not your Dad."

Bella frowned and leaned her head against the seat, turning her head to look out the window as they pulled into the driveway. She didn't move as Mom turned the car off and glanced over at her. She felt Mom's finger gently caress her cheek and Bella turned her head, looking into her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

Bella shrugged, giving her a sullen look. "I don't know." She mumbled. "I just wish he wasn't being a jerk. He doesn't even want to talk to me." Bella revealed as her eyes teared up. "What did I do wrong?"

Mom dropped her hand and leaned over to press a kiss to Bella's forehead and whisper in her ear. "Sweetheart, you didn't do anything to make him leave, that was his choice. I don't want you thinking like that. None of this is your fault, understand?"

Bella nodded as a tear silently rolled down her cheek. Mom leaned back and wiped the tear away before kissing her temple.

"We'll get through this." She told Bella.

Bella nodded once more, only half believing her. She knew they would eventually get through it, just like she eventually got through her parent's and Mattie's deaths, this was just another wound she'd have to try to heal.

Mom sighed softly and pulled back to look at Bella with a small smile on her face. "Tell you what…why don't we order pizza, change into our comfy clothes, and watch a funny movie? Just us girls?" She suggested. "Let's take our minds off of things for a while."

Bella allowed a small smile to curve her lips. "Ok." She answered with nod.

"Ok." Mom said, satisfied with her answer as she placed another kiss to her head before getting out of the car.

Bella followed suit, grabbing her school bag from the backseat of the car and following Mom up the walkway to the front door, wondering sadly if it would be 'just the girls' from now on.

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6:15 PM

Cuddy and Bella were sitting on the couch together with the pizza box open in front of them on the coffee table. Cuddy handed Bella a plate before grabbing hers and placing a slice of cheese pizza on it. They had decided on the movie they wanted to watch after changing into comfortable clothes and ordering the pizza. Bella wanted to watch 101 Dalmatians, the real one not the cartoon, she had made sure to clarify. Cuddy had agreed, only too happy to let her watch what she wanted if it would distract her from thinking about House.

Cuddy had given House 2 days to decide if he was coming back home or if she was going to end up raising Bella alone. She hoped he'd make the right decision, for Bella's sake. Cuddy knew he had been happy but maybe this argument between them reminded him of the fears he had of being a father and didn't think he could do it anymore. Cuddy knew she was partly to blame for that. She just hoped he'd believe her words to him today and decide to come home. She missed him just as much as Bella did.

"Mommy, can I have a Coke?" Bella asked as she balanced her plate in her hand while sitting back against the couch cushions.

Cuddy snapped out of her thoughts after hearing Bella's question to her. She looked over at Bella and gave a slight nod, hoping she was able to mask the concern she was sure was etched all over her face. "Sure." She replied softly.

Bella frowned, setting her plate down on her lap. "Mom, we're supposed to be forgetting for a while, remember?" Bella told her softly.

Cuddy allowed a small smile to come to her face, giving Bella a nod. "I know, I'm sorry." She answered, moving to stand up. "Stay put, baby, I'll get your Coke and then we'll start the movie."

"Mom." Bella called, just as Cuddy had reached the entrance to the living room. She turned her head, her hand resting on the doorframe, waiting to hear what Bella had to say.

"We'll be ok." She reassured her.

Once more Cuddy smiled at her daughter. "Thank you for reminding me." Cuddy answered with a nod of her head.

Bella returned her smile with one of her own, nodding in acceptance of Cuddy's thanks. Cuddy turned and made her way to the kitchen to grab Bella's Coke and something for her to drink as well. She took a deep breath, releasing it as she closed her eyes and leaned heavily against the island in front of the fridge and bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Cuddy couldn't help being nervous about what House's decision would be; she kept reminding herself that she had always planned to raise Bella on her own. But to tell the truth, she had gotten used to House's presence in their lives. She still loved him so much and the thought of never being with him again broke her heart.

After a moment she opened her eyes and continued with her task, opening the fridge and taking one of the small, 7.5 oz. cans of Coke and a bottle of water out. She made her way back to the living room where Bella was silently munching on her pizza as she waited. Bella looked up and Cuddy gave her a smile as she walked in, handing Bella the Coke when she sat down.

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. Now, what do you say we get this party started?"

Bella pulled a face, looking at her doubtfully. "Mom, I love you, but you're too old to say stuff like that."

Cuddy dropped her jaw with a slight curve to her lips as amusement shined in her eyes and she playfully shoved Bella's shoulder. "Hey, you'd be surprised how well I know how to party."

Bella chuckled at her mother's indignation before taking a big bite of her pizza. Cuddy shook her head at Bella's actions.

"Slow down or you'll choke." She warned Bella.

Bella chewed her pizza and slyly opened her mouth, revealing her masticated food to Cuddy with a laugh.

She scowled, shaking her head in disapproval. "That's…just lovely." She commented, before taking a bite of her own pizza. Once she'd chewed up her food she opened her mouth, revealing the contents to Bella. Bella had swallowed her bite and when she saw what Cuddy was doing she laughed, leaning her head back against the cushions. Cuddy laughed too, delighted that she'd made her daughter laugh as she closed her mouth before chewing and swallowing her food.

About 30 minutes into the movie, they had just finished eating and Bella was lying down on the couch with her head on Cuddy's lap. She gently ran her fingers through Bella's hair as they watched Cruella De Vil plot to steal the puppies. Splat was curled up to Bella as she absently scratched his ears, her full attention on the movie. After a moment though, Bella shifted slightly, keeping her eyes on the movie and asked Cuddy the question that most parents dread.

"Mom, can we get a puppy?"

Cuddy furrowed her brow and looked at Bella. She chuckled at the ridiculous question. "No." Cuddy answered, with a shake her head.

Bella turned her head and shifted her attention away from the movie to Cuddy. "Why not? They're soooo cute. Can I please?"

Cuddy laughed once more. "Bella, a puppy is too much responsibility right now. Besides, you have Splat to take care of. You can't handle both and I'm too busy with work to help with a puppy. We're hardly ever home and we can't leave a puppy alone for long periods of time."

"Pleeeaase, Mom, I promise I can do it." Bella begged, sitting up on the couch to do her best to convince Cuddy she could handle it.

Once more, Cuddy shook her head. "No, sweetheart, not right now. Maybe in time, but there's too much going on to add something else into the mix. It's too much for either of us."

Bella's shoulders dropped in disappointment and she furrowed her brow sadly before laying her head back down on Cuddy's lap, begrudgingly accepting her answer. A few minutes passed as they continued watching the movie when Bella spoke up again.

"When we get one, can I have a Dalmatian?"

Cuddy smiled at her question, swallowing the chuckle that wanted to escape. "We'll see." She replied. Cuddy didn't even know Bella liked dogs since she had Splat and seemed more like a cat person than a dog person. She shook her head once more before turning her attention back to the movie.

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7:45 PM

House sat on his bed with his back against the headboard watching television. He held a glass of scotch in one hand and the remote control in the other. There was nothing on TV and he was sick of flipping through the same channels over and over again. He was still living in the hotel room he'd been in since the night he'd left home.

Home.

He'd considered where he had been living with Cuddy and Bella home. He hadn't realized it until he wasn't there anymore. Wilson told him he could forget about getting his apartment back because he already had a home and he needed to go back to it. House had rolled his eyes and hung up on him after Wilson had given him that bit of information. It didn't matter anyway; House needed time alone to think about what he was going to do. Did he want to go back to living his miserable life? The one he was so familiar with or did he want the life he never knew he wanted until he had it?

He knew the answer to that already, but was he brave enough to go back and do it right; without screwing it up? It would take a lot of himself to go that route and if he was honest with himself, he didn't think he could do it. But Bella did; she deserved happiness and for some reason she found it with him. House never did understand that. Why did she want _him_? What was so great about him that she wanted him to be her dad? He had asked himself that question a million times, ever since that little girl had come into his life and changed everything. He had never stopped asking himself that question, even when he had decided to be her dad and officially adopt her.

Then there was Cuddy, of course. He still loved her, more than he ever imagined loving anyone. She was his and if he decided to leave them, he could never imagine being ok with Cuddy finding someone else to love and take care of his child.

Suddenly his cell phone buzzed beside him on the table, interrupting his thoughts. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID. A heavy sigh escaped his lips when he saw who the caller was. Oh crap.

"Hello." He greeted tiredly.

"Hi honey, it's Mom."

"I know it's you Mom, I have caller ID on my phone." He told her.

"Of course you do, dear. How are you, darling, you sound exhausted?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I've just been working a lot."

"Well, try to slow down, dear, you have a family now and they need you to be there for them." She told him, causing him to roll his eyes. "How are Lisa and Bella doing?"

"Good. It's been busy around here lately. Lisa's working a lot and Bella's busy with her schoolwork. Her placement test is in a few weeks."

"Oh that's wonderful. I know she's going to do well, she's very intelligent."

House's lips curved into a small smile. "Yeah." He agreed in a soft tone.

"Are you sure you're alright, Greg?"

"I told you, I'm just tired." He replied, hoping he sounded convincing.

"It's not just that, sweetheart, you sound almost…sad. Has something happened?"

House hesitated a moment, wondering if he should tell his mother the truth, but quickly deciding he didn't want to disappoint one more person. "Nothing's happened, Mom, everything is perfect. We're fine." He answered as convincingly as he could.

"Ok, Greg." She replied, not sounding at all convinced that he was telling her the truth. "You know you can't lie to me, but if you don't want to talk about it, I won't push you."

"Thank you." He answered, knowing he'd just admitted that there was something going on but didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, since we're not talking about what's going on with you, do you mind if I speak with my granddaughter for a moment?

He rolled his eyes; of course she would ask to talk to Bella. He thought quickly and told his mother another lie. "I'm at the hospital, Mom. Sorry."

"Oh." She replied with disappointment. "Well, is Lisa at home, I could always call the house."

"Yeah, she's home." He guessed, not sure if Cuddy was actually home, but hoping she was so that his mother wouldn't know that he had just lied to her and call back with more questions.

"Oh good. Well, darling, don't work too hard. Get some sleep, it'll help you think." She told him.

He could hear the smile on her face as she spoke to him affectionately.

"I will, Mom." He replied, thinking that he was probably doomed anyway because Cuddy would probably tell her everything that had happened. "Talk you soon." He added with a slight cringe.

"Ok, Greg. Goodnight, honey."

"Night, Mom."

"Greg." He heard her say, before he could hang up.

"Yeah."

"You're a great father, whatever is going on, I just want you to know that. I'm very proud of you. I know that your dad made his mistakes with you, and that I didn't pay as close attention as I should have to the way he treated you, and I can't begin to express how sorry I am for that, but you have turned out to be the most wonderful man I could have ever imagined you becoming. That is a testament to you, son, and the way you chose to live your life. Now, I'm not saying you aren't without mistakes yourself, but you've done an incredible job of becoming the man you are today. I love you. Just keep in mind that everything will work out."

He mumbled a quick thanks to his mom before he quickly hung up the phone. He sat there for several minutes, stunned by what his mother had said to him. His mom's words struck a chord within him. He had no idea she had that much faith in him. Sure, she'd told him before how proud of him she was, but to hear what she'd said about how his dad had treated him and that she was actually aware of it, surprised the hell out of him.

After another moment, he held his phone up and searched for the pictures he had stored. They were pictures he'd taken of Bella. Some were of them together but mainly they were of her alone…or with Cuddy, when they didn't know he'd taken them.

The first he pulled up was the picture he'd taken several months back when Bella had asked to sit on his motorcycle. She was wearing his helmet and he had to admit that she looked adorable. Another was a picture of Cuddy and Bella when he'd taken them out on that date. It was in the bowling alley and they were selecting a ball to bowl with. He had never shown that picture to anyone, but it was one of his favorites. Bella was looking up at Cuddy with a smile as she handed her a bowling ball. House smirked as he thought about that night. Bella had had a good time and he had to admit he did too. It was the first time he admitted to himself that maybe he could give this thing a chance. Maybe Cuddy having a kid in her life wouldn't be such a bad thing. He'd been right, because as the days went on from there, he'd found he cared more and more for Bella. She'd settled in a small corner of his heart and had soon taken over.

House continued scrolling through the pictures until he reached one that he had forgotten about. It was one Cuddy had sent him from the weekend she was at the conference and Bella had gotten sick. The weekend he'd let Bella play poker. The picture was of him and Bella laying in his bed, passed out from exhaustion after they'd been up all night and the next day trying to get Bella's vomiting under control. He was lying on his back and Bella was on his chest, her head tucked under his chin as her limbs hugged him tightly in her sleep. He had rolled his eyes when he'd received it in his inbox, but was now glad that he had it. He had taken care of her and it was the first time Bella had told him that he was a good daddy. He wasn't even her daddy then, but she had seen him as her daddy anyway.

House sighed as he leaned his head back on the headboard and set his phone down beside him, but not before turning it off completely. He didn't want to get anymore phone calls tonight and he didn't want to look at any more pictures. What he wanted was to stop thinking completely. It was making his brain hurt.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:45 AM – Saturday

Cuddy was sitting at the kitchen table making a grocery list as Bella played outside on her trampoline. She glanced up to make sure Bella was ok as she wrote a few items on her list. Her eye wandered over to her cell phone that was sitting beside her on the table. She was nervous about what House's decision would be and she had been checking the phone constantly ever since she got up this morning to make sure she hadn't missed his call. It was obsessive, she knew, but she really wanted him to come home. She wanted things to work out for all of them, but she knew it was a possibility that he wouldn't change his mind at all.

Cuddy sighed and continued writing, feeling ridiculous for looking at her phone every minute. Bella had noticed her obsession with looking at her phone today, having mentioned it several times this morning as they ate breakfast outside on the deck together. Another minute passed and she glanced at her phone again. Realizing what she had done, she sighed and rolled her eyes, picking up the phone and placing it in her pocket.

As the day wore on, and she and Bella had been to the grocery store and back, she had managed to leave her phone alone. She had received a couple of calls from the hospital while they were out, which had made her answer on the first ring without checking the caller ID, hoping it was House. But now, as Cuddy worked on some files on her computer, she picked up her phone that was lying beside her and took a quick peek. No missed calls. That was a good sign because she hadn't missed his call, but it also meant that he hadn't called at all. She didn't even know how she would miss any calls anyway since the phone was on her at all times and she would hear it ringing. She knew it was just her anxiety getting the best of her, but she couldn't help it.

When the evening hours approached and House still hadn't called, she felt discouraged. Maybe he wasn't going to call or come by at all. Cuddy had to keep reminding herself that he had until tomorrow to show up, but she didn't think it would take this long for him to make up his mind.

It was 6:00 and Cuddy and Bella were making dinner. Cuddy was standing at the stove sautéing some vegetables when her phone rang on the counter next to her. Her hand reached out in a flash and picked it up, answering it with a sudden rush of nervousness.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." She heard Wilson say on the other end.

Cuddy rolled her eyes as a sigh of disappointment escaped her lips. She turned around to see Bella sitting on the stool at the island with a questioning look on her face as she set plates and silverware out to take to the table.

"Dammit, Wilson." She breathed out in a sigh.

"What? What did _I_ do?" He asked in confusion.

Cuddy made her way out of the kitchen so Bella wouldn't overhear their conversation, but turned around to face Bella for a moment before she exited. "Bella, sweetie, could you please watch the vegetables for me? I'll be right back."

Bella nodded and stepped off the stool. "Sure."

"Call me if it starts burning."

"I got it, Mom." She told Cuddy with confidence.

Cuddy walked out with a nod and made her way to the living room. "I thought you were House."

"Ah. Well that's actually the reason I was calling. I was hoping he'd managed to get his cane out of his ass and made his way home."

"No, he's not here. Have you talked to him lately?"

"He told me about your ultimatum and…good for you. He needs to know you'll take him back. Yesterday he told me you didn't trust him anymore."

Cuddy shook her head. "That's ridiculous. Of course I trust him, he's just afraid he'll screw up again. I think he's still afraid of becoming his father."

"He is…but he'll come back anyway, Cuddy, you know he will."

"No I don't, Wilson, I'm really scared that I screwed up by getting too angry about the game. What if he doesn't want us anymore?"

"Now you're being ridiculous. He loves you guys way too much to stay away and he'll come to that conclusion as well."

She sighed again. "I hope so." She whispered.

"Congratulations, by the way, I hear you're officially Bella's Mom." Wilson said.

A smile came to Cuddy's face. "Yeah. Thank you, Wilson."

"Listen, don't worry about House, he'll show up."

"I'm sure you'll hear about it if he doesn't."

"He _will_." Wilson told her with confidence.

Cuddy nodded, feeling slightly reassured having talked to Wilson and knowing he felt confident that House would make the right decision. "Yeah." She agreed in a soft voice.

"Mom!" She heard Bella call out from the kitchen.

"I gotta go, Wilson, thanks for calling."

"You bet…you guys have a good night. Sorry if I interrupted your dinner."

"It's fine, see on Monday." Cuddy replied as she made her way back to the kitchen, hanging up just as she stepped in and saw smoke rising from the pan and Bella trying to stir the vegetables.

"Bella, let Mommy do it, you're going to get burned." She told her, setting her phone down on the counter and taking the spoon from her.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6:00 PM – Sunday

House sat in a bar with a scotch in his hand as he blocked out the live music playing in the back and held a dazed look on his face. He had decided not to screw up Cuddy and Bella's lives by trying to be someone he wasn't. He convinced himself that he was doing them a favor, even though he felt the knot in the pit of his stomach and the pain in his heart tell him that he was making a mistake. He looked at the time. It was done. There was no time left; he had given up his chance to make things right and it was finished. Even if he wanted to go now, it was too late.

He had yet to take a drink of his scotch, having been there for the better part of an hour, but still not able to get the mistake he was making out of his mind long enough to bring the glass to his lips. Every time he tried to justify what he was doing, or rather wasn't doing, it sounded like a weak argument. He was disappointing everyone he knew; Cuddy, Bella, Wilson, his Mom, Cuddy's Mom, and even himself.

As that thought left his brain, his phone buzzed in his pocket. House grabbed it and looked at the caller ID; Wilson. He should've known Wilson would be on his ass about this. No doubt he'd talked to Cuddy by now and found out that he hadn't shown. House silenced his phone and placed it back in his pocket.

It was too late.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6:45 PM

Bella was sitting outside on the deck painting a canvas, using her new easel that Oma had given her for her birthday. She had been out there for a couple of hours now but the evening sky was still clear and beautiful. Soon it would begin to turn orange, as the sun would start to make its way toward the horizon. The day had been hot and sticky and Bella had spent part of the day inside the house, but had ventured outside when she got too bored playing by herself. She decided she'd work on a new painting outside now that it wasn't as hot. The museum book that Mom bought her a while back was sitting on the table next to her. She had been reading about abstract art and had been curious if she could do it. It wasn't her usual preference but she thought it was cool nonetheless. She thought it was interesting because you could do whatever you wanted. Most of the ones in the book were colorful with lines, circles and other shapes, while others were a few simple colors covering the canvas. It wasn't something she was used to doing in her art, but she liked it.

Bella had been trying to distract herself from thinking about her Dad and wondering where he was and what he was doing. She was still mad at him for leaving them and she didn't understand why he was being this way. Mom had seemed nervous all weekend, not angry or sad like Bella was, and it sort of confused her. She had expected Mom to be just as upset as Bella was but that wasn't the case. Bella thought about asking her what was wrong, but she thought maybe Mom would tell her when the time was right. Or maybe Bella didn't want to know at all for fear of it being something she couldn't handle.

Bella shook the thoughts from her mind as she continued to work on her canvas. After a few minutes, she heard the door open behind her and saw Mom come through it. Bella smiled up at her briefly before returning her attention back to her painting. She ran her brush over the canvas, covering it with the deep blue color she had chosen to use.

"Hey, sweetheart. Can we talk about something for a few minutes?" Mom asked softly, brushing Bella's hair back from her face.

Bella looked up at her, thinking she was about to find out what was going on. She shrugged, trying to seem unconcerned about it. "Sure, Mom."

Mom pulled a chair over and sat down beside Bella. Bella put her paintbrush in the jar of water sitting on the table and turned her attention to Mom. Mom concentrated on her hands in her lap before looking up at Bella and smiling nervously. However, she didn't say anything yet. Bella noticed that her eyes looked slightly red as if she had been crying and she furrowed her brow in concern. Mom looked lovingly into Bella's eyes and brought her hand up to brush Bella's curls, that were now just passed her shoulders, away from her face.

"Your hair is getting longer." She commented, playing with a ringlet of Bella's hair.

Bella's frown deepened, even more nervous about what Mom was going to say.

"Mom, are you going to tell me bad news?" She asked, voicing her thoughts.

At her question, Mom stopped fidgeting and dropped her hand, looking at Bella with a slight frown. "Not all of it is bad news." Mom answered. "In fact, most of it is very good news." She added reassuringly.

"What?" Bella asked curiously and cautiously, needing to hear some good news but feeling uncertain because of Mom's nervousness and the fact that she looked like she had been crying.

"Well, do you remember when you first came to live with me, I had to sign some adoption papers so that you could be my daughter?"

"Yeah."

Mom nodded before continuing. "The other day I got a phone call from Janine. She wanted to tell me that my adoption papers went through." She said, a smile taking over her face as she finished telling Bella the news.

Bella's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide, smiling happily as she stood up to throw her arms around Mom's neck.

"It's real now? I'm yours for real now?" Bella asked excitedly as she continued hugging Mom.

Mom wound her arms around Bella as well. "Yes, baby, you're mine for real now." She told her through a happy chuckle.

Bella tightened her grip around Mom's neck at hearing her confirmation, her smile and excitement growing.

"Honey, you're choking Mommy." She heard Mom tell her through her laughter, rubbing her hand over Bella's back.

Bella released her hold on Mom and leaned back to look at her with a huge smile on her face. "Sorry." She answered through her laugh.

Bella moved onto Mom's lap, sitting on her left leg with her arm around her shoulder as Mom put her arms around Bella's waist. "So that's it? I'm yours now, forever?"

"Yes. But first we'll have to go talk to a judge and he'll ask us some questions. He's the one that will make the final decision. But you don't have to be afraid or nervous, ok? I'll be there with you and so will Janine."

Bella nodded in understanding. After a moment of thought, she furrowed her brow. "What about Dad, will he be there too?"

Mom looked away, sighing softly before slowly shaking her head. "No, baby, House won't be there." She answered in a soft whisper. "I'm sorry."

Bella's lip began to tremble as her eyes teared up. "But…I thought he signed the papers too?" She asked brokenheartedly.

She sighed softly, tightening her hug around Bella. "I know. I tried to talk to him, sweetheart, I did. But he…I don't know, Bella. I'm so sorry. I asked him to be here today so we could tell you together but, I guess he decided not to come." Mom told her in a whisper.

Bella sniffed, wiping her tears from her eyes. "I hate him. Why don't he want me, Mom?"

"You don't hate him, Bella, don't say that. He loves you very much."

"No he doesn't, if he did, he woulda come here." Bella replied, angry tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Bella, listen to me." Mom told her gently, turning Bella's face to look into her eyes. "I don't want you to hate House, ok? He might act like a jerk sometimes and he might make you _want_ to hate him, but you have to know that he is a _very_ good man. He loves you, understand? He's hurt both of us and I know that you're angry with him for that, but I don't want you to live the rest of your life hating him. It won't make you happy and it won't make me happy. And unless House changes his mind and we both decide to forgive him, we just have to live with how things turned out between us. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I need you to know that, ok?"

Bella nodded. After a moment she added. "He promised. He lied to me." She mumbled softly, laying her head on Mom's shoulder.

"I know, baby. But listen…we're going to be ok. It's going to hurt for a while, and I know you can't help being mad at him and that's ok because you need to feel things like that to be able to get though it, and we will get through it." Mom promised her.

Bella nodded, burying her nose into Mom's neck and bringing her other arm around her in a tight hug. Bella felt Mom's hands rub soothingly over her back as she gave her a peck on the forehead. They sat there for several minutes in silence before another thought came to Bella's mind.

"Mommy?"

"Hm?"

"Am I still Bella Porter? I mean, will I still be Porter?"

Mom leaned back a bit so that she could look at Bella. "Do…you _want_ to keep your last name?"

Bella furrowed her brow in thought for a moment. She hadn't really thought about it before because there hadn't been a need to. Porter had always been her last name. She wrote it on her papers at school and that's how she introduced herself. But in truth, Isabella Porter wasn't the same person anymore and she didn't have the same life as before. Bella shifted her eyes back to Mom and shook her head.

"No. This is my new life and you're my Mom now. I want your name." Bella told her.

Bella watched as her Mom's smile took over her face, happy to hear what Bella had just told her. She returned it just as happily.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly.

Bella nodded.

"Ok." Mom said as her smile grew.

"I always thought House was a rather strong, sexy name myself."

Bella startled slightly when she heard her Dad's deep voice coming from the back door of the house as she turned around and saw him standing there. Bella frowned at him and turned her head to look at Mom. She was just as surprised to see him there as Bella was. Bella turned back and climbed off Mom's lap to stand before him angrily.

"You left us. Maybe I don't want your stupid last name." She told him defiantly.

"Bella." Mom scolded.

"Well, maybe I don't." She responded indignantly, looking at Mom before shifting her attention back to Dad. "Mom told you to come and you didn't."

"I'm here now."

"You're late!" She yelled.

Dad lowered his head, averting his eyes briefly before he looked back up at Bella. "I'm always late."

"Yeah well, now it's TOO late!" Bella answered sharply before running toward him and squeezing between him and the doorframe, making her escape inside the house. She stormed off to her bedroom, slammed the door closed and ran toward her tent as she buried her head into her pillow and cried.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

House stepped outside and closed the door behind him as Cuddy stood up from the chair she was seated in.

"You should go after her." House said, gesturing with his thumb where Bella had run into the house.

Cuddy shook her head. "She needs time to calm down, she won't talk now."

House nodded in agreement, knowing she was right. After a moment he looked into her eyes. "Is she right? Am I too late?"

"Better late than never." She responded softly. "You came."

"Almost didn't." He told her.

"Then why did you?"

House shifted his eyes away, unable to look at her when he uttered his next words. "I missed my family." He replied.

He glanced at Cuddy in time to see her nod in acceptance of his explanation. "I'm glad you came back."

"Well, at least one of you is." He replied.

"House, she's angry…what did you expect?"

"I know…I screwed everything up."

"She _will_ forgive you, House. Trust me."

House nodded once more, willing to give Bella some time before he tried to talk to her again, hoping that Cuddy was right and that she would forgive him for walking out on them. First, he needed to make things right with Cuddy.

"I guess I should get down to apologizing then, huh?" He asked, his lip curving into a half smile.

"Only if you mean it…if you're just going to apologize because you feel obligated and not because you're truly sorry, then I'm not interested, House. Because I don't want to go through this again."

"I can't promise you that we won't go through this again, Cuddy, no one can. But I can tell you that I mean what I say when I tell you that I'm sorry for putting you and Bella through all of this. You're right, I was irresponsible to let her play and keep her winnings. I wasn't thinking about that, I was thinking about letting the kid have a little fun. You know me, consequences don't enter into my thinking and you were right to blame me for her taking off."

"No I wasn't. That was my anger talking, House, I should have never said that. You were right, she would've left either way and made it to New York without the money. I understand that now."

"She set you straight?" He asked with a slight smirk.

Cuddy smiled at him. "Shut up." She replied, receiving a chuckle from him in response.

"Told you so." He threw at her.

Cuddy stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes at him. "Your apology is accepted, smartass."

"Good." He responded. "Now I want something from you." He added, his tone serious once more.

Cuddy furrowed her brow in confusion. "What?"

"She's _our_ kid, Cuddy. If I'm going to do this, you start seeing her as yours _and_ mine. Up till now, you've made all of the decisions about where she goes to school, what she does after school, where she gets to go and doesn't get to go, is she allowed to climb a tree or isn't she, just…I want in all the way, no halfsies."

"You don't think the decisions I've made for her have been good ones?" She asked, taken aback and clearly offended and hurt by what he was saying to her.

"That's not what I mean, Cuddy. You're doing great with her. And all of that was before I entered the picture anyway. I just mean…in the future, when something comes up where a decision needs to be made, I'd like to be consulted instead of you making the decision alone. I don't want to be left out."

Cuddy nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry if I've left you out of things, House, it was never my intention and I wish you would've come to me about it."

"I guess I never realized I felt that way until all this shit happened between us."

"Ok…but it goes both ways, I don't want to be left out either."

"Deal."

Cuddy gave him a small smile in response.

"So…we're ok?" He asked.

Her smile grew and she made her way over to him, wound her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. House responded by hugging her back and burying his face in her hair, taking in the smell of her shampoo that he'd missed but hadn't realized it until now.

"We're ok." She whispered, hugging him tightly.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

45 Minutes Later

Bella was still in her tent looking through some photographs of her and Dad that they had taken together. The door to her bedroom opened and she looked to see who it was. Bella scowled and turned away when she saw that it was Dad and not Mom.

"I don't want to talk to you." Bella told him as he made his way toward her.

"Too bad, I'm not leaving until you do."

"_Now_ you don't want to leave? Figures." She replied bitterly.

"I deserved that, so I'll let it slide." He replied, sitting down before her on the floor. "Come on, let me at least apologize for being an asshole."

"Fine, apologize, but that don't mean I got to forgive you."

"You're right." He replied, softly.

Bella sat up, glaring at him. "Why wouldn't you talk to me and why didn't you call me back?"

"I don't know…it didn't have anything to do with not wanting to talk to you, kid. I didn't want to talk to anyone. If it makes you feel better, I didn't call Wilson back either."

Bella rolled her eyes. "It don't." She mumbled before laying back down. "Did Mom forgive you?" She asked out of curiosity as she frowned at him.

Dad nodded solemnly.

"Why did you leave? You didn't have to, you know?"

"I thought I did. I was angry, kid. I'm pretty sure that was the reason you left too, remember?"

Bella knew he had a point, which meant, she'd have to forgive him because he forgave her and she remembered how it made her feel better that she was still loved after making a huge mistake.

"You promised you'd be my Dad."

"I am your Dad…and now that the adoption papers have gone through you're stuck with me."

"I hated you." She informed him.

Dad nodded in response. "I know. I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

Bella didn't move or respond to what he'd said. She knew she should forgive him but she didn't want to.

"Hey." He said softly.

Bella looked up at him.

"I'll be here if you decide you can forgive me. I know I screwed up and the truth is I don't know if I can forgive myself for hurting you and your Mom. One of the reasons I stayed away was because I didn't want to screw up your lives anymore than I already had."

Bella furrowed her brow at his confession. "But you didn't screw it up. We were doing great and then you and Mom had a stupid fight and you left us. You can't just leave every time you have a fight." She argued.

"I won't do it again. I mean we'll probably fight again at some point, because that's just what couples do, but I won't leave again. Not permanently."

"You say that now." She mumbled, shifting her gaze away from him.

After a few moments of silence between them, Dad stood up, probably having given up on trying to convince her he'd stay. Bella lifted her head and watched him slowly make his way out of her bedroom. She dropped her head back on her pillow and furrowed her brow sadly, releasing a soft sigh. She knew she should've forgiven him, but how did she know he wouldn't ever do it again when times got tough?

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:00 PM

Cuddy stepped outside onto the deck, followed directly by Bella. House was sitting at the table waiting for them to arrive so they could eat a late dinner. Bella had stayed in her room after talking with House and Cuddy had been disappointed but not surprised to learn that Bella hadn't forgiven House for leaving. He had insisted that it was ok, but she could tell that it hurt him. She wanted to be able to make everything ok but she couldn't blame Bella for being upset. Bella would have to forgive House on her own; it wasn't something she could force her to do. Meanwhile, she'd have to do what she could to keep the peace.

They sat down at the table and had a very quiet dinner with the exception of Cuddy's questions to House about his patient. Bella didn't say a word unless she was asked a direct question. House didn't try to force her to talk to him, probably wanting her make the decision to talk to him if she wanted to. Cuddy knew this wouldn't be easy, but she was grateful that it had turned out this way instead of the alternative. She and Bella could've been having a very different end to this day if House hadn't decided to come back to them. For a while there, she thought they _would_ be having dinner without House present in their lives for a long time.

Cuddy had been a nervous wreck all day today and when six o'clock came around and House hadn't shown up, she was devastated. She had gone into her room and cried, having felt sure that he would be coming back home. The disappointment had ripped her heart in half and she couldn't stand the thought of having to face Bella and tell her about the adoption and then that her father wasn't going to be a part of it. But that was what she had done. Needless to say, it was a total shock when House showed up at the back door 45 minutes late.

As they ate in silence, Cuddy glanced at Bella's plate, seeing that it had barely been touched. She quietly cleared her throat. "Bella, you need to eat, sweetheart. Stop playing with your food."

"I'm finished, can I go to my room?"

"No. You need to eat at least half of what's on your plate."

"I'm not hungry." She mumbled.

"Please eat something." She asked, gently laying her hand on Bella's forearm, causing her to look up and notice the seriousness in Cuddy's expression.

Bella sighed and begrudgingly started eating. She propped her head in her hand and took small bites of her food.

Cuddy shifted her eyes to House, who had been watching the exchange between them. They exchanged an awkward glance before he looked away and finished eating. After a few minutes, he slowly stood up and grabbed his plate in one hand and his cane in the other.

"I'm going to go shower. Dinner was great, Cuddy." He told her softly before making his way into the house.

Cuddy watched him go, feeling sadness for him as he walked away from them to enter the house. She shifted her gaze to Bella as she quietly ate her food, before continuing with her own dinner a moment later. Bella raised her eyes to Cuddy.

"Are you mad cuz I didn't forgive him?" She asked in a small voice.

"No, baby, I'm not mad. You have a right to be upset and I can't tell you what to feel. But…will you at least try to forgive him? Give him a second chance?"

Bella stared at her for a moment before she lowered her eyes to the fork in her hand and nodded her head in agreement of her request. "I'll try." She uttered softly.

"Thank you." She whispered, gently laying her hand on Bella's arm and stroking it softly with her thumb.

After they finished eating, Cuddy sent Bella off to take a quick shower before bed as she stayed in the kitchen to clean up after dinner. She was putting the last dish in the dishwasher when she noticed House enter the kitchen wearing his pajama pants and t-shirt. She smiled at him as they both settled against the counter opposite each other.

"Hey. Feel better after your shower?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

Cuddy looked at him sympathetically. "Give her time, House. She'll come around."

"I know." He replied with a bit of confidence.

She smiled again as they looked at one another. "I'm glad you're home." She told him.

"So you said." He responded, the corner of his lip turning up. After a moment he lifted his arm out to her, wanting her to take his hand.

She took it and he gently pulled her into a hug, placing a kiss on top her head as she wound her arms around his waist, her hands rubbing his back. Cuddy placed a kiss on his chest before resting her head against him and taking in the fresh scent of the soap he had used.

"You smell good." She commented.

"Are you making fun of me?" He asked.

She looked up with a scowl. "Why would I make fun of you about that?"

"Because I had to use your fancy, girly bodywash since I ran out of my manly soap. Now I smell all fruity, like you." He responded with a roll of his eyes.

She chuckled. "I thought you liked my girly smell?"

"On you, not me."

She held her smile for a moment, before she leaned in and gave him an over exaggerated sniff on his neck. "Hm, you're right, you do smell girly."

House moved his hand from around her and pinched her ass. "Keep it up. I'll toss out your girly soap and replace it with my manly soap, then we'll see who's laughin'."

She laughed and shook her head at him. It was indeed good to have him back. "You're Mom called the other day." She stated, changing the subject.

House nodded. "Yeah, I know, she called me first. I'm assuming you didn't mention our little predicament since I didn't get a million calls or voicemails from her wanting to chew me out for being an idiot."

"I didn't. But I could tell she knew something was wrong." Cuddy told him with a shrug of her shoulders. "I just didn't want to get into it, especially with Bella listening."

He nodded in understanding. "I guess I should say thanks."

"It wasn't my place to tell her, House. That was all on you."

House rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

She smiled and leaned in to place a kiss on his lips before laying her head down on his chest once more. They held each other in comfortable silence for a several minutes until Cuddy tilted her head again to look up at him.

"House, do you really want Bella to have your name?"

House shifted his eyes to meet hers. "She doesn't want my stupid name." He snarked, referring to what Bella had said earlier.

"Come on, be serious."

He took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I mean, sure, it'd be nice." He answered, lifting his hand to gently stroke her cheek with his finger before moving her hair behind her ear. "But she's our kid, she should have both our names."

"So…what are you suggesting, we hyphenate?" She asked with a cringe, not liking that idea.

House cringed as well. "No way is my kid gonna have a hyphenated name. It's confusing, and she'd probably end up dropping the second name anyway because it's more convenient because who wants to write that down all the time? And then, one of us would be screwed cuz she wouldn't have both our names anymore." He replied, rolling his eyes.

"You'd be screwed, because _my_ name would be first." Cuddy told him, a teasing glint in her eye.

"Pfft. House is a much awesomer name than Cuddy. You'd be second, there's no debate about that."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I guess it doesn't really matter because she'll drop her name when she gets married anyway."

"She's not getting married. She's not even dating…ever."

Cuddy laughed at him. "Right. You are in for some very bitter disappointments in a few years, House."

He rolled his eyes. "Ne-ver." He reiterated.

Cuddy shook her head, amusement still in her eyes. She was secretly happy that he was this protective over Bella. He truly loved her and she was happy he was talking about committing the rest of his life to being there for her. After a moment she laid her head back on his chest and tightened her hold around his waist. Silence filled the room once more for several minutes, until she heard House speak again.

"Maybe you should both have my name." He uttered in an almost inaudible whisper, as if he were talking to himself.

Cuddy froze, her eyes snapping open after having closed them as she enjoyed just being close to him again. She wasn't even sure she heard him correctly, or that he had even meant to say that out loud. Cuddy slowly lifted her head to look up at him, hoping to read on his face if he had truly said what she thought he'd said. They stared at one another, her eyes still wide in shock. It seemed he wasn't going to repeat himself so it was up to her to question him.

"What did you say?" She asked in a whisper.

"You heard me." He told her, his own voice remaining a soft whisper.

Her jaw dropped to the floor and she blinked multiple times in disbelief and complete shock. When she thought her voice might be working again, she tried it out. "House, did…did you just propose to me?" She stuttered, taking a small step back from him, causing his hands to slip to her waist.

His eyes never left hers and she could see them sparkle with a bit of amusement at her reaction. She watched him swallow deeply, his Adam's apple bobbing as he did. "I'm proposing that I propose to you in the future." He explained. "Cuddy…being away from you and Bella isn't something I want to have happen again. Today I was ready to walk away for good. I had convinced myself that you'd be better off without me. But you know me…I'm nothing if not a selfish bastard, and I didn't _want_ to walk away. I want you…and I want that kid." He said, nodding his head in the general direction of Bella's room. "Even if it makes us all miserable." He added, with a slight tug of amusement in his tone.

She furrowed her brow, sliding her hands over his arms to his biceps and gently stroking them for a moment. She took in what he'd confessed just now and knew that it was hard for him to say. She really wanted to say yes, but she didn't want him to propose because it was convenient.

"House, we can't get married just so Bella will have your last name. I don't want a marriage of convenience. I know you love me and I know you love Bella, but you don't even believe in marriage. Why would you-"

"I believe in it when it's right." He stated.

"What does that mean?" She asked, confused with his reasoning. "Why is now right?"

"I'm not saying we get married _right now_, Cuddy…I'm not even sure if either of us is ready for that; I don't know. All I know is that in the last week I have been more miserable than I've ever been; and that's saying a lot. I don't want that again. I know marriage doesn't guarantee anything, but we're practically married already anyway…why not, make it official?"

She looked at him as if he were a crazy person. "Who _are_ you?"

House rolled his eyes and huffed in frustration. "Fine, forget I mentioned it. The kid can have your name." He told her, dropping his hands and moving away from her as he tried to walk out of the room.

"House, wait. I'm sorry." She said, grabbing onto his arm before he could leave. Cuddy stepped in front of him, with her hands on his chest, stopping him from going anywhere. "I'm sorry." She repeated, looking into his eyes. "I'm not rejecting the idea, I just…you have to admit that was really weird coming from you."

He shrugged and arched his eyebrow as he nodded in agreement.

She sighed. "House, is Bella the only reason you want us to get married?"

He stood there in silence for a moment, contemplating her question. He was quiet for so long that Cuddy didn't know if he was going to answer. She smoothed her hands over his chest until they cupped his face, hoping to reassure him in any way he needed. She didn't want him feeling bad for asking her to marry him, she just wanted him to be honest with himself about the reasons he was doing it. They couldn't start a married life together unless it was because they loved each other. She didn't question that they loved each other, but were they ready to take the leap into marriage?

"Cuddy…." He began in a soft voice, moving his hands up to hers and removing them from his face. He held her hands tightly in his as he tried to get out what he needed to say. "I don't know. I just want it to work this time. I want _us_ to work and I want Bella to be happy with this arrangement…this family."

"She is, House. And I'm not saying no to your proposal, but I need you to be honest with yourself about why you asked me, because I don't want to it to be 5 or 10 years down the road and you resent me because you asked me to marry you because it was convenient at the time. If this is just about her name, then we'll figure something out. But if you're asking me because you love me and you want to spend the rest of your life with me, then…I say yes to your proposal to propose to me." She finished with an amused glint in her eyes and smile curving her lips.

A small smile spread over House's face as well as he nodded in understanding. House squeezed her hands before pulling her into a hug. She felt his breath on her neck as he breathed her in. Cuddy held him and turned her head to place a kiss on his neck. After a moment he moved his head to whisper into her ear. "I love you. May I propose marriage to you someday?"

Cuddy smiled at the way he phrased his question; he had pretty much done what he was asking permission to do, but she nodded her head in answer anyway. "Yes."

She felt him smile against her ear as he continued to speak softly to her. "You better be ready, you never know when I might pop the question…and I'll be armed with a ring next time."

Her smile grew, the thought of House proposing to her causing butterflies in her stomach.

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9:45 PM

Bella was sitting in the living room flipping channels on the TV when she heard footsteps in the foyer and saw a tall figure appear in the doorway of the room. She shifted her eyes away from him, not wanting to acknowledge him any more than she had.

"Hey, peanut. Isn't it past your bedtime?"

She wanted to ignore him but she remembered what she had promised Mom earlier, so shrugged in answer to his question. He walked into the room and sat down on the coffee table across from her. Bella kept her eyes on the television.

"You mind if I ask for a timetable?" He said.

Bella frowned, confused by what he meant.

"You know, the length of time it's going to take 'til you to stop being mad at me. I'd like to know, that way I could plan accordingly. Throw a party or whatnot." He explained.

Bella shifted her eyes to him, a glare appearing on her face. "Why should I give _you_ one? You didn't give me a timetable for how long you were going to stick around." She told him snidely before slamming the remote down on the couch and making her way out of the room.

Bella stomped to her bedroom and closed the door, climbing into bed and switching her lamp off, bathing the room in darkness. She rolled onto her side, away from the door, and closed her eyes. After several minutes passed, she felt her eyes stinging from the tears that were beginning to collect and pour down her face. She was so mad at him. And she didn't trust that he was going to stay any longer than he had before. She didn't trust that he wasn't going to decide he'd had enough of them again and walk out like he'd done the other day.

Bella sniffed and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. It was then that she heard the door to her bedroom open. "Go away. I don't want to talk to you." She ground out, her tone low and dangerous.

"Bella." She heard Mom's voice utter softly.

Bella turned her head and saw Mom close the door and walk over to the bed, sitting down next to her. Her tone had immediately calmed Bella's anger as she turned her body to face Mom. Upon seeing the sympathetic look on Mom's face, more tears began spilling down her cheeks. Bella sat up and crawled onto Mom's lap, needing to feel her comforting arms around her.

"Shh. It's going to be ok, baby." Mom reassured her as she held Bella in her arms and kissed her tears away.

Bella snuggled closer to her, laying her head down on Mom's shoulder as she cradled her and rested her head on top of Bella's. Her response was to sniffle quietly as she tried to stop crying. Mom didn't speak after that and Bella was glad because there wasn't much she could say that would make it better right now.

Mom held Bella in her arms, slowly rocking her from side to side, for several minutes. Bella had stopped crying and she reached up to fiddle with the necklace she had given Mom for Mother's Day. Mom wore it almost every day and Bella could tell she loved it. Bella frowned as she ran her finger gently over the charm.

"I used some of that money to buy you this." Bella confessed quietly.

Mom shifted her head a little and Bella looked up at her. Mom smiled and moved her hand on top of Bella's on the necklace. "And it's one of the most precious things you've ever given me."

"You ain't mad I did that?"

"No." She replied with a loving smile on her face.

"You knew I did, didn't you?" She asked knowingly.

"I put two and two together."

"And you really ain't mad?"

"I'm really not mad."

Bella nodded and put her head back on Mom's shoulder. A couple of minutes of silence passed between them, when Bella turned her head up once more. "Mom, how come you forgave Dad so easy?"

Seemingly surprised by her question, Mom looked down at her with a furrow in her brow. She sighed softly. "Because I saw the big picture." She answered.

Bella frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When Janine called me and told me about the adoption, the reason for that argument between your Dad and me was no longer important. What was important was your happiness and we needed to work together in order for you to have that back. We couldn't do that with that argument hanging over our heads. It was a stupid fight and it shouldn't have happened." She explained. "And I forgave him because I love him and I wanted him to come home."

Bella shifted her eyes away from her in thought. She could understand what Mom meant, but she was still nervous that Dad could leave again at any moment. "Do you think he'll stay?" She mumbled.

"I'm not going to make promises, Bella. But yes, I do think he'll stay. He really loves you, you need to know that."

"I know, but I don't want to believe him if he's just going to leave the next time you and him fight."

"You don't trust him." She stated.

Bella shook her head and looked at Mom. "I trusted him before, but he broke it and now I'm afraid to again."

Mom nodded in understanding. "Give him time to earn your trust again, ok?"

Bella looked away again. "Everybody in my life left me except you. First my real Mom and Dad and then Mattie and then my other Dad."

"Your family didn't leave by choice, sweetie."

Bella shrugged. "I know, but it still didn't feel good to have nobody. And then when Dad left, it's like it happened again."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. This is partly my fault and I need to apologize to you because you were caught in the middle. I never intended for any of this to happen."

"I know."

"Forgive me?" Mom asked, looking down at Bella questioningly.

Bella met her eyes and nodded with a small smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Mom smiled and squeezed Bella tightly in her arms, placing a kiss on her forehead. "You know what? You need to get in bed, it is waaay past your bedtime." She told Bella.

"Awww, I don't want to go to bed and I don't want to go to school tomorrow." She complained.

"I know you don't, but your little body needs rest since you'll be working that big brain really hard tomorrow in school." Mom replied, playfully.

"I still don't want to go." Bella responded, crawling off of Mom's lap onto the bed.

"Too bad." Mom said, playfully tapping Bella on the butt as she crawled over the bed.

"Ow." She groused, rubbing her hand over her butt cheek, giving Mom an exaggerated pout of her lips.

Mom smiled and helped her pull the comforter back. Bella frowned and crawled under the covers, laying her head down on her pillow. Mom leaned over and gave her another kiss. "Goodnight, baby, sweet dreams."

"Night, Mommy."

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House must've fallen asleep sometime between when Cuddy went to talk to Bella and now, when she was crawling in bed after having done her nightly ritual, because he didn't remember any of it happening. He turned around to face her, seeing her pull the covers over her body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She told him softly.

"It's ok. C'mere." He told her, reaching for her and pulling her against his chest, spooning behind her.

"Is she ok?" He asked with concern.

"She's fine. She just needs time, that's all." Cuddy reassured him, stroking her hands over his arms that were encircling her. "Are _you_ ok?" She asked a moment later.

"I'm fine. I have to be, right? This was all my fault, and now I have to deal with it."

"I don't want you to just deal with it, House. If you need to talk, I'm here to listen. I want to help."

"I'm ok, Cuddy, I just want everything back to the way it was. But I know that'll take time, so all I can do is wait." He answered, nuzzling her hair before placing a whisper soft kiss on her neck.

"She's afraid you'll leave again."

"I know. I won't." He promised, kissing her shoulder.

"I know you won't. She just needs time to trust you again."

"I don't know what to do for that to happen, Cuddy. She won't even talk to me."

"You didn't talk to her either, House. She was trying to reach out to you but you wouldn't talk to her. She's hurt." Cuddy told him gently, turning her head slightly toward him.

House sighed, knowing that she was right. He had pretty much ignored everyone in his life the last several days. He felt guilty for doing that to his kid…what kind of father does that? 'His father,' he thought, answering his own question. 'But he would never become his father…ever.' He promised himself.

"I'm sorry, Cuddy, about everything. I shouldn't have left and now my kid hates me."

Cuddy turned around in his arms, looking at him lovingly as she wound her arms around his waist. "House, she doesn't hate you. If she hated you, she wouldn't be this upset. She's angry because she loves you and…you disappointed her."

"Thanks." He mumbled, not particularly needing to hear that from her right now. He already knew he disappointed her, it didn't need to be pointed out to him.

"I'm not trying to be mean, House, I'm just trying to explain why she's upset. All you can do is be there for her, let her know that you aren't going anywhere. Talk to her; she may ignore you, but you have to talk to her anyway. I promise you she'll come around."

House nodded his understanding. There was silence between them for a moment, when House's lip curved into a small smile and he gently ran his fingers over her spine. "When did you get to be so smart?"

She smiled at him and shrugged her shoulder. "At birth." She told him playfully.

House's hand skimmed down her back and landed on her ass. "Hmm, born with looks and brains." He commented, squeezing her ass. "And maybe a smidgen of arrogance." He added with sarcasm as he demonstrated a 'smidgen' with his thumb and forefinger, holding them about a centimeter apart as he teased her.

"Ha, you're one to talk." She replied sarcastically, moving her hand around him and smacking him on the ass.

"Owie…be gentle, my cheeks need tender, loving care. They're very sensitive." He snarked.

"You'd think they'd be calloused since you sit on your ass all day at work." Cuddy retorted with an eye roll.

"Nope, that's just part of the TLC process."

"Can we stop talking about your ass?"

"Should we talk about yours instead? Or even better, these babies?" He asked, moving his hands from her ass to her boobs, squeezing them gently. He smiled at the feel of them in his hands again. "I missed you two so much." He told her breasts.

Cuddy laughed at his immaturity. He looked up at her, his smile still in place.

"We should take this off, you're not going to need it." He told her, grabbing the hem of her nightgown and pulling it up over her head, tossing it aside.

He looked down at her with appreciation. Except for her panties she was completely naked now. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and he could never get enough of her. His eyes roamed her body, followed by his hands. He couldn't believe how soft her skin was. It was like he was feeling it for the first time…every time. His eyes finally met hers, seeing the small smile that was etched on her face. He smiled as well before he slowly leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft against his and he slowly pulled back, looking into her eyes. House brought his arm around her waist, his palm against her back, pulling her closer to him as he leaned over her.

"I missed you." He told her in a gentle whisper as she wound her arms around his shoulders.

"Me too." She responded. "I really thought you weren't coming back." She whispered sadly, a deep furrow in her brow.

"I'd never forgive myself if I didn't." He replied. "I couldn't risk never getting you back…never being a dad again."

Cuddy smiled at him tenderly, stroking his back a few times before she reached down and pulled his shirt up. House helped her remove it and tossed it aside where her nightgown had landed. He leaned over her once more and captured her mouth in a deep kiss. House felt her hands roam over his back as they kissed; gently caressing him with her fingers. His lips released hers and he kissed his way over her jaw and down her neck. Cuddy's hand came to rest on the back of his head as she sighed contentedly in his ear. She felt amazing in his arms and House couldn't believe what he'd almost lost today. What he had almost let himself lose. When he sat in that bar tonight, his untouched scotch in his hands, staring off in to space, the gravity of what he was doing began to weigh heavily on him that he nearly couldn't breathe. He was willing to let his pride and fear stop him from being happy, from loving the woman in his arms and the child in the other room. He knew the road he chose wouldn't be an easy one, but it would be one that would bring him something he never thought he'd have in his life. Happiness; the word was so foreign to him that he didn't think he could ever voice that that was the emotion he was feeling. He was used to his misery and contempt for life and those around him, living only for his medical puzzles. Now his life was different; he was a father and he had a woman he loved more than anything and who loved him back. He almost didn't recognize himself.


	58. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57**

7:48 AM – The Next Day

Cuddy walked into the kitchen, dressed for work, and running a bit behind schedule. She was surprised to see House standing at the stove flipping a pancake. She walked over to him as he saw her enter and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "Morning."

"Morning." He replied, kissing her again.

"What are you doing up already? It's early for you." She asked.

"Breakfast." He pointed to the stove with the spatula in his hand and a 'duh' expression on his face.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise before smiling her thanks and walking over to the coffee machine, pouring some in the cup House had set out for her. Cuddy held her smile, happily surprised that he was really trying to make this family work. She didn't expect it to always be like this, but she was glad to see he was trying. Being away for the last few days had changed something in him and she was glad to see he wanted to show that what they had been through was important enough for him to make that change.

"Bella up yet?" He asked.

"Yeah, she should be in here any minute."

"Think she'll let me take her to school?"

Cuddy shifted her eyes to him, shrugging. "I don't know, you could ask her though."

"It might be too soon. She's still pissed at me, she may not want me to." He said, having changed his mind.

"Well, I'm running a little late, so she may not have a choice. I have a meeting this morning. Besides, you can't walk on eggshells around her, House, she has to know that you're here to stay so you have to treat her like you normally do."

House nodded and handed her a plate of pancakes. "Here, you should take some time to eat breakfast before you go. I slaved over these, it's the least you could do." He told her, his lip curving into a smirk.

"Well, since you slaved, looks like I have no choice." She replied with a smirk of her own, taking the plate from him. They smelled delicious and she was actually excited to try them. She knew he could cook, but he never wanted to, so she was happy he had decided to do it this morning. She'd never tried his pancakes before. The last time he'd cooked was when he'd made lasagna for all of them and it had been the best lasagna she'd ever eaten. Cuddy knew his pancakes would be as well. "Thank you for making breakfast." She told him, taking her plate to the table and sitting down with her coffee cup in her hand.

"You're welcome. Don't get used to it."

Cuddy rolled her eyes as she drizzled syrup on the pancakes before taking a bite, savoring the taste. "Oh my god, House, these are amazing." She told him with her mouth full as the pancake practically melted in her mouth. "They're so fluffy. How do you make them so fluffy?"

"It's a Gregory House secret recipe, if I told you I'd have to kill you and…I _kinda_ like you a little so…." He teased.

"Mmm. These are so good." She replied, ignoring his response and taking another bite of her pancakes.

"Hey, try to keep the moaning down to a minimum, wouldn't want our kid to get the wrong idea." He snarked.

She stuck her tongue out at him before she resumed eating her breakfast.

House gave her a smile and placed two more pancakes onto a plate, just as Bella walked into the kitchen. Cuddy shifted her eyes to Bella when she came in, seeing her make her way to the table. House turned around, noticing her as well.

"Right on time. Want some pancakes, kiddo?"

Bella sat down, her eyes averted from House as she ignored his question. Cuddy swallowed her food and furrowed her brow at Bella before taking a quick glance at House. He shifted his eyes to Cuddy briefly before shrugging and looking away, no doubt feeling dejected. Cuddy turned her attention back to Bella.

"Bella, your Father just asked you a question."

Bella shifted her eyes to Cuddy. "I don't want pancakes. I want a Pop Tart." She responded, her eyes never venturing toward House.

"Dad took the time this morning to make pancakes for you, and they're amazing. Don't you want to at least try them?"

Bella shook her head. "I want a Pop Tart."

Cuddy expelled a frustrated sigh, knowing Bella was just being obstinate because she was upset with House. "Bella-"

"Cuddy." She heard House interrupt softly and she turned her head toward him. "It's not a big deal. If she wants Pop Tarts, let her have Pop Tarts. She doesn't have to eat what I made."

Cuddy noticed Bella quickly shift her eyes to House before she dropped her head and stood up to get her Pop Tarts. House turned toward the stove and switched off the eye. He picked up the plate he had made for Bella and took it to the table, deciding to eat them himself. Cuddy finished her pancakes in silence, wondering how long Bella was going to punish House. If it went on too much longer, she'd have to intervene. She couldn't let Bella push this too far, at some point, enough had to be enough. She sighed, deciding she'd have to try and deal with this later. She checked the time on her watch and noticed that she was going to be even later if she didn't leave now. Her meeting was at 8:30 and she had about 30 minutes to get to work and grab the files she needed. She stood up, taking her plate to the dishwasher and dumping the rest of her coffee in the sink and placing the cup in there as well.

"I have to go. Bella, Dad's driving you to school this morning because I have meeting I need to get to."

Bella looked up with her mouth ajar, ready to argue.

"I don't want to hear it." Cuddy told her, holding her hand up to stop her protests. "I'm already late, but I'll come pick you up this afternoon, ok?"

Bella groused and sat down heavily onto her chair, propping her head in her hand as she ate her pop tart. Cuddy sighed and glanced at House. He winked at her, letting her know with that small gesture that he was fine with Bella's attitude and that he could handle it. She nodded in understanding before shifting her eyes to Bella once more.

"Bella, listen to Mommy." She told her, seeing Bella look up from her position at the table. "I know you're upset with your Dad, but you are not to disrespect him, understand?"

"Cuddy, leave her alone. She's pissed at me, it's fine; I deserve it." House interjected with an eye roll.

"House, it's not ok for her to disrespect either of us. It doesn't matter that she's upset. She can be upset without being disrespectful."

"Really? They're _not_ mutually exclusive then?" He asked with a sarcastic tone, feigning confusion. "And to think, all these years, I've been upset and disrespectful because I thought I had to be both. My eyes are opened now to knew possibilities." He muttered dreamily.

"House." Cuddy said firmly, getting his attention. "Don't push her. I'd like the both of you to try and work this out between you but she doesn't need to be pushed." She told him. "You used to be friends, just remember that." She added, looking at both of them this time and hoping that their relationship would soon be back to normal. "Bella." She said softly, waiting for Bella to turn her attention to her once more. "Am I understood?"

"Yes." She answered softly, shifting her eyes to House before looking away once more.

"House?" She then asked, looking back at him to make sure that he was listening as well.

He gave her a short nod in understanding.

"Good." Cuddy replied, making her way to Bella and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Have a good day at school. I love you."

Bella nodded in answer.

Cuddy stepped over to where House was seated and placed a kiss on his lips. "I'll see you later. You have clinic today, I expect you to do it." She instructed.

"Yes, mommy." He answered sarcastically.

Cuddy turned and walked out of the kitchen, making her way to the front door. She grabbed her laptop and purse and quickly headed outside, sighing softly and hoping that she wouldn't have any fires to put out when she got home this evening. She wondered if she should've just called in saying she'd be a little late getting to the meeting. Maybe leaving them alone this soon after what happened was a mistake. She hadn't intended it to work out this way, but maybe it would turn out to be a good thing…she hoped.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Bella could sense his stare and she wished that he would stop it. She quietly sat there eating small bites of her Pop Tart with her head down. The longer she sat there, the more upset she got that he wouldn't stop staring. She finally looked up with a glare. "Will you stop staring at me?"

"Sure."

She glared and shifted her eyes away from him once more, concentrating on her breakfast.

"You think we could have a truce here? What do I have to do?" Dad asked suddenly, after several minutes of silence between them.

"I don't want a truce. I'm mad at you and you have to feel what I felt when you left."

"So this is payback? Who says I didn't feel what you felt? You think that was a picnic for me?"

"It's your own fault." She replied with a shrug. "You wanted to leave.

After a moment of thought, he replied softly. "You're right."

"You're supposed to love us but you don't." She said in a belligerent tone.

He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, I love you more than I can say, kid, so don't tell me what I do and don't feel. And I love your mother more than any other woman I've loved in my entire life. I don't blame you for being pissed at me, but you have to give me a chance to make it up to you." He argued, his eyes flashing with mild anger.

She didn't respond right away, shifting her eyes away from him once more. "I don't want to talk about this no more. I'm going to be late for school." She told him, dismissing what he'd said as she stood up and made her way out of the kitchen.

She went into her bedroom and grabbed her backpack before scratching Splat behind his ears and making her way to the front porch to wait for Dad. She didn't want to be upset with him, but she couldn't help it. He had left them because he wanted to and almost didn't come back. She felt abandoned by _him_, her Dad; he was supposed to be there for her and he wasn't. Her real Dad would've never done that to her. At least when her real Dad abandoned her it was because he was dead. She missed her real Dad and wished that he were with her now. She quickly wiped a small tear away from her eye as she heard Dad opening the front door behind her. Bella stood and made her way to the car, not speaking another word to him since she'd left him in the kitchen a few moments ago.

Several minutes later they pulled up in front of the school. She reached for the door handle but Dad stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

"Hey."

She looked over at him.

"You can't be mad at me forever." He stated softly.

Bella lowered her gaze briefly before looking into his eyes once more. "I know." She told him quietly, before getting out of the car and making her way into the school.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:15 AM

House arrived at the hospital at around the same time he normally did and he hoped there was a patient waiting for him to diagnose so he could keep his mind busy after the emotional weekend he'd just had. Actually the entire past week had been emotionally draining and he wanted to get back into the swing of things now that his life was somewhat back to normal. It was going to be hard to keep his mind off of Bella today, but he was tired of thinking about how he was going to make her love him again. He needed a patient to distract him.

As he walked through the doors of the lobby, he spotted Cuddy standing at the reception desk inside the clinic. He veered from his course and made his way over to her. House stepped through the doors and walked up behind her, pressing into her as he dropped his left hand on her waist and spoke with a low, deep growl into her ear.

"Hey hot mama, you want to make like a tree and get outta here? I know this great little place we could go and hide from the boss of this dump and make out like horny teenagers."

Cuddy turned her head to look up at him, a scowl of disapproval on her face. "Hmm, tempting. But I think the boss might have a problem with me making out with her boyfriend. I could get fired." She responded, leaning into his chest ever so slightly.

"She'd never find out. I'm very sneaky." He whispered conspiratorially, a smirk appearing on his face.

She grinned at him in return and turned around to face him. "How did it go this morning?" She asked, her playful tone turning into a more serious one as she changed the subject.

House's smirk fell from his face as he straightened his spine and sighed heavily, looking into her eyes. "It went fine. She's still pissed and that's not going to change anytime soon."

"How was she when you left her?"

"Still upset."

"House, you didn't provoke her did you?"

"No, Cuddy, I didn't provoke her. You think I want her to be mad at me?"

"Of course not, I just know how you can be. You like to push people, House, don't act like my question was unfounded."

"I didn't push her." He promised. "If anything, she pushed me."

She tilted her head questioningly. "What did she say?"

House shook his head. "Nothing…forget it. It is what it is right now, she has to deal with it in her own way and if pushing me into an argument is how she needs to do it, then…."

"I don't want a fight between you two, House."

"We were nowhere near a fight, relax. Just let it be, Cuddy."

Cuddy nodded, sighing softly as she accepted what he'd told her. "Have you talked to Wilson yet?" She said after a moment.

He shook his head. "Just walked in the door."

"He came looking for me this morning. He wanted to check in to make sure I was alright and if I'd heard from you. The last time I talked to him was-"

"When I didn't show up when I was supposed to." He finished for her.

"Yeah." She answered softly.

"I'll go up and see him. Wouldn't want him to come looking for me, ready to off his best friend for being a jackass."

Cuddy gave him a small smile and shifted closer to him. "Yeah, because then I'd have to hunt him down for offing my future fiancé." She whispered so no one around them could hear her.

House's lips curved into a small smile. "You better quit talking like that or I'll drag you into the boss's office and screw you senseless. Then we'd both get fired." He teased her.

Her smile grew as they looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, neither of them saying anything. The chemistry between them seemed to have gotten stronger since he'd proposed to her and they had spent several hours talking and making love last night due to those sparks between them. Their fight and separation from one another the past few days had strengthened their bond. But as amazing as last night had been and as close as they'd gotten through this whole ordeal, he would never want another fight like that to happen again. As he looked into her eyes now, House wanted to drag her into her office and do just what he'd said, but he knew she wouldn't allow it, so he dropped a kiss on her lips, gave her a wink and a smile and turned around to walk out of the clinic.

House made his way up to Wilson's office, a sly smile on his face the whole way there. He still couldn't believe he'd proposed to Cuddy…sort of. The elevator opened and he turned to his left, his eyes on his destination. House reached the door and turned the knob.

"I proposed to Cuddy." House declared, as he barged into Wilson's office and sat down on the couch against the far wall. Wilson looked up at him, dumbfounded.

"Well, technically, I proposed to propose to her." House amended. "I didn't actually…you know." He explained.

Wilson sat unmoving at his desk, staring into space.

House furrowed his brow at him. "Didn't you hear what I said? I figured you'd be dancing around here like a giddy little schoolgirl." He said, his frown deepening when he got no response. "I know it's shocking, but it's not like I'm asking _you_ to marry me."

House leaned forward, growing slightly annoyed by his best friend's silence. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Janine might be pregnant."

House raised his eyebrows in surprise, honestly not thinking that those were the words that would be coming out of Wilson's mouth right then. "Oh, well that's not surprising since you've been hiding your hot dog in her bun pretty frequently." House snarked. "But this is a good thing, right? Or maybe it's a bad thing. I need to know so I'll know best how to mock you."

"Janine might be pregnant." He stated once more, still in shock.

"Yes, I heard you the first time."

"She told me last night."

"And you're still like this?"

Wilson seemed to snap out of his state of shock as he shifted his eyes to House. "Wouldn't you be? Well, I mean, earlier I was…happy. Now, I'm…."

"Freaking out?" House offered.

"Yeah."

"Weelll, look at it this way, if she is pregnant then at least now you'll have a real reason to marry her instead of the reason you usually marry women. Let's be honest, you were headed there anyway; always looking for the next woman who's willing to become Mrs. Wilson."

Wilson shook his head. "I can't believe this. This is insane. I'm…I might be a dad soon." He choked out in disbelief, ignoring House's comment.

"Are you sure it's yours? I mean the woman is smokin', she could have-."

"Shut up, of course it's mine." He mumbled, interrupting what he was sure would be a lewd comment from his friend.

There was a moment of silence between them before House spoke up once more, a softer tone to his voice. "I know." He said as a grin appeared on his face. He wouldn't admit it to his friend, but he was actually happy for him. Wilson would be a great dad and if Janine was pregnant, Wilson's world was about to change drastically. House could testify to how life-changing being a dad was, now that he'd been given the chance to experience it. Now he just had to get his kid to love him again after screwing everything up last week.

Wilson glanced over at him, the shock and fear on his face morphing slightly into relief. Slowly, a smile made it's way onto his face as well.

"When do you find out?" House asked him.

"We're waiting for the test results. She did an HPT two days ago; which was positive, but she wanted to be sure so we came in early this morning to draw blood in the clinic."

House nodded in understanding. "Where is she?"

"She couldn't handle waiting around so she went into work for a few hours, I'm supposed to call her when they come in. I had them rushed so we should find out pretty soon."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither knowing what else to say. After another moment, Wilson furrowed his brow and looked up at House.

"Wait a minute, did you just say you proposed to Cuddy? I just talked to her this morning, she didn't say anything about it. Are you sure you did it right? I didn't see a ring."

House rolled his eyes in response.

"You _proposed_ marriage to her?" Wilson asked again, somewhat disbelievingly, wanting to confirm if he'd actually understood correctly.

"Nooo, I said I _proposed_ to propose to her." House corrected.

He shook his head, seemingly trying to figure out what that meant exactly. "What did she say?" Wilson asked.

"Duh, she said yes. Who _wouldn't_ want to get with this?" He answered smugly, pointing his thumb at himself.

Wilson's jaw dropped to the floor as he stared at House. "You're getting married?"

"Wilson, get the wax out of your ears. I said I haven't _officially_ proposed yet. No ring, no proposal."

Wilson rolled his eyes, looking at him dubiously. "Does _she_ know that? House, what exactly did you say?"

"Oh relax, she knows. We talked about it and everything. It's almost as if we're adults in a grown up relationship."

"Well that still remains to be seen." Wilson retorted. "Are you being serious?"

"As a heart attack. Ask Cuddy if you don't believe me."

Wilson narrowed his eyes, unsure whether he was being played or not. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Is it true?" Wilson asked into the phone after it was picked up on the other end.

House rolled his eyes, knowing he was now talking to Cuddy after dialing her extension. House couldn't hear her side of the conversation, but he could picture the look on her face. He was pretty sure she was smiling from ear to ear like she had last night and the memory made his lip quirk as he listened to Wilson talk to her over the phone.

"You two aren't screwing with me, are you?" Wilson asked Cuddy.

House smirked at him as he listened in. He couldn't blame Wilson for not believing him; he has been known to screw with his head on more than one occasion. It's one of the things he loved most about their friendship.

After a few minutes of talking to Cuddy and getting his answer, Wilson finally hung up the phone. He shifted his eyes to House and a slow smile formed on his face. "You're getting married. I never thought I'd see the day when Greg House would propose marriage to anyone."

"Thanks." House replied with a roll of his eyes.

"No, it's a good thing…a great thing! What made you do it?"

"What do you mean what made me do it? Why does any man propose marriage? No wait, don't answer that, look who I'm talking to." He replied sarcastically.

Wilson ignored his snark, a smile still on his face, as he stood up from his desk and made his way around to the couch. House looked at him suspiciously.

"You're not going to kiss me are you?"

"No, I'm going to congratulate my friend on his impending nuptials." Wilson answered, holding his hand out to shake House's.

House narrowed his eyes, but reached out nonetheless to shake his hand. "I haven't proposed yet." He reiterated.

"No, but you're going to. I'm proud of you, House."

His lip quirked in amusement as Wilson smiled at him. House gave him a quick nod in acknowledgement before standing up and making his way to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave now before you start planning the wedding." He said, opening the door and leaving his office with a smirk on his face.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

5:30 PM

Cuddy made her way down the 4th floor corridor to stop in at House's office before she left for the day to pick up Bella. He had gotten a patient this afternoon and needed to stay late. She was disappointed because she was hoping that he and Bella would be able to talk a little bit tonight to see if they could work this out between them. As his office came into view, she saw him standing at his desk, tossing his tennis ball up in the air with the hook end of his cane. Cuddy stepped through the door and he turned his head in her direction.

"Busy?"

"Never too busy for you, my little flower." He answered playfully, setting the tennis ball on his desk and turning to face her.

She furrowed her brow as her lip quirked in amusement. "Okaay. I'm leaving in a few minutes, do you know how long you'll be tonight?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

She nodded, moving to stand in front of him. "I was hoping you and Bella could talk tonight."

"I thought you didn't want me to push her?"

"I don't, but I think it would be good for you spend a little bit of time with her."

House nodded. "You know I want to, but if she's still pissed…"

"I know…she can be stubborn. Just like someone else I know." She said, raising her eyebrows.

"You? I know you mean you." He replied with a smile, placing his hands onto her waist

"Mmhm. And a certain tall, handsome doctor standing in front of me." Cuddy retorted, grabbing the lapels of his blazer and pulling him down for a quick kiss. "I'll try and talk to her." She added, after they separated.

Before he could reply, they both heard the office door open behind them. Cuddy turned her head to see Wilson pop his head in, with Janine standing behind him. She smiled and faced them, not surprised to see Janine there but glad she was since they hadn't talked in a few days.

"Hey, do you guys have a minute?" Wilson asked, grasping Janine's hand and leading her into the office.

"Yeah, of course." Cuddy replied, glancing up at House and noticing he had a knowing smirk on his face. She furrowed her brow but thought nothing of it as she turned her attention back to Wilson and Janine. "What's up?" She questioned curiously.

"Actually, Janine and I have some news we wanted to share with you guys." Wilson answered, shifting his eyes to Janine with a smile.

After a moment, Janine continued. "I'm pregnant." She told them, a smile coming to her face.

Cuddy's jaw dropped in total shock just before a smile appeared on her face. Her eyes shifted from Janine to Wilson, seeing their smiles grow. "Oh my god!" Cuddy exclaimed, moving to embrace Janine. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Janine responded happily, returning her embrace.

Cuddy released Janine and quickly moved to hug Wilson. "You're going to be a daddy." She said, feeling complete happiness for her friend.

"Yeah, I can't believe it." He chuckled in her embrace.

Cuddy leaned back, her smile growing wider, if that were possible. She saw House move to stand next to her, holding his hand out to Janine.

"Congratulations." He told her, a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you, Dr. House." Janine responded.

"Oh, drop the Doctor, we're practically family now." He replied dismissively with a teasing smirk.

Janine chuckled and nodded in acceptance. House shifted his eyes to Wilson and his smile grew. House held his hand out to Wilson as well. "Congratulations, Daddy-o." He told him as Wilson accepted his handshake and House drew him into a bro hug, clapping his left hand on Wilson's back.

"Thanks, House."

Once the congratulations were over, Cuddy shifted her eyes to Janine. "So, how far along are you?"

"I think about 4 weeks, but I have a doctor's appointment later this week to find out for sure."

Cuddy and Janine talked for a while about her pregnancy while House and Wilson had their own conversation. She was truly happy for Janine and Wilson and still quite shocked at the same time. Cuddy never really thought about Wilson as a dad but she knew he would be an incredible father. She sort of expected to feel jealous that Janine was having a baby, but in all honesty, she wasn't. Cuddy was happy with her life as it was now, with Bella and House, as well as the hope that some day they would have a baby to add to the family.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6:45 PM

"Bella, dinner's ready, sweetie!"

Bella looked up from her homework, having heard Mom call her to dinner. She set her pencil down and stood up, making her way to the dining room where she saw Mom setting a glass of juice on the table for her. Mom smiled when she saw her approach.

"Hungry?" She asked as Bella sat down at the table.

Bella nodded in response as Mom served her some spaghetti before serving herself. Bella began eating after thanking Mom. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Mom spoke.

"How was your day?"

Bella shrugged. "It was ok." She responded quietly.

"Did you have fun at Maya's?"

She nodded in answer and shoveled a forkful of spaghetti into her mouth. A few more minutes passed in silence as they each ate their food. Bella wondered where Dad was, but she didn't want to ask about him out of stubbornness.

"You're awfully quiet tonight…is there something on your mind you want to talk about?" Mom asked.

"No." She lied. Well it wasn't really a lie, she had something on her mind but she didn't want to talk about it.

"Ok." Mom replied, shifting her attention to her food.

More silence followed. Bella didn't know how long but she was almost finished eating when Mom initiated the conversation again. "Guess what?"

Bella glanced up questioningly. "What?"

"James is going to be a daddy." She told her with a smile.

Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise, an excited smile coming to her lips. "He is?"

"Mmhm. Janine is pregnant." Mom explained.

"Cool. Is he happy he's going to be a daddy?"

"Yeah, he looked really happy today."

Bella nodded. "James will be a great dad, don't you think, Mom?"

"I think so."

"Is it a girl or a boy?"

"It's too early to tell."

"Oh." Bella replied. "I hope it's a boy." She added.

"You do? How come?" Mom asked with a curious smile.

"I don't know, James just seems like he should have a boy baby."

Mom chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I guess I could see that."

"Mom?"

"Mhm?"

Bella suddenly thought twice about asking what she was going to ask and decided against it. "Um, nevermind."

Mom frowned at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I changed my mind."

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

Bella shrugged, not really knowing if she should ask this question or not.

"Come on, tell me." Mom urged her.

Bella sighed and averted her eyes, deciding she might as well ask, because she really wanted to know. "I was just wondering something."

"Ok. Go ahead, baby, you can ask me anything."

"Do you and Dad want to have your own baby?"

Mom furrowed her brow. "Honey, you are our baby."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. A real baby, like James and Janine are going to have."

Mom sighed. "I don't know, Bella. Maybe someday…it's too soon for us to be having other children. _You_ are our priority. We want you to be happy and to feel stable in your new life with us. Ok?"

Bella nodded. "But don't you _want_ to have other kids besides me? I ain't even a baby. Don't you want a baby? You wanted a baby before you met me, what about now?"

Mom tilted her head in wonder. "Sweetie, do you want us to have more kids?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I liked having a brother, even though sometimes he was a pain in the a…uh, butt." She corrected, upon seeing Mom's eyebrows shoot up, ready to scold her for swearing. "I think it might be pretty cool to have little brother…or sister." She continued.

Mom smiled at her. "Really?"

Bella smiled as well, nodding her head.

"Well, we'll see. Maybe someday, ok?"

Bella nodded once more. "Don't wait too long or you might get too old." She replied jokingly, a mischievous smile on her face.

Mom's jaw dropped then, not believing what she'd just said. She rolled her eyes, a slight smile appearing at the look on Bella's face. "I can't believe you just said that."

Bella chuckled at Mom's indignation, shoveling another bite of food in her mouth. She'd really like to have a brother or sister someday, because she was afraid she'd be too lonely without one. She didn't like being alone, she'd had enough of that to last her a lifetime after Mattie died. Mattie could never be replaced, but she felt happiest when she had a sibling to get into mischief with. When they were younger, she and Mattie used to drive Mom up the wall sometimes with the crazy stuff they did together. But once they grew up a little, they hadn't spent as much time together. Then Mom and Dad died and they had no choice. They only had each other and she really missed that.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Bella moved on from eating her spaghetti to the salad Mom had made. Her thoughts once again moved to her Dad and she still wanted to know where he was. "Mom, how come Dad ain't here?" Bella asked suddenly, deciding to ask the question she'd been too stubborn to ask earlier.

Mom shifted her eyes to Bella, her fork pausing in front of her mouth. "He got a patient this afternoon so he had to stay late." She explained gently.

Bella nodded.

"He's coming home, baby, he's not leaving us again. He just had to work." She softly reassured her, gently placing her hand on Bella's forearm.

Bella shifted her gaze away from Mom, down to her plate, feeling somewhat ashamed that she had known the reason Bella was asking and the fear she still had of him leaving them.

"Hey." Mom said, getting her attention by lifting Bella's chin with her finger to meet her eyes. "You believe me, don't you?"

Bella nodded in affirmation. "Yes." She whispered.

Mom gave her a small smile, stroking Bella's cheek comfortingly with her thumb. "Are you doing ok, Sweetie? Do you want talk about this?"

"No thanks."

"Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "No, not really."

"It'll get better, baby, I promise."

Bella simply nodded, knowing it was true but not feeling like it was right now. She couldn't help how she felt and she just needed time to deal with it in her own way.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:45 PM

House quietly stepped inside the front door, glad to finally be home after such a long day. His patient was stable but they had yet to figure out what was wrong with him. As he walked into the house, he noticed the living room light was on and took a quick peak inside, seeing that Cuddy was lying on the couch asleep, where she'd obviously been waiting up for him, a book propped open across her abdomen. He couldn't believe she didn't hear him come through the door; she must really be out of it.

House made his way into the room and quietly sat down on the coffee table in front of her, admiring her as she slept. His lip curved into a small smile as he observed her. She was so peaceful in her sleep and he loved the way her mouth curved into the tiniest of smiles. It was barely there but it was there. House reached toward her, gently brushing her hair away from her forehead and slid his thumb ever so slightly down the beautiful features of her face. She released a sigh and leaned into his hand but didn't awaken. His smile grew at her reaction to him and he decided he needed to see her eyes, her smile; that he couldn't wait another second to talk to her. House leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. She stirred and he heard her inhale, feeling the second she woke up as her lips returned his kiss. She brought her hand up to the side of his face as he increased the pressure of his lips on hers and slightly parted them, wanting to feel more of her. She hummed softly against him as she responded to his kisses. House pulled back and allowed himself to look into her eyes, noticing the smile that appeared on her face.

"Mmmm, you really know how to wake a girl up." She whispered groggily, their faces only inches apart.

House smiled at her and leaned into her once more, placing another kiss to her lips. "Couldn't help it, you looked extremely kissable just now."

Cuddy smiled against his lips, drawing a smile from him as well. He leaned back a little so he could look into her eyes once more. "You waiting up for me?"

"Yeah." She stated softly, her fingers caressing his jaw.

Her answer brought another smile to his face, the thought of her waiting for him warming his heart in ways he wouldn't have ever expected.

"You look exhausted." She noted. "How's your patient doing?"

"Stable."

Cuddy nodded in response. "Have you eaten?"

"No."

"All day, House?" She asked with concern.

"Not since lunch." He replied, sighing with exhaustion.

Cuddy sat up on the couch, setting her book aside and taking his hand. "Come on, I'll heat up some dinner for you while you take a shower."

House stood, nodding in agreement as he felt his stomach rumble at the idea of food. They went their separate ways as he walked to the bathroom and she went to the kitchen. As House passed Bella's bedroom, he remembered something he had meant to give to her. He had to admit that he was having a hard time handling Bella being upset with him but he had to keep reminding himself that he'd made his bed and now he had to lie in it. There wasn't much he could do. But today he'd thought of a way to hopefully make her realize how much he did love her and that he was never leaving again. He just hoped it would work. It was just a small gesture but he hoped the effort would pay off. He decided he would leave it for her to find in the morning, hoping it would bring a smile to her face.

House quickly got undressed and stepped into the shower, the hot water relaxing the tightness in his shoulders and neck. He closed his eyes and let the warmth soak into his skin and ease the pain in his muscles. He massaged his leg for a while, hoping to assuage the throbbing pain he felt there, but knowing it would never go away completely. A few minutes later, after washing up, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He quickly dressed and made his way to the kitchen where he saw Cuddy standing at the island preparing a salad for him. She smiled as he walked in.

"You didn't have to do that, Cuddy." He told her.

"I wanted to. You haven't eaten in hours, you need this."

He nodded gratefully. "Thank you." He replied softly.

She smiled and continued preparing the salad while the leftover spaghetti was heating up in the microwave. He watched her in silence for a few moments before he spoke. "How's Bella?"

Cuddy looked up at him before quietly answering. "She's ok. I don't think she had a very good day. I think she wants to forgive you but she can't. She's struggling with what to do."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "I was hoping to be home before she went to bed." He stated in response.

"I'm sorry." She replied sympathetically.

Before he could respond the microwave beeped, announcing that his food was ready. He stepped over and took the plate out, setting it down on the counter before grabbing some utensils from the drawer and making his way to the table just before Cuddy set the salad next to him. She retrieved the dressing from the fridge along with a glass of iced tea. House ate his food in silence as Cuddy watched, her head propped up in her hand. His eyes shifted to hers and he looked at her questioningly. "You're just going to watch me eat?"

"Yes."

"Making sure I clean my plate like a good little boy?"

"Well I know what a bad boy you can be so…."

"Are you flirting with me?" He teased.

Cuddy grinned at him playfully and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."

He smiled in response to her playfulness. He had been doing that a lot since last night; smiling. House couldn't think of any time in his entire life when he'd smiled this much. It was kind of weird, he thought. He felt like an idiot. But he also found he liked it.

"So…" House began, wanting to change the subject to what had happened earlier in his office with Wilson and Janine.

"So…" She replied.

"Wilson's going to be a dad." He said.

"Yeah." Cuddy replied, smiling. "He looked so happy today, didn't he?"

House nodded. "Did that bring up any….desires?" He asked, tentatively, trying to gauge her reaction to how she had felt about the news today and if she had been thinking more about the fact that she had always wanted a baby.

"House, we've been over this. I still feel the same as I did when we talked the last time. Yes, I would love to have a baby some day, but not now." She answered, placing her hand on top of his.

"You sure? I know how much you've always-"

"I'm sure, House. You'll be the first to know when I'm ready to move in that direction."

"Well, I hope so, since I expect it to be half mine and not half someone else's." He replied sarcastically.

Cuddy smiled. "Wow, your attitude has changed since our last conversation about this. You seem a little more relaxed about the idea of someday becoming a father again."

"Don't read too much into it, the thought still freaks me out. But if you're going to have another kid, it's going to be mine."

"I couldn't agree more." Cuddy replied around a laugh. "Although, according to Bella it should happen soon before I get too old." She added with a chuckle.

House smirked at that and opened his mouth to retort.

"Don't….say it." She interrupted, pointing her finger at him before he could get his insult out.

He closed his mouth but kept his smirk. After a moment it fell and he lowered his gaze to his food.

"Well, before anything can happen with that I have to get the kid we have now to forgive me for screwing up her life."

"House, you didn't screw up her life."

"I didn't make it any easier for her either."

"_Give her time_." She stressed. "It's only been a day, she'll start to come around."

House sighed, knowing she was right. He just needed to stop being impatient and let Bella deal with this the way she needed to, even if it was frustrating for him.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

7:30 AM – Tuesday – The Next Day

Bella stumbled into the bathroom, still half asleep after Mom had come into her room to wake her this morning. It had taken her 20 minutes just to get out of bed with Mom pestering her every five minutes to make sure she was getting up. Bella hated mornings and she wished she could just sleep in like she did on the weekends. She rubbed her eyes and quickly did her business before shuffling over to the sink to wash her hands and splash water on her face. It wasn't until she reached for the towel on the hook beside the sink to dry her hands, that she noticed a single yellow rose lying on the counter. She frowned in confusion, wondering where it had come from. There were no thorns on it but she carefully picked it up, sniffing it and noting its fragrance.

Bella turned around with the flower in her hand and peeked out the door of the bathroom, her brow furrowed, as she searched the hallway. She decided to find Mom and ask her where it had come from. Bella found her in the kitchen.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, sweetheart." She answered, her back to the door as she poured a cup of coffee.

"Did you give me this?" Bella asked, holding the rose out for her mother to see.

Mom turned around, a frown appearing on her face at the sight of what she was holding. "No. Where did you get that?"

"I found it on the sink in my bathroom."

"No note?"

Bella shook her head. "No."

A smile came to Mom's face at her answer. "I bet I know who it's from."

"Dad?"

Mom nodded her head. "That was sweet of him." She commented with a smile on her face.

Bella thought about it, unsure of his motivation for giving it to her. "Why did he give me a rose?" She asked in confusion.

Mom shrugged. "Maybe because he loves you and he wanted to show you that he does. Yellow means friendship, did you know that?"

Bella shook her head.

"Maybe he just wanted to remind you that before he was your Dad, he was your friend first. And he still wants to be."

Bella furrowed her brow, thinking about that for a moment. She had to admit that it was nice of Dad to give her a rose. And the meaning behind it was even better. After a moment, she allowed a small smile to come to her face as she looked up at Mom once more. "I never got a rose from nobody before."

Mom smiled as well. "It feels kind of nice, doesn't it?"

Bella nodded.

"Listen, I know things are a little weird between the two of you right now, but I think your Dad is really trying to show you that he's sorry for the mistake he made, ok? He really wants to make it up to you. Do you think you could give him a second chance?"

Bella sighed as a frown replaced the smile she had on her face. "Just because he gave me a rose don't mean he's gonna stick around forever."

"You're right, Bella, it doesn't mean that." Mom replied softly, before taking a step closer to her and lifting her chin to meet her eyes. "Just think about it, ok? And I think you should probably thank him for leaving you such a beautiful gift."

Bella met Mom's eyes, sighing softly before glancing at her rose once more. Finally, she nodded in response. "Ok."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

4:00 PM – Thursday

Bella was sitting in Dr. Sloane's office, on the couch where she always sat, with her hands in her lap and fingers clasped in front of her. Her head was bowed, looking at her hands as she kept her eyes from shifting upward to glance at Dr. Sloane. They had just begun her session and Dr. Sloane had just asked how she was doing since the last time they talked. Bella hadn't responded yet, still thinking of how to answer that question.

"Ok, I guess." She finally responded, deciding to keep it simple.

"Things weren't so good at home last week. Has anything changed?"

Bella nodded, glancing up at Dr. Sloane finally. "Yes. Dad is back home and they're back together."

"You don't seem too happy about that."

Bella simply shrugged her shoulders in response

"I take it you're upset with one or both of your parents…which one?"

"Dad."

"Do you want to talk about why?"

Bella sighed before launching into the story of what had happened last week and the weekend and why she was now upset with her Dad when previously she'd been upset with her Mom. She explained that after she and Mom had talked, that everything was better between them and went on to reveal that Bella was going to officially be Mom's daughter since the adoption went through and that Mom had told her that Dad didn't want to be her dad anymore and that he was late when given another chance to be there for them. She added that he had been ignoring them all week until he decided to show up on Sunday. Bella took in a deep breath after the long string of explanation she'd given had come to an end. Dr. Sloane had listened intently as she spoke, her head slightly tilted to the side.

There was silence for a moment. Bella waited patiently for Dr. Sloane to comment, wondering what she would say.

"Well, you've had a busy week." She finally replied, a smile gracing her face.

Seeing her smile, Bella allowed a half smile to appear on her face. She nodded as a chuckle escaped her lips, glad for the lighthearted comment to break up the tension she felt within her.

"Let me ask you this…how is your Dad treating you since he's been back?"

Bella shrugged. "Like normal, I guess. Except he don't tease me as much."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's afraid I'll get mad or something."

"Would you?"

"Probably." She admitted.

"Has he asked for forgiveness?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah."

"Ok, how did he ask? Did he ask you with words, did he show you…?"

"Both I guess." Bella answered. "He gave me roses." She added.

Dr. Sloane smiled. "That was sweet of him. How did it make you feel to get roses from your Dad?"

"Good I guess. First he gave me one rose, and then he gave me two more the next day, and then he gave me three more today."

"It sounds to me like he's trying to tell you something."

"Yeah."

"Bella, can you tell me what has upset you the most in all of this? I understand that he left you and your Mom, and that was the wrong way to handle the situation, so I'd like you tell me why you are mad at your Dad so I can try and help you through this ok?"

"He lied to me. He promised he'd by my Daddy and then when something goes bad, he just leaves us. Then he just ignored us like we didn't even exist. My real Daddy woulda never done that…never. He made Mom cry when he didn't show up at first and he made me think he didn't want me and I didn't know why. And now he comes back and wants everything to be ok but it ain't."

Dr. Sloane nodded in understanding. "Have you told him this?"

"Yes. Some of it."

"What was his response?"

"He said he was sorry again and that I was right and that I _should_ be pissed at him."

"I see." Dr. Sloane replied. "It sounds to me like he knows he made a mistake…a big one. And from what you've told me about the flowers as well as what he's said to you, I think you're wrong when you say he expects everything to be ok now. I believe he's trying to give you the time you need to sort through your feelings toward him. He knows you're upset and he even _wants_ you to be upset. I think he feels he deserves your anger as much as you do. Do you think that's fair to say?"

"Maybe. But what if I believe in him again and he decides to leave again?"

Dr. Sloane nodded her head, seemingly thinking about how to respond. "That's a fair question and I think you're right to ask it. He hurt you badly when he left and he took the trust you had in him away. I believe you love him very much and that's why this hurt so badly. But part of loving someone is having the grace to forgive them when they mess up. Your Daddy appears to be truly remorseful for his mistakes and he's probably beating himself up more for what he's done than you think he is. I think the flowers are his way of showing you how much he's sorry and how much he wants you to forgive him. He's doing something nice for you…he wants you to be happy." Dr. Sloane explained. "Now, I'm not trying to convince you to forgive your Dad, only you can decide that. I just want to point things out from his perspective the way _I_ see it. It's up to you to talk to him to see how he really feels about this, ok?"

Bella nodded after listening intently. She needed to hear what Dr. Sloane was telling her so that she'd have an impartial opinion. She lowered her gaze from Dr. Sloane to her hands resting in her lap as she thought about it. Dad had been more careful with her feelings than he normally is. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of weird and she didn't want him to treat her like that anymore. She wanted things to be better between them so he'd treat her the way he always did; joking around with her and making her laugh. She missed him. But she was afraid of taking the leap of faith she needed to take to trust him again.

"I…I want to forgive him, but I'm scared to." Bella told Dr. Sloane, glancing up at her.

Dr. Sloane nodded in understanding. "I know. Maybe you should start off slow. Have you thanked him for the roses?"

Bella shook her head. "Mom said I should but I didn't yet."

"Ok…why don't you start there? Thank him for his thoughtfulness and tell him that you appreciated it. Tell him they were beautiful." She replied with a smile.

Bella's lip curved into a smile as well, nodding, deciding she could do that. "I never got flowers before." She commented.

"Well, I think that makes them even more special, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright, you can tell me about that next week ok?"

"Ok."

"One more thing before our time is up." Dr. Sloane stated. "Have you had any nightmares from this ordeal? How have you been doing with those?" She asked softly.

"I didn't have any nightmares about Dad."

"What about Mattie?"

Bella nodded, a frown appearing on her forehead. "Not every night like I used to, but I still do." She responded.

Dr. Sloane nodded in response. "Do you talk about him with anyone? Your parents, friends?"

"Not for awhile. Mom doesn't know I have 'em still cuz I don't wake up screaming, I just wake up and I'm all sweaty and my heart beats real fast."

"I think you need to tell her. Don't keep this a secret, ok?"

"Ok."

"Have you visited his grave like you did with your parents?"

"No…he don't have one."

"He's most likely buried in a public cemetery. Maybe your parents can help you find out where. I think visiting him will help, ok? Have you visited your parents lately?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know…we been busy I guess." Bella replied, with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Would you like to go see them?"

"Yeah, I guess. Mom said I could go anytime I wanted."

Dr. Sloane nodded. "Good. I think it's important for you to go when you feel you need to."

"Maybe I'll go soon." Bella replied.

Dr. Sloane smiled with a slight nod of her head before she looked at the time on the wall clock. "Well, it looks like our time is up. You did well today. Talk to your Dad and thank him for the roses. It'll be your first step toward forgiving him. And I think we need to talk a little more about Mattie sometime. It seems your nightmares are less frequent and less frightening, but I still think we need to talk, ok? It doesn't have to be about what happened to him, it can be anything."

Bella nodded, standing up and making her way to the door. Her hand was on the doorknob when she heard Dr. Sloane's voice.

"Bella." She called out softly.

Bella turned around to see a smile on Dr. Sloane's face.

"Congratulations on your adoption."

Bella smiled happily in response. "Thanks, Dr. Sloane." She answered.

"I'll see you next week."

Bella nodded and stepped out of the room, feeling encouraged about what she was going through with Dad. She would take a small step like Dr. Sloane said and thank Dad for the flowers, hoping that she'd soon be on her way to believing in him again. She really wanted that trust back, but she had to take that first step.

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5:50 PM

"Bella, want to help me with dinner?" Cuddy called out as she walked out of her bedroom and through the house looking for her daughter. Cuddy peeked into Bella's bedroom, but didn't see her. She moved on to the living room where she heard cartoons playing on the television, but found the room empty. Cuddy furrowed her brow wondering where she could have gone. It was a hot, humid day outside and it had begun to rain as they made their way home from Bella's therapy session. Bella had been bummed about the rain because she had wanted to play outside and bounce on her trampoline since she had left school today with minimal homework. She had finished it at the hospital before they left for her appointment so now she had time to play before dinner. However, the rain had put a damper on that idea, so she decided to watch TV instead. Not finding her in the living room, Cuddy backtracked a little and made her way down the hall, thinking Bella might be in the bathroom, but she found the door open and no one inside.

"Where the hell did she go?" Cuddy mumbled to herself. "Bella!" She called out again, receiving no response.

Cuddy opened the door leading into the garage, but again found it empty. She was beginning to get worried when she passed by the kitchen and caught a glimpse of her daughter's head out the window just before it disappeared and reappeared again. Cuddy scowled in disbelief at what her daughter was doing and made her way through the kitchen to the backdoor. And there she was…bouncing on that damn trampoline in the rain. It was really coming down and Bella was soaked to the bone, wearing a smile on her face as she bounced as high as she could with her arms out to her sides and her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she tried to catch the rain. Cuddy sighed and rolled her eyes. "What the hell…?" She mumbled, just before she turned around and walked back to Bella's bathroom to grab a couple of towels and her bathrobe.

When she was standing in front of the backdoor once more, she opened it quickly and shouted loudly into the rain.

"Bella!"

Bella turned around on her next bounce but her foot slipped when she landed and she fell onto her side, bouncing once more and landing on her back. She sat up with a smile on her face, obviously having fun out there.

"Get inside now!" Cuddy shouted through the downpour.

Bella frowned and stood up, jumping off of the trampoline and landing in a puddle, the mud splashing onto her bare feet, legs and the shorts she was wearing. She ran up the stairs of the deck and met Cuddy at the door.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked with a frown.

"I was looking for you. Are you trying to get sick?" Cuddy questioned, gesturing for Bella to step inside so she could close the door.

"No. I thought it would be fun to bounce on the trampoline in the rain." She answered, her lip quivering as she began to shiver due to the change in temperature inside the house from the air conditioning.

Cuddy exhaled in frustration and threw a towel around her shivering child, noticing the puddle of water forming at her feet. "god." She swore under her breath. "Bella, you could get sick doing that. And please tell me you know better than to play outside in a thunderstorm?"

"It wasn't, it was just rain. And I was bored, I didn't want to watch anymore TV." Bella responded as Cuddy dried her off.

"And did you have to jump in the mud? Look at you, you're filthy."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Take off your wet clothes and dry off or you really will get sick." Cuddy told her, trying to be patient with her as she ran the towel through Bella's wet hair that was clinging to her face and neck.

Bella sighed and did as she was told. She reached for the hem of her wet shirt and brought it over her head, dropping it onto the floor. Cuddy looked up at her with a scowl on her face.

Bella noticed and furrowed her brow. "Well what am I supposed to do with it?"

"You could put it in the washing machine." Cuddy answered smartly.

Bella picked it up and moved toward the laundry room.

Cuddy stopped her with her hands on Bella's shoulders. "Uh Uh. Wipe the mud off your feet and legs before you do that or you'll track it through the house." Cuddy told her.

"Make up your mind, Mom, do you want me to get the wet clothes off or do you want me to clean my feet?" Bella asked, now becoming frustrated as well.

"I want you to clean off the mud before you take your wet clothes to the laundry room." She answered sharply.

"Well, what am I supposed to clean it off with, my tongue?" Bella smarted, throwing her arms up.

Cuddy released a low chuckle in her throat at Bella's words, a mental picture appearing in her head of her daughter cleaning herself off with her tongue like a cat. She took the paper towels from the counter and handed them over to Bella. "Here, use these, and don't discard them on the floor."

Bella grabbed them, bending at her waist as she began cleaning up the mess she had made of herself, her hair and shorts dripping water onto the floor where she stood. Cuddy watched with slight amusement but didn't let her daughter know, biting back the chuckle she wanted to release. She knew there was no harm in letting her play in the rain for a little while but if she'd stayed out there any longer she could've gotten sick.

When Bella finished, she tossed the towels in the garbage and removed her shorts before making her way to the laundry room off the kitchen. Cuddy moved to clean up the mess on the floor. She was on her hands and knees when she heard the front door close and footsteps walking through the house toward the kitchen.

"Honey, I'm hoooome!" House shouted just before he stepped into the kitchen. He released a wolf whistle at the site of Cuddy on all fours with her ass in the air. "Well, seems like I got here right on time." He leered.

Just then, Bella came out of the laundry room in just her panties startled when she saw House in the kitchen. House's eyes grew wide before he whipped around, averting his eyes from his daughter's near nakedness.

"Whoa! What's with the nudie show? Do I even want to know what I just stepped into here? You're not teaching our kid how to strip, are you, Cuddy?" House asked, his hand over his eyes even though he had his back to them and couldn't see anything anyway.

Cuddy stood up with a roll of her eyes. "House, shut up. Bella, put your robe on, sweetie, and go get in the shower."

Bella released a small giggle before she did as she was told. As she was putting on her robe, Cuddy threw away the paper towels she'd used to wipe up the mess on the floor and grabbed the wet towels she had dried Bella off with. "Our _daughter_ thought it would be fun to go play in the rain." Cuddy said in answer to House's question.

"Cool. Did you have fun?" House asked Bella, his eyes still covered.

"Yeah." Bella answered softly. Cuddy could tell she still didn't know how she wanted to treat House. But at least now she didn't seem as upset.

Cuddy rolled her eyes again at House's response. "House, she could get sick. And turn around, you look like an idiot."

"Well, how was I supposed to know the show was over?" He asked as he turned to face them and uncovered his eyes.

Cuddy caught a glimpse of laughter in Bella's eyes at House's question and general attitude toward the situation. It gave Cuddy a glimmer of hope that maybe she'd allow herself to forgive House. Cuddy's lip quirked at the thought of things going back to normal soon.

"Bella go take your shower, baby, then if you want you can help Mommy with dinner."

"K." Bella answered, making her way out of the kitchen, but not before seeing House throw her a wink and Bella's lip curve into the tiniest of smiles as she walked past him.

Cuddy's smile grew when she saw the same expression on House's face after Bella left the kitchen. "Looks like she might be coming around." Cuddy whispered as she walked over to him.

"Maybe." He replied, his head still turned in the direction of the door Bella had just exited. After another second, he turned his head back to Cuddy. "What the hell was all that anyway?"

"Nothing. I just found her outside bouncing on her trampoline in the rain."

House nodded in understanding, a slight smirk on his lips. "What can I say, my kid knows how to have fun." He replied.

Cuddy gave him a tender smile as she noticed the pride in his eyes. Shaking her head, she began gathering the ingredients she'd need to make dinner.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

6:55 PM

House sat at his piano playing a slow, soulful melody. He hadn't played in weeks and he'd missed it. A lot had happened in the last few days and he hadn't had the time or inclination to play because of everything he'd had on his mind as well as the fact that he hadn't been home several days last week. His mind had been on Bella since he'd come home and what he needed to do to get her to forgive him. He had made small gestures throughout the week to try and show her how much she meant to him but he wasn't sure it was working. She had avoided him whenever possible and only spoke to him when she had to. He wanted to confront her about it; that was what he would normally do. But this was too important. He couldn't risk upsetting her more by pushing her too hard before she was ready. However, today was the first day he had felt encouraged that they were making progress because of what happened in the kitchen earlier. Baby steps.

As he sat there playing, his eyes closed, feeling the music pouring out of him, he felt something bump against his arm. House opened his eyes, but continued playing, and he was surprised to see Bella standing beside the piano watching him, her hair still wet from her shower and smelling of strawberries. He stopped abruptly and focused on her as she stood there.

"Hey, peanut." He greeted her softly.

"Hey." She answered back, to his surprise. He had expected her not to greet him back.

"Want to sit down?" He asked, scooting over on the bench.

She didn't move, but she didn't verbally decline his invitation either. House figured she was unsure of what she wanted to do.

"That was pretty." She told him after a moment as she stood there.

"Thanks."

There was silence between them for a few minutes as he waited to see if she'd say anything else. When she didn't he resumed playing, at first keeping his eyes on her as his fingers moved from memory before he finally turned his head and concentrated on what he was playing. This time his eyes stayed open, watching her out of the corner of his eye as he played, leaving room for her to sit down if she changed her mind.

House played for several minutes. He didn't want to think too much about the reason she was there. Maybe she just wanted to listen to him play and he was ok with that because it was a step in a positive direction considering how she'd been acting toward him lately. So he was surprised when he was slightly jolted out of his state of focus by Bella's next words to him.

"Thank you for the flowers." She told him softly.

House's fingers froze on the keys, the music he'd been playing halting at her words. His lips curved into a small, relieved smile as he nodded his acknowledgement. "You're welcome."

"They're pretty." She added.

He nodded. "I'm glad you liked them. I wanted you to know that I do think about you and I know how much I hurt you. Flowers don't make up for what I did but I hope they at least helped to show you how sorry I am, kid."

Bella nodded in understanding. "I never got flowers before." She told him.

He smiled at that news. "Never?"

She shook her head.

House held his smile and gestured once more to the empty space beside him. "Want to sit down?" He asked again.

Bella shook her head, content to stay where she was.

Silence filled the room and House decided to let her stand there and watch him if that was what she wanted. He turned back to the keys and continued with his song. He wasn't sure how much time passed but he was once again surprised out of his concentration with Bella's next words.

"It don't mean I forgive you." She informed him.

He stopped playing once again and frowned, nodding his understanding and disappointed that she still couldn't forgive him, but also understanding why she couldn't. What he had done was awful, unforgivable really, and he didn't deserve it from her. "I don't know what else to do here, kid. What do you want from me?" He asked in a soft tone, sincerely wanting to know the answer so that he could do it and hopefully earn her forgiveness.

Bella shifted her eyes away from him, looking down at her hands resting on the side of the piano. After a moment she replied. "What if I believe in you and then you leave us again?" She asked in a small voice, the softness in her tone revealing the fear she held within her.

He looked into her eyes and saw the vulnerability she felt in asking that question. "I promise I won't leave you again." He responded with sincerity, lifting his hand to gently stroke her cheek.

"You made us cry for you. You were mean to ignore us, you shouldn't have done that and you shoulda talked to me when I called you. You can't just leave like that, it ain't right." She told him bluntly in an even tone. There was no anger, just honesty.

He knew he could've turned that last statement around on her since she ran away from home as well, but it wasn't about her, it was about him. He dropped his hand and nodded sorrowfully. "I know, I'm sorry." He replied, feeling guilty about the way he'd treated her and Cuddy last week. He hated feeling guilty but she was right, he'd been a real bastard toward them and she had the right to call him on it. That was one of the reasons he loved this kid; she wasn't afraid to let you know when you screwed up.

She continued to stare at him, gauging his reaction to her and trying to see in his eyes if he was being truthful or not. After a moment, she shifted her eyes down to her hand as she nervously and gently rubbed the smooth surface of the side of the piano with her index finger. House watched her carefully as she seemed to process her thoughts and the truth of what he'd told her.

Bella looked up at him once more. "You really promise?"

House nodded in response. "I promise. Never again." He replied.

"You promised before too." She reminded him.

He knew she was being careful, not wanting to make a mistake in forgiving him too soon and trust him again only to be heartbroken if he screwed up.

"I was an ass to leave you. I'm sorry."

She nodded her head slowly. Another moment of silence passed before she inhaled deeply as if preparing herself and softly said, "Ok."

His eyebrows arched in slight surprise before a slow smile broke out onto his face as he nodded as well.

A small smile came to Bella's face too. House removed his hands from where they were resting on his lap and brought them out to wrap them around Bella, pulling her into a hug. She moved into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do you forgive your old man?" He asked, needing to hear her say it.

He felt her head nod against him. "Yeah." She uttered softly, tightening her grip around his neck.

He responded by tightening his arms around her as well and placing a soft kiss onto her cheek. "Thank you." He whispered.

They held each other for another moment, when Bella pulled back and sat down beside him, filling the empty space on the bench.

House looked down at her, his heart feeling lighter and feeling like he could breathe again. "You want to learn some piano?" He asked, hoping to engage her a little so they could move away from the tension that had filled the house these past few days.

She tilted her head up to meet his gaze with a smile. She nodded in answer to his question.

He instructed for her to place her right hand on the keys and then gently showed her where to place her fingers, naming each of the notes. He placed his fingers next to hers on the keyboard and went through the scale of notes. He knew his mother had shown her some of this already but he wanted to start from scratch and she didn't protest. Once he'd shown her the notes, he taught her to play _Mary Had A Little Lamb_.

As they continued their lesson, House suddenly felt a hand gently caress his shoulder. He looked up to see Cuddy standing next to them, a smile on her face. She slid her left arm around his shoulder as she watched Bella play the song she'd just learned. After a few tries and a couple of mess-ups, Bella mastered the song and when she was finished she looked up at House with a smile.

"Good job, munchkin. You're a natural."

Bella's smile grew and she shifted her eyes to Cuddy. "Did you hear me, Mom? I can play _Mary Had A Little Lamb_."

"I did…great job, baby." Cuddy praised her, running her fingers through Bella's hair.

Bella shifted her eyes back to House. "What now? I want to learn more. When do I play the black notes?"

House laughed at his daughter's eagerness to move forward. "Slow down, you're jumping ahead a bit. Practice that song some more and then I'll show you another song on the white notes another day, k?"

Bella nodded in agreement, seemingly satisfied with his instruction.

"Dinner's ready, you two, let's eat." Cuddy interjected, moving out of the room and making her way to the dining table.

Bella stood from the piano bench, followed by House, both making their way to the table as well.

As House followed Bella, he couldn't help but feel happiness at the way this evening had turned out. He hadn't been expecting her to come talk to him, much less forgive him, but he was glad that she had. He felt like he had his daughter back and that they would finally be able to move forward with their lives and put this whole mess behind them.

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11:58 PM

Cuddy was lying on a blanket on the floor in the living room with Bella beside her as House lay on the couch. They had been watching movies together all evening and as the credits rolled on their last film of the night, Bella lay asleep with her head on Cuddy's shoulder and her arms around her waist, her hand gripping Cuddy's shirt over her abdomen. Cuddy dropped a kiss onto Bella's head as she shifted her eyes to House.

"You asleep?" She asked softly.

"Nope." He answered, lifting his head to look down at her on the floor. "Need a hand with her?"

"Yeah." Cuddy responded, knowing she couldn't get up without waking Bella.

House sat up, rubbing his thigh before he stood.

"Are you ok to pick her up? We could just wake her-"

"No I got her." He replied quickly, bending down to scoop Bella into his arms.

Bella sighed and made a grunting sound like she didn't want to be moved before opening her eyes sleepily and looking at House. "Daddy." She whispered before closing her eyes and snuggling into him. Cuddy smiled as she stood up, watching them lovingly. House shifted his eyes to her, a smile curving his lips.

"Come on, peanut, time for bed." He whispered back.

As Bella laid her head on his shoulder and her arms wound around his neck, she mumbled something unintelligible and drifted back to sleep.

House looked at Cuddy with a smirk before making his way out of the room to take Bella to her bed. Earlier that evening when she was preparing dinner, she could hear House playing the piano and had been enjoying it from the kitchen. After a few starts and stops she became curious as to what he was doing and she went to ask him. Cuddy had made it as far as the dining room and stopped when she saw that Bella was in the living room with him; and they were talking. She had been surprised to see them in there like that and she backed away and left them alone, returning to the kitchen to finish their dinner.

Cuddy had been somewhat apprehensive as she stepped back into the kitchen, not wanting an argument to break out between them. She sincerely hoped they were in there to work things out. A few minutes later, she heard the tinkering of the piano keys and she decided to head back in there to see what was going on. What she saw made her eyes water; they were sitting together on the piano bench and House was teaching Bella to play. Cuddy wanted to cry at how happy she was to see them like that. As Bella began to play _Mary Had A Little Lamb_, she had walked in there, joining them with a smile on her face.

Now as Cuddy lay on the couch waiting for House to return, she smiled, remembering the smile on House's face and the joy in his eyes at having his daughter back. The rest of the evening had been great. They had joked and teased each other as if nothing had happened. Bella had been slightly clingy with House ever since they had talked and it made Cuddy's smile grow wider, remembering how Bella had been laying on the couch with House through the first movie and moved down to the floor with Cuddy for the second movie. Cuddy couldn't believe how wonderfully things had turned out and she couldn't wait to get the details from House about how they had worked things out between them.

House stepped back into the room after having tucked Bella into her bed and moved to the couch where Cuddy was. He carefully crawled in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. House placed a kiss onto her neck as she hugged his arms wrapped around her.

"Did she wake up when you put her down?" Cuddy asked.

"Nope. Out like a light." He mumbled into her neck, kissing her there softly and moving down to her shoulder.

Cuddy closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around her and his lips against her skin. She rubbed her hands in gentle caresses over his arms before entwining their fingers together.

"So what happened tonight?" Cuddy asked after a moment, wanting to know what they had said to each other.

House brought his lips to her neck once more before sighing and nuzzling her hair. "She came to thank me for the flowers. I don't think she meant to forgive me but it just worked out that way. She was very cautious about it, but I guess she was ready and she didn't even realize it."

"She let herself trust you again…that's amazing, House. I'm so happy we can move on from this."

"Yeah, me too."

There was silence between them for a few minutes. Cuddy sighed softly and turned her head so that her cheek rested against House's chin. He kissed her softly. "We meet with the judge next week." She told him.

House nodded. "I know. Are you nervous?"

"A little. But not because I don't think it'll happen, I just…I just want her to be ours already."

"Yeah." He agreed.

Silence filled the room once more as they each thought about the impending hearing where they would officially become Bella's parents. She couldn't wait for it to happen; she had waited so long for this.

Cuddy closed her eyes, feeling sleep start to tug at her. She had no idea how long it had been but House placed another kiss on her head and whispered into her ear.

"Cuddy."

"Mm?" She murmured sleepily.

"I have my daughter back." He stated.

She could feel him smile against her and Cuddy smiled as well and nodded her head. "Yeah."

**A/N: Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I didn't mean for it take this long to update. It's ridiculous, I know; please don't hate me. It's been getting harder to get much writing done lately with RL getting in the way. I'm not going to promise that the next update will be up soon and you have no idea how much that bothers me to say. I really want to get this story finished for you guys and I VOW to do so! It just might take longer. I WILL NOT leave this story unfinished, so please hang in there with me. I've been winding the story down for the past several chapters so hopefully I won't make you wait too long for it to be complete. Probably another 3-4 chapters, we'll see. Thanks again to all of you for reading and especially those that take the time to leave me a review, it means a lot.**


	59. Chapter 58

**Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to post again. I've actually been hanging on to this chapter for a couple of weeks because I wanted to post the rest of the story in one update but it looks like its taking me longer to get the chapters written than I thought it would. There are three chapters, including this one, left and I have most of the other chapters after this one done, but I figured I'd go ahead and post this chapter now so you wouldn't have to wait any longer. It's been almost two months, for crying out loud! I know, I suck. Anyway, It won't take me that long to finish the rest of the chapters. I'm pretty close to being finished; I'm just mostly tweeking. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I took a couple of suggestions from a couple of you, I hope you like them. Thanks to Sasha Snape and Temo for your input. It's been so long, you two probably don't remember making those suggestions do you? Sorry. **

**Chapter 58**

10:30 AM – Saturday

"I'll get it!" Bella hollered throughout the house as she ran to answer the front door, having heard the doorbell a moment ago from her bedroom. When she reached the door, she jumped up to look through the glass to see who was there. She caught a glimpse of who it was and recognized him. Bella promptly pulled the door open, seeing Simon standing there.

"Simon." Bella stated in surprise, wondering what he was doing there.

"Hey, Bella. Can you come out and play?"

Bella smiled and opened her mouth to answer but suddenly frowned, remembering that she had been punished for playing poker and that she wasn't allowed to go play with her friends for at least two more weeks. She closed her mouth and sighed. "I can't." She told him with disappointment.

"Aw come on, we're playing kickball at the park and we need one more person to play on our team. Please?"

"I can't, Simon, I'm not allowed. I'm grounded."

"What the hell for?" He asked, sounding completely outraged and appalled that she would ever be grounded. Bella knew that for some reason, in Simon's eyes, she could do no wrong. She had learned quickly that it was a great tactic to get him to do anything she wanted. Not that she really needed that to manipulate him, but still, it helped.

"None of your business." She answered, not wanting to get into the whole story.

"Come on, you could sneak out." He suggested in a quiet tone so her parents couldn't hear.

"And get in more trouble? I don't think so, Simon. You just have to find somebody else."

Simon's shoulders drooped in disappointment before throwing his hands up. "Ugh…there ain't nobody else; everybody's on vacation around here, and now you're grounded…there ain't nobody." He complained.

"Geez Simon, it ain't the end of the world. It's just a game." Bella told him, rolling her eyes.

"Bella." She heard her mother's voice softly, behind her.

Bella turned around and saw Mom standing in the dining room, between the kitchen and the foyer, probably having heard everything.

"You can go play with your friends." Mom told her, her lip curving into a small smile.

"But I thought I was grounded from playing with my friends." Bella replied.

"You were. But I think you've been through enough the past few days. Why don't you go and play with Simon."

"Yeah!" Simon exclaimed happily. "Thanks, Miss Lisa. Come on, Bella!" He said, grabbing onto Bella's wrist and trying to yank her out the door.

"Wait, Simon." She told him, pulling her arm free from his grip. She looked up at Mom questioningly, silently asking if she was sure she could go play with her friends.

"It's ok. Go on, have fun." Mom replied reassuringly, a smile appearing on her face.

Bella smiled as well. "I get to go by myself? I mean, with Simon, but…"

Mom gave her a small nod, her smile growing.

"Thanks, Mom." She replied excitedly, quickly hugging her waist before she was off in a flash to get her sneakers on her feet. "Be right back, Simon!" She hollered on her way to her bedroom.

Bella grabbed her shoes from her closet and put them on her feet as quickly as she could, excited to be going outside to play with her friends. The last several days had been boring without them. She was dying to do something fun.

"Hey, where are you headed off to?" She heard Dad ask from her bedroom doorway.

"Mom said I could go to the park to play kickball with Simon and my other friends." She told him.

"Thought you were grounded from doing that?"

"I was, but Mom said I could." Bella explained, hoping that he wouldn't disagree with Mom and say she couldn't go.

"Ok." He stated simply. "Have a good time." He told her before leaving her to finish putting on her shoes.

She smiled as she tied her laces. Once her shoes were on, she ran back to the front door, but Mom stopped her with a hand on her shoulder before she could run off.

"Bella, listen." She started. "I want you to go to the park and the park _only_. Do not run off somewhere else, I don't care if your friends ask you to go. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Simon." Mom said, turning her attention to him.

"Yes Miss Lisa."

"I want you two to stay together. Don't go anywhere without each other, ok? Bring her home when the game is over."

"Yes, Ma'am." He replied respectfully, nodding his head seriously in understanding.

"Thank you." She answered gratefully before looking at Bella once more. "Be careful."

"I will, Mom. Thanks."

Mom nodded.

"Bye Dad!"

"Give 'em hell!" She heard him reply from inside the living room.

Bella chuckled and turned around, walking out the door with Simon by her side. When she and Simon reached the sidewalk, she looked back, knowing Mom would still be in the doorway watching them until they were out of sight. Bella waved goodbye and received a wave in return before she turned her attention back to Simon, noticing he had a bandage on his right knee and elbow.

"What happened to you?" She asked, pointing at his injuries.

"Crashed my bike." He replied smugly.

"How did you do that?"

"It was pretty cool…me and Jeremy Rogers built a ramp in my front yard to jump our bikes, but the ramp was too steep and not stable, and when I jumped it, it wobbled and I lost control when I landed and I went sliding into the driveway like a home run. You want to see?" He explained dramatically before stopping and bending down to pull the bandage off of his knee.

"No! Simon, that's gross, I don't want to see your scab!" She exclaimed in disgust.

"Nuh uh it's awesome. It's huge and I didn't even cry." He explained defensively.

"So what? I still don't want to see it."

"Your loss." He shrugged.

"Yeah, right. Do you want me to barf all over you?" She asked.

"You're such a girl." Simon accused her, rolling his eyes.

"Glad you noticed." She responded, rolling her eyes as well. "At least I don't brag about how stupid I am."

"Yeah, you just keep it to yourself." He said, laughing at his insult to her.

"Shut up." She said, shoving his shoulder and narrowing her eyes at him, as she was unable to come up with a clever retort.

Simon continued laughing as amusement eventually made it's way onto Bella's face as well. She rolled her eyes and shoved him again. "Idiot." She mumbled.

They were silent for a moment after the laughter died down and Bella looked over at him. "So guess what?" She asked.

"What?"

"I'm getting adopted next week." She told him.

Simon scowled in confusion. "What? You're not going to live with Miss Lisa and Mr. Greg anymore?"

"Of course I am. I mean, the adoption is official; it's for real now."

"But I thought it already was?"

"Nope, they're just my foster parents. Well, Mom is."

"I don't get it."

"Never mind. But it's a big deal, I have to go see a judge and everything."

"Really? Awesome." Simon responded with enthusiasm.

"I'm a little scared." Bella confided, her brow furrowing and her voice soft.

"Why? Don't you want get adopted?"

"Yeah…but it's a little scary to go to court. What if the judge doesn't sign the papers?"

"But why wouldn't he…Miss Lisa and Mr. Greg are the best."

"I know, but I guess I'm still scared about it."

"Naw, it'll be fine." He assured her, even though she was sure he didn't know anything about what he was assuring her of. He dropped his arm around her shoulders as he continued. "You'll just go in there, the judge will sign it and that's it, you're done and you go home."

"You make it sound so easy, Simon, maybe _you_ should be a judge."

"Maybe I should. I would be an awesome judge." He told her smugly, removing his arm from her shoulders. "I'd send all the bad guys to jail." He said, clasping his hands together and forming his index fingers and thumbs into a gun and pointing it in front of him. He paused after a moment of thought. "Wait, do judges carry guns?"

"I don't think so, stupid, that's the cops." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh." He replied with a disappointed scowl. "You sure?"

Bella nodded with certainty. "I thought you were going to be a doctor?" She reminded him, with a look of amusement on her face.

"I could be both." He said, reasonably.

"Do you know how long you'd have to be in school to do that? Like 20 years." Bella informed him seriously.

"Nuh uh."

"Yes huh. Ask my Dad, he'll tell you." Bella replied with certainty.

"No way. I don't want to be in school for that long, I hate school." Throwing his arms up in exasperation.

"Well then you can't be a judge _and_ a doctor. I don't know why you'd want to anyway…one don't go with the other." She told him with a roll of her eyes.

Simon shrugged, but accepted it as truth before turning to Bella with a smile.

"Hey, I'll race you to the park." Simon challenged.

Without a response, Bella took off running, leaving Simon in shock before he ran after her.

"Hey, that's cheating!" She heard him yell from behind her as he tried to catch up.

Bella giggled as she ran as fast as she could. "Come on, slowpoke!" She threw back at him.

They ran until they reached the park. Simon had caught up to her but she had still managed to beat him there. When they arrived they saw their friends in the grassy area away from the slides and swing sets, waiting for them as a few of the kids were already kicking the ball around to pass the time.

"Bella, you came!" Maya exclaimed happily, running over to them.

"Hey, Maya!" She greeted her friend, still winded from having raced Simon there.

They gathered together and picked teams, splitting up once they had and commenced the game.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10 Minutes Earlier

Cuddy stood at the door, watching as Bella and Simon walked away from the house. When they were no longer in sight, she shut the door and turned around with a sigh, only to find House standing a few feet away from her with his eyebrows arched and a smirk on his face.

"What?" She asked, her brow furrowed as she looked at him.

"Nothing. Just surprised you let our kid run off alone with her little boyfriend."

Cuddy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No you're not. You're _surprised_ I let her go anywhere without one of us going with her."

"That too." He conceded with a shrug of his shoulders.

She sighed, walking closer to him. "I just think she's been through enough lately and could benefit from a day at the park with her friends." She explained.

"That doesn't explain why you let her go alone? Not that I mind…I'm just surprised _you_ don't." He responded, stepping up to her and placing his hand on her forehead, checking her temperature.

She swatted his hand away. "Stop it…she'll be fine. Simon is with her and he's just as protective of her as I am, he practically worships her." She replied with a chuckle.

"Still doesn't explain why you let her go alone." He pressed, his smirk still present as he waited for her answer.

Cuddy sighed as she stood before him. "She's…" She started, only to stop as she thought about how to explain. "I want her to be able to have fun like that. We live in a safe neighborhood, the park is just down the street, and I feel confident letting her go with a friend. I'd never let her go alone, but Simon…is a good friend to her. He'd never let anything happen."

House nodded. "He's just a kid, Cuddy, he can't protect her from everything." He pointed out.

Cuddy furrowed her brow in thought. "You think I shouldn't have let her go?" She asked with concern. "I did it again didn't I? I should have consulted you first." She added, the thought only now occurring to her. "I'm sorry…you're her father, I should've asked your opinion." She continued, sighing in frustration at herself for doing what she promised him she wouldn't.

House smiled. "Cuddy, you made a decision, it's fine. We don't have to convene a meeting over every single little decision that needs to be made. When I say I want to be consulted, I'm talking about the important stuff. Don't beat yourself up over it."

She nodded with a grateful smile, accepting that he was right and receiving one in return. Suddenly seeing the time on the wall clock in the living room, she glanced back at House. "I should get dressed." She told him, making her way to the bedroom.

She had planned on going shopping for a few hours today. The adoption hearing was this week and Cuddy knew Bella didn't have anything appropriate to wear and she wanted to surprise her with an outfit. As she changed into something more appropriate to go shopping, House stepped into the bedroom.

"And where are you going?" He asked with a furrow in his brow.

"Shopping."

"Oh bummer, I can't go…I just got a page from the hospital. Foreman needs me to-"

"You're not invited."

"Oh thank God!" He replied, slumping down on the bed with relief.

"You have to stay here and make sure Bella makes it home in a couple of hours."

"Or…you could just skip shopping and board the 'House Train' for a couple of hours instead." He replied suggestively, pointing at his crotch and leering at her before he stood up and made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning down to place a kiss on her neck.

She smirked at him. "Charming." She replied sarcastically. "But no…Bella needs an outfit for the hearing next week and today is the only day I can go get her one." She replied.

"And she's not going with you because…?" He asked, releasing her from his embrace.

"Because I wanted to surprise her." She answered simply, turning around to look up at him.

"Are you spoiling our child?"

She scowled at his question. "How is shopping for something she needs spoiling her?"

"It's not…I'm just trying to distract you with an argument to give myself time to convince you that you don't really want to go shopping, but that you want to stay here and have hot, sweaty animal sex with me while our kid is out of the house."

"Well it's not working. And we just had sex last night, you can wait." She answered, moving away from him and making her way to the bathroom.

"But that was just regular sex."

Cuddy scoffed at his reply. "Are you saying you didn't like it, because I can make it so you don't have _any_ sex for awhile…regular or otherwise."

"Now you're just being nasty. I love regular sex, it's what gets me through the day." He replied matter of factly.

Cuddy chuckled at his response. "Nice save." She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she turned her attention back to getting ready. "Call Wilson…maybe you two could sit on the couch all day and watch your monster trucks and drink beer or do whatever the hell you two do together all the time."

"Shows what you know…we usually sit around and come up with rumors about you to spread around the hospital. And let me tell you, you may think Wilson is the 'nice guy' but he has come up with some doozies." He retorted.

"Fine, then do that." She responded, not fazed by what he'd said.

"You're no fun." House replied with disappointment, turning around and leaving her alone in the bathroom to get ready.

She allowed a smile to come to her face as she applied her lip-gloss.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

1:00 PM

House was sitting at his piano when he heard the front door open, shuffling feet enter the house before the door closed with a slam.

"We're back!" He heard Bella call out.

"Hey." House replied, calling Bella into the living room.

Bella appeared at the door with Simon. "Hi, Dad. We're back."

"Yeah I got that. So did you win?"

"Almost. We would have if Simon hadn't dropped the ball."

"Hey, it bounced out of my hands!" He replied, defending himself.

"Ah, so he literally dropped the ball. I thought you were practicing using idioms."

Bella and Simon turned to each other in confusion before looking at House again. "Never mind." He replied to their reaction.

"Anyway…Dad, can I go swimming at Maya's? She invited me, and Simon's going too."

House furrowed his brow at her question, not quite sure if he should let her go. These things were usually Cuddy's decision, but since she wasn't there now, it was up to him to decide. And he didn't see the problem, but he knew he should think about it before he answered. More often than not, when House thought something wasn't a big deal, Cuddy usually thought otherwise for one reason or another. Going swimming at her friend's house didn't seem like a big deal but he didn't always think things through before answering. He just knew that if he said yes, Cuddy would have thought of a thousand reasons that he didn't think of as to why he should've said no. She was much better at the parenting thing than he was and he didn't know what to do. What if he said she could go and it was the wrong decision? What if he said yes and something happened to Bella? It would be his fault.

"I don't think that's a good idea." House replied with a shake of his head, deciding to go the safer route for fear of screwing up the first time he was left to make a decision on his own as a parent.

Bella gaped at his answer, disappointment all over her face. "But why not?"

House didn't have a good answer to that question except for his own fear of screwing up, so he said, "Be-cuuuz…I said so." He replied, scowling inwardly at how stupid that sounded as soon as it left his mouth. He had always hated it when his mother told him that as a kid. He always figured she said it so she didn't have to deal with him or his questions or whatever the case had been at the time. And now, he'd just done it to his kid.

"But why not?" She asked once more with scowl on her face. "Ugh, where's Mom?" She asked with a huff.

House sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in thought. He really had no reason not to let her go. She deserved to have some fun after the crap she'd had to deal with lately thanks to him. The least he could do was let her go swimming for the afternoon; there was no harm in it.

"She's not here." He finally answered. After a moment, House glanced at Bella, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. 'Screw it', he thought, 'I'm her father and I say she can go.'

"Fine, you can go swimming." He told her.

Bella's face widened into a huge smile as she ran over and threw her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the best. I know." He stated with a smirk.

Bella kissed his cheek before pulling back and running out of the room. "You're the best, Dad. I'm going to change into my swimsuit, be right back!" She exclaimed.

House smirked at her excitement; the smirk fell, however, when he glanced at Simon and noticed the excited smile on his face as his eyes followed the direction Bella had just run. He narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, a sudden thought coming to his head and he decided to mess with the kid a little.

"Hey kid, sit down." He told Simon.

Simon shifted his eyes to House and made his way over to the chair in the living room. He sat down and scooted against the back of the chair, his feet dangling over the seat and not quite reaching the floor. He swept his blonde hair out of his eyes before he placed his arms over the arms of the chair and House wanted to release an amused chuckle at how the chair practically swallowed him up in it. But he didn't. House kept a stoic look on his face as he studied the kid in front of him. Simon looked relaxed as well as he looked back at House, not seeming at all threatened by him.

"How old are you, kid?" He asked suddenly.

"Eight. But I'll be nine next month." He replied, a smile coming to his face.

"Do you like my kid?" He asked, not really caring about the kid's upcoming birthday.

Simon shrugged. "Sure, Bella's the best." He answered sincerely.

"Nooo, I mean, do you like her?" He asked again, stressing the word 'like',

Simon frowned at him for a moment before he raised his eyebrows in realization. "Oh like a girlfriend?" He asked.

House nodded slowly, glaring at Simon.

Simon frowned and shook his head. "No way, she's one of my best friends. And anyway, girls are gross."

House nodded with a smirk on his face…he could work with this. "You're right, girls are gross. Did you know that if you hold their hands or try to kiss them, you can get a disease called Cootietosis?"

Simon's eyes grew wide in surprise and apprehension. "You can?"

House nodded again, a serious expression on his face, not giving away the amusement he was holding back. "I'm a doctor, I know these things." He assured him.

"But what if you…" Simon began, stopping as he continued to look at House with deep concern on his face.

House narrowed his eyes, suspecting that Simon had tried something earlier. "What if you what?" He asked Simon suspiciously.

"What if you put your arm around her shoulders? Can you get Cootietosis from that?" He asked, his eyes still holding the deep concern he felt.

House scrunched his face, unable to keep a straight face but holding back his laughter. He masked it as if he were thinking about his question. "Hmmm…well, that depends. Where did you put your hands?"

Simon shrugged with a frown. "On her shoulder?"

"Is that a question? Because I wasn't there…you have to be sure."

"It was definitely on her shoulder." He said with a nod of certainty.

"In that case I think you're safe, but I wouldn't try it again." House told him. "Because if you're hand had wandered lower…it could mean death."

Simon's eyes grew wide with fear. "Really? I coulda died?"

"That's right, so you have to be careful when you touch girls." House told him, pointing his finger at him for emphasis.

Suddenly, Simon frowned at him skeptically, studying his expression. "Are you lying, Mr. Greg? Is there really a disease called Cootietosis?" He asked suspiciously, suddenly not buying what he was being told.

"Of course there is…why would I lie?"

Simon shrugged. "I'm going to look it up in my dictionary, you know?" He told House, still uncertain whether he should believe him or not.

House rolled his eyes but before he could respond, Bella came bouncing back into the room. "Ok, I'm ready. Let's go Simon." She told him.

As Simon stood up, he took another uncertain look at House, making his way over to Bella but keeping his hands at his sides. House held back a smile, certain he had planted a big enough seed of doubt that Simon was at least considering that what he had been told was true. He watched as Bella and Simon made their way to the front door.

"Hey, hold up, you two." He called out, standing up and limping to the front door.

Bella turned around with her hand on the doorknob. "What?" She asked with a frown.

"You can't just rush off like that. I have to do my fatherly duty and ask some questions." He told her.

"Like what?" She asked, releasing the doorknob as she looked up at him with curiosity.

"Like…does Maya's mom know that Maya invited the neighborhood to go swimming in her pool and is she ok with it? Do Simon's parents know that _he's_ running around the neighborhood alone and are they ok with him swimming in the neighbors pool?" House replied, his eyebrows raised in question as he waited for their answers.

Bella looked from House to Simon and back to House before she opened her mouth to reply. "Maya just asked if we could go swimming at her house."

"So you don't know if her Mom ok'd this?"

Bella shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

House sighed, knowing he'd have to make a phone call before he allowed Bella to just show up there. If it were up to him, he wouldn't give a damn if she just showed up there, but he knew he needed to cover his ass with Cuddy or he'd never hear the end of it.

House turned around and walked into the living room, grabbing the phone that was sitting on the coffee table and made his way back into the foyer. "Ok, what's her number?" He asked Bella.

"I don't know." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Don't you two talk on the phone with each other, gossiping about the other kids in your class or whatever the hell girls talk about?" He asked with a scowl on his face.

"Not really, we see each other everyday, Dad." Bella replied, rolling her eyes. "Mom probably has it written down." She suggested.

Suddenly, House remembered that Cuddy had written it down and posted the number next to the phone in the kitchen along with the other emergency/contact numbers. House made his way in there and quickly dialed the number. He spoke with Maya's mom and learned that she had just been informed of the invitation that Maya had extended to her friends at the park but that she didn't have a problem with it. House hung up the phone and made his way back to where Bella and Simon were waiting for him. He held the phone out to Simon for him to take.

"Call your parents, tell them where you're at and make sure they're ok with you going swimming."

"But Mr. Greg, my dad don't live with us and my mom don't even care."

"I care…make the call." He told him. "I don't want them coming around here asking if we know where their son disappeared to." He added.

Simon sighed and took the phone from him, quickly calling his mom. As Simon spoke to her, House listened in, realizing that Simon was right and that his parents didn't appear to care where he was or would be. When Simon handed him back the phone after hanging up with his mom, House noticed the slight frown in Simon's brow and the look of despondency on his face. House sort of felt sorry for the kid.

House took the phone from Simon. "Come on, you two, I should probably feed you before you go."

"But Daddy, I'm not hungry I want to go swimming."

House shifted his eyes to Bella, giving her a serious look and letting her know not to argue. Bella's shoulders dropped, recognizing that look, before she sighed and set the bag with all of her floaties and other swimming paraphernalia down by the door.

"Come on, Simon, let's go eat lunch first." Bella told him, grabbing his hand and leading him to the kitchen.

Simon gasped slightly and glanced down at their joined hands before shifting his eyes up to meet House's eyes with a look of concern. House held back a laugh and gave Simon a knowing look before Simon snatched his hand from Bella's as they walked to the kitchen.

Bella looked at him strangely. "What?"

Simon gulped and shook his head. "Nothing." He said, receiving an eye roll from Bella in response.

House followed them into the kitchen, trying not to laugh, as he watched them sit down at the table.

"Ok, kiddos, how about I make you guys the Specialty of the House? And by House I mean me."

"What's the Specialty of the House?" Bella asked with a confused frown.

"Duh? Grilled cheese sandwich." He answered as if it were obvious.

Bella chuckled. "Ok, Dad." She replied around a laugh.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

4:20 PM

Cuddy opened the front door to her home with several shopping bags in her hands. The house was quiet and as she made her way to her bedroom, she peeked into the living room and noticed that House was napping on the couch, the TV on low volume and the remote control lying across his stomach. Her lip curved into a smile as she continued down the hallway. She stopped in at Bella's bedroom, expecting to see her in there but noticing the room was empty and her dirty clothes were strewn all over the floor. She sighed at the mess and frowned, wondering if Bella was playing outside in the backyard. Cuddy continued to her bedroom and set her shopping bags down on the bed. She had ended up getting more than she went for, buying Bella several items of clothing she could choose from to wear to the hearing. Cuddy had also shopped for a nice shirt and tie for House to wear with one of the two suits that he owned. She knew he would roll his eyes and refuse to wear them but she'd gotten them anyway.

Cuddy turned around and made her way back down the hallway and into the kitchen, looking outside to see if Bella was playing out there. Not seeing any sign of her, she walked back into the living room to wake House. She was worried that Bella wasn't here and the fact that House was asleep on the couch and unconcerned about the whereabouts of their daughter was worrying as well. Had he forgotten that Bella went to the park and was supposed to be back by now?

"House." She whispered, shaking his shoulder as she leaned over him.

He grunted and opened his eyes. She noticed it took him a moment to focus on her and realize that she was there. When he did, she sat down on the coffee table across from him.

"Where's Bella?" She asked with a bit of worry in her tone.

"Well, hello to you too. I can tell you missed me." He mumbled.

"House, she's not here, did she come back from the park?"

"She went swimming." He informed her, closing his eyes once more and turning his head away from her so he could go back to sleep.

"Swimming? I told her to come home after the park." She replied with a scowl.

"She did…then she went swimming." He mumbled again, sleepily.

"At Maya's?"

"Mm." He confirmed.

"How long has she been gone?"

"Couple of hours."

"You let her go alone?"

House's brow furrowed as he turned his head toward her in confusion. "You let her go to the park alone. What's the big deal? Anyway, her little boyfriend went with her."

Cuddy sighed in frustration. "She's not a strong swimmer, House. You should've called me."

"Why?" He asked, his brow furrowing deeper in confusion. "She came home after the game and wanted to go swimming. I didn't see a problem with it; you weren't here to discuss it, so I made the decision to let her go. She's fine, Cuddy." He stressed.

"But why didn't you go with her?" She insisted, still feeling concern for Bella being in the swimming pool.

"Because I knew she'd be fine. She's a better swimmer than she was before, considering she's over there everyday. And besides, Simon's with her. He worships her remember? The kid's not going to let anything happen to her; and anyway, there are other adults looking out for her."

Cuddy sighed and nodded, knowing he had a point. "Did she eat lunch before she went?"

"Yes."

"Did she take her floaties with her?"

"Yes, Cuddy. I made sure of it." He answered firmly, rolling his eyes.

"Ok." She replied. After another moment she added, "Did she put sunscreen on?"

"Yes. Would you stop worrying? I _am_ capable of taking care of our kid, you know?" He said, his frustration having reached its limit.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't." She replied, standing up and placing a kiss on his forehead. "Sorry I woke you." She added, before standing up to leave the room. Cuddy knew he was capable but it didn't stop her from worrying about her daughter when she was swimming. She had been practicing this summer when she spent the afternoon at Maya's everyday, but Cuddy still worried about her.

Before she made it out of the room, House's voice stopped her. "Hey."

Cuddy turned around.

"C'mere." He said softly, reaching out for her with his hand that had been lying over his abdomen.

Cuddy made her way back to him and he gently grabbed her wrist, scooting over on the couch and pulling her down so she'd sit next to him. "How was shopping?" He asked, his hand that held her wrist, gently sliding up her arm in soft caresses.

"It was fine; kind of lonely." She answered, her lip curving into a half-smile.

"Missed me?" House asked with a smirk.

Her smile grew as she nodded her head. "And Bella too. Shopping alone isn't fun anymore."

House nodded. "Well you're the one that didn't invite us. And if it makes you feel any better, Little Greg missed you too." He snarked.

Cuddy released a chuckle as she leaned over him and placed a kiss on his lips. "Oh he did, did he?" She replied flirtatiously, her lips brushing his once more.

"Mmhm." He mumbled against her lips as his hand moved from her arm to her back, pressing her closer to him.

They remained like that for several minutes, teasing kisses and nips over lips and neck until Cuddy pulled back and adjusted her position on the couch, bringing her leg over both of his, straddling him. House smiled in approval as he looked into her eyes.

"Better?" She asked with a smile of her own as she leaned over him, her forearms resting on his chest as her fingers combed through his short hair at his temples.

House nodded, his arms coming around her waist, holding her close to him. He lifted his head and captured her lips in a tender kiss before gently swiping his tongue over her bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen their kiss. As they kissed, House moved his hands up and down her back in gentle caresses.

After a few moments, she pulled back, needing air. He smiled up at her. "Have I ever told you I love your ass in a pair of jeans?" House asked her, moving his hands from her back and down to her ass.

She chuckled as she loomed over him. "I'm pretty sure you love my ass in anything I wear."

"True, but it is a work of art in a pair of jeans." He replied, giving her ass an appreciative squeeze.

She smiled at him and teasingly thrust her pelvis over his, causing a low groan to escape his throat. "I love 'other things' of yours in a pair of jeans." She told him with a smile before bringing her lips down on his once more.

House pressed down on her pelvis as he met her hips in another thrust. She felt his growing arousal against her as they continued to make out on the couch. She moaned softly into his mouth as she felt his hands move under her blouse and around to cup her breast. Cuddy pulled back, her breathing labored.

"House, when is Bella supposed to be home?" She whispered between kisses, feeling his lips brush against hers.

"Don't know." He mumbled softly, kissing her again before moving his lips to her neck.

"Are we supposed to pick her up?" She asked breathlessly, closing her eyes against the feeling of his stubbly chin on her neck.

"No, Simon's bringing her home." He mumbled once more, moving his lips back to hers.

Cuddy accepted his kiss, their tongues melding together again. A few minutes later, the front door opened and Cuddy lifted her head, her eyes growing wide as she looked down at House, both of them having heard the door. She quickly scrambled off of House's lap, grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it onto House's crotch, covering up the bulge in his pants.

"I'm home!" Bella called out, closing the door behind her.

Cuddy tried to slow her breathing, her heart beating a mile a minute from the affects of their heavy make out session as well as Bella's sudden appearance. Cuddy heard a chuckle escape House's lips and she turned her head in his direction. "Shut up." She hissed at him, adjusting her clothing and running her fingers through her hair. Cuddy rolled her eyes before shifting her attention to the doorway of the living room.

Just then, Bella appeared with her bag on her shoulders, her hair wet from the swimming pool and a hint of pink on her cheeks and nose. "Hey baby, did you have fun at Maya's?" Cuddy asked, her breathing having slowed a bit as she tried to compose herself.

Bella looked at them, here eyes shifting from House to Cuddy. She nodded in answer to Cuddy's question.

There was silence in the room and suddenly Bella frowned, looking at them suspiciously. "You two been kissing?" She asked, causing House's laughter to erupt from within him. Cuddy's jaw dropped in response, at the same time shaking her head, denying that that was what they had been doing before she came in.

Bella rolled her eyes, obviously not believing her, and turned around to make her way down the hall to her bedroom muttering something about how disgusting they were.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

10:15 AM – Monday

House stepped into the differential room, his bag slung over his shoulder and his cane in his right hand. His team looked up as he entered the room and set his bag down on the table. "Hello children, what do you have for daddy today?" He announced, moving over to the coffee machine to pour himself a cup.

"Nothing. No cases." Kutner spoke up.

"Great! That means I get to spend my day hiding from Cuddy and you get to spend your day doing clinic duty." House replied, taking a drink of his coffee.

After a moment, Thirteen looked at him with a smirk on her face. "So, speaking of children." Thirteen began. "I hear you're going to be a father soon."

Foreman, Kutner and Taub arched their eyebrows in surprise as their heads whipped around to look at House.

"No way, Cuddy's pregnant?" Kutner asked excitedly, a huge smile on his face as he looked over at House.

House rolled his eyes. "No, Cuddy's not pregnant." He answered before shifting his eyes to Thirteen. "You must have me confused with Wilson." He added.

"Nope." She answered with certainty, shaking her head.

Foreman, Kutner and Taub now furrowed their brows in confusion, their eyes shifting from House to Thirteen.

"So, Cuddy's not pregnant?" Kutner asked, his confusion evident. "And Wilson's going to be a dad?"

"Yes." House replied.

"So…who is actually having the baby?" Kutner asked for clarification.

"Wilson's baby mama." House replied.

"I'm guessing that would be Janine?" Taub responded.

House smirked in response.

"And how does that make you a new father?" Foreman questioned before he smirked at House. "Did you knock up you're best friend's girlfriend and she's telling him it's his?"

House scowled at him. "What? You people need to get lives and stop watching those stupid soap operas you like to watch when you're supposed to be working." He snarked.

"Janine's pregnant?" Thirteen asked with surprise.

"Wait you didn't know that? Then what were _you_ talking about?" Kutner asked Thirteen, still confused over what was going on.

"House is adopting Bella with Cuddy." Thirteen informed him, a smile on her face as she glanced over at House.

"Seriously?" Kutner practically squealed, a smile coming to his face as he turned his gaze back to House. "That's awesome. Congratulations, man." He told him, holding his hand out to House as he stood up.

House reluctantly shook his hand. He looked around the table at his fellows; Thirteen was smiling at him as Foreman had a small smirk on his face, while Taub's eyebrows were lifted in surprise.

"So…what's Bella's last name going to be? You and Cuddy aren't married so she'd have to share your names." Taub asked. "Would a hyphen be present? Bella Cuddy-House? Bella House-Cuddy? Bella-. Wait, what's her real last name?"

House glared at Taub for a moment before shifting his eyes to Foreman. "Make sure Tiny gets all the crotch rot cases down in the clinic."

"I think its Porter." Kutner supplied.

"Porter…Bella Porter-Cuddy-House." Taub continued with a smirk before he realized something and gasped, a snicker preceding his thought. "Bella Porter-House." He laughed, looking around the room at his colleagues. Thirteen and Kutner were holding back their smiles and Foreman simply sat there, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Oh aren't you clever. My kid isn't a steak, you moron." House replied, pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number.

The team furrowed their brows in confusion, wondering what he was doing. After a moment he spoke into the phone when the person on the other end answered. "Rachel, this is Greg House, your husband's boss." He began. "Oh don't worry, he's fine. In fact, I was just calling to inform you that he won't be coming home until really late this evening. He's going to be busy catching up on some charts that he's been putting off. And no, that is not a euphemism for 'he's going to be cheating on you…again.' He really is going to be sticking his abnormally large nose in a stack of files instead of my business." House continued, a smirk rising to his lips as he glanced at Taub, noting the glare and dropped jaw he was receiving from him.

After hanging up with Taub's wife, he pocketed his phone and looked at his team once more. "So, anyone else want to make a crack about my kid's name?"

"It was just a joke." Taub huffed.

House smirked at him. "If you don't finish them all tonight, I'm sure you can make time tomorrow while the rest of us solve the case that Kutner is going to go hunt down for us."

His fellows stood in silence as they threw sympathetic glances at Taub and left the room, leaving House alone, a smile making it's way onto his face before turning around and limping into his office.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

11:35 PM

Bella was sitting in her tent with her family album open on her lap, flipping through the pages and remembering the life she used to have. In two days she would have a new family and as she thought about her future, she had felt the need to look into her past. She realized that she'd had this new family for a while now, but Wednesday it was official. Bella looked at picture after picture of her old life, remembering the comfort, love and safety she used to have with her family. As she looked at pictures of her mother, remembering her now when just a few months ago she had no memory of what she looked like at all, she saw these pictures with new eyes. At one time, Bella sat with her mother looking at these photos, but now it was like that time was just a dream and this was her real life. She was the only Porter left in her family, but it seemed as if it was all something she had made up in her head; like she had just woken up one day and all of it was gone. She supposed in some ways, that was how it had happened; one day she had a family and the next she didn't.

She missed her family terribly and would give anything to have them back, but she would also never want to give up what she had with her new Mom and Dad for anything. Sometimes she feared losing them as well, but she'd never let herself dwell on it too much because it would drive her insane if she did. Bella already had enough trouble dealing with what had happened to Mattie.

Bella flipped a page and her eyes landed on a picture of her and Mattie. It was an older photo and they were both very young. Bella was probably 3 or 4 at the time and she and Mattie were sitting on a horse together wearing cowboy hats that their dad had purchased for them on that trip to Texas they had taken once. Mattie was holding the reigns as she sat in front of him holding onto the horn of the saddle. Bella barely remembered that trip, but the one thing that stuck out in her mind were the horses; she had loved the horses. A smile came to Bella's face as she looked at the picture, loving the look on Mattie's face as he smiled at the camera. Bella's eyes shifted to the other photos of Mattie on the page. Several were of him playing his guitars and violin. She lifted her finger to trace over his face, remembering his smile and laughter held in his eyes when he did.

Bella flipped the page again before she let herself get pulled into the sorrow she still felt in her heart at his absence. The next page had pictures of Bella with each of her parents and some with Mattie and her parents. Bella continued flipping through the pages, taking a few moments to glance over each one. When she reached the last page, she closed the book and placed it next to her on the floor. She reached for the photo albums she'd gotten for her birthday; the ones that Max had given her and began flipping through them. These albums were of her new family. She had been filling them with photos that she already had of her and Mom and Dad. Bella hadn't filled them completely; there was still time for that.

Her favorites were of the ones taken on her 9th birthday. Mom had taken tons but Bella picked out a few that she loved the most and placed them in her album. Bella smiled at a photo of her, Dad and Mom. Dad had two pointy birthday hats on his head, tilted to the side like horns, and he was looking at Bella with amusement as she blew out the candles. Mom was smiling as well as she wore her own pointy birthday hat. Bella had absolutely loved that day. It was the best birthday she'd had in years and she would always remember it.

Bella smiled and continued flipping threw the rest of the book, setting it aside when she was finished. She sighed softly and reached over to pet Splat as he lay beside her. She had been thinking since her session with Dr. Sloane, about going to see her parents. She knew Mom and Dad wouldn't mind taking her, they already said so, but it was going to see Mattie that she wasn't sure about. She didn't even know where his grave was. Maybe Dad had some ideas on how they could find it.

Her nightmares were another issue she was supposed to mention to Mom. Dr. Sloane had encouraged her not to keep it a secret that she still had nightmares. Bella wasn't keeping it a secret on purpose; they just hadn't been as bad so she hadn't mentioned them. She wasn't even sure they were considered nightmares. She would occasionally see the night that Mattie died, and she still saw the men's faces, but she didn't wake up screaming anymore. Talking about it and having it out in the open had really helped her deal with them a little better. But she wondered how long this would continue; would she always have nightmares? Forever? God, she hoped not. She hoped someday she would get past all of the horror in her life. That's why she couldn't wait until Wednesday. As nervous as she was about it, she knew it would be one of the happiest days she would ever have in her life. The day her new life with her new Mom and her new Dad would begin.

Bella smiled, laying her head down on her pillow and relaxing into her soft blanket. In two days she would be a different person. Well, soft of. She would still be same little girl she's always been, but she wouldn't be Bella Porter anymore; the Bella Porter that was born in Trenton, New Jersey to Nathan and Claire Porter, whose brother was Matthew Porter. She would be a different Bella with a different last name. The new Bella would be the daughter of Lisa Cuddy and Greg House. This Bella would be the one that was given a second chance at life; one more chance than she thought she'd ever get. And she couldn't wait.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

12:45 PM – Tuesday

House and Wilson sat in the cafeteria eating lunch. They were sitting in a booth in the back and House had his legs up on the seat next to him as he leaned against the wall. His Rueben sandwich was sitting half eaten on his plate while he stole a French fry from Wilson's plate.

"So tomorrow's the big day." Wilson said suddenly.

House shifted his eyes to him and shrugged, as if he didn't know what he was talking about.

"The adoption." Wilson clarified.

"That's tomorrow? Damn, I'd almost forgotten." House snarked.

"You're nervous." Wilson stated, pointing his finger at him with certainty.

"I'm not nervous. It's no big deal. We go in, the judge signs the papers and we leave. Nothing to be nervous about." He responded with a shrug.

"House, tomorrow…you are officially Bella's father. It's not like before where you just decided 'oh I think I'll be Bella's father now' and it's done. This is legal. In the eyes of the law, you will be her dad. You and Cuddy will be her official guardians for the rest of her life, as if she were actually your biological child." He explained.

"Really? I thought it was more like a prize you won out of a cereal box. I didn't realize it was _legal_." House retorted with an eye roll.

"I don't buy that you're not nervous, House. It's ok to be nervous, you know?"

"Thank you for your permission."

"What is up with you?" Wilson scowled at him. "You're not having second thoughts are you? Because it's a little late for that now."

"Nope."

"Well, something's on your mind. If it's not the adoption, then what is it?"

House shook his head in answer, taking another fry from Wilson's plate. "Nothing."

"I know you too well, House. Spill." He demanded.

House sighed and looked around, making sure there was no one around to over hear what he was about to say. He shifted his eyes to Wilson. "I'm thinking about buying a ring." He told his best friend.

Wilson smiled at House. "You're going to propose?" He asked in a whisper.

House shrugged. "I'm thinking about it."

"Doesn't she know you're going to though, I thought you two talked about it the other day."

"We did. But, I don't want to wait. I want to surprise her." He answered softly. "I don't think she's expecting it to happen this soon. She probably thinks I'm going to wait months, but I never planned on waiting that long when we talked about it."

"When are you thinking?"

"Next month, maybe."

Wilson raised his brows in surprise, nodding his head. "That would surprise her alright."

House shrugged. "I'm just thinking. I don't know yet."

"Does Bella know?"

"Nope. I'm going to talk to her to see what she thinks."

"Well, I can pretty much guarantee that she won't have a problem with it." Wilson assured him. "And that's putting it lightly."

House's lip curved into a small smile, nodding in agreement.

"Need any help?"

"Maybe, I'll let you know."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

8:30 PM

Bella was sitting against the headboard of her bed with Mom on one side and Dad on the other. Normally only one of them would come to tuck her in but this night was different. It was the night before the court hearing where she would officially become their daughter.

"Are you nervous?" Mom asked her softly.

Bella nodded, her eyes averted from looking at either of her parents.

"You know it's all going to be ok, right? And I wouldn't say that if didn't believe it." Dad told her.

"I know."

"I'm nervous too." Mom told her honestly.

Bella looked up at her. "You are?"

"Yeah. But mostly because I just want it to be over with. I want it to be real…I've waited a long time for you." She told Bella tenderly. "I've waited a long time to be a Mom."

"But you been my Mom for months now."

"True. But tomorrow when the judge signs those papers…it'll be real, as if you were always ours."

Bella nodded in understanding and looked away once more, staring across the room. "It'll be like my real Mom and Dad never existed." She mumbled.

"No, Bella. It will never be like that." Mom told her softly, lifting Bella's chin, to meet her eyes. "They will always be a part of you. House and I don't want you to forget about your parents. They made you…and if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have you right now. We are more than grateful to your parents for making you into the young lady you are today. But life unfairly took them away from you and thankfully it brought you to us…and _now_ it's our job to continue what they started. Ok? Please don't think that we're trying to make you forget about your parents or Mattie. We would never ask that of you."

Bella shook her head. "I don't think that." She whispered. "I just still miss them a lot." She added sadly.

Mom looked sorrowfully at her. "I know…I know you do, baby." She whispered in response, her eyes tearing up. "C'mere." She instructed, reaching out for Bella to crawl on her lap.

Bella did as asked, and crawled sideways onto her lap. Mom placed a kiss on her forehead and held her tightly. Bella felt Dad's hand reach over and gently take hers in his. She held onto it as she laid her head against Mom's chest, feeling her drop another kiss onto her head.

"Would you like to talk about your parents?" Mom asked her softly, her lips against her forehead.

Bella shrugged. "Can I go see them?"

"Of course you can. When would you like to go?"

"Tomorrow…after."

"After the hearing?" Mom asked.

"Yeah." Bella answered, her eyes shifting to her Dad as he gave her hand gentle squeeze.

"Say the word, peanut, and we'll go any time you want." Dad assured her. "And I don't just mean tomorrow…_any time_ you want."

Bella lifted the corner of her lip in a half-smile, grateful for his words. "Ok." She replied, relaxing into Mom's embrace. As they sat there a few minutes in silence, Bella thought about what Dr. Sloane had said to her the other day, about going to visit her parents and asking Mom and Dad about finding out where Mattie was buried. She sighed softly decided to ask them.

"Can I visit Mattie too?" She asked softly.

Mom leaned back so she could see Bella's face better as she held her in her arms. Bella glanced up at her, seeing the surprise on her face at her request. Bella's eyes shifted to Dad after Mom's had, looking at him questioningly. Dad looked surprised at her question as well and after a moment, he looked at Bella.

"You want to go to New York…to the alley?" He asked with a furrow in his brow.

Bella shook her head. "No, I want to go to his grave. But I don't know where it is." She replied. "Max said once, that he was buried in a public cemetery, but I don't know where that is. Can we ask him?" She asked, her eyes still on her Dad.

He nodded after a moment. "Yeah, kid, we can ask him."

Bella smiled with relief, nodding her head.

"House, maybe we should check into moving him. He should be buried with his parents." Mom said, looking over at Dad.

Bella arched her brows, thinking it was a great idea. "Can they do that?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah they can do that, but I'm not sure he'd be buried next to them. We'll just have to see what plots are available." Mom answered softly.

"That would be ok, right? But if he was in the same cemetery?" Bella asked.

"Would you be ok with that?" Dad asked her. "I think it should be your decision."

"Yeah, I want to do that. Mom's right, he should be buried with Mom and Dad." Bella answered, nodding her head with approval.

Dad nodded as well. "Ok, we'll check into it."

Bella smiled once more, excited about the fact that she would be able to visit them in the same place.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, with Mom combing her fingers softly through Bella's hair as she continued to lay her head against Mom's shoulder. Bella suddenly remembered something she needed to tell them.

"I still have nightmares." She told her parents in a soft whisper.

They both turned their heads to look at her, surprised by her sudden announcement.

"They haven't gone away yet. They're not as bad as they used to be. I don't scream anymore, I just wake up sweating and breathing real hard." She continued before they'd had a chance to respond.

"Bella…" Mom began.

"Sorry I didn't tell you. I wasn't hiding it, I just don't always remember to talk about it."

"How bad _are_ they?" Dad asked her, no doubt wanting to know the extent of the effect they _did_ have on her.

Bella sighed. "Sometimes I still see Mattie die, but not always. Most of the time now it's just when we were running away and I see the bad men running after us and then I hear the first gunshot but then I wake up."

Mom sighed and laid her head on top of Bella's, placing a soft kiss onto her hair. "You know you're always welcome to come sleep in our room if you need to, don't you?" She mumbled softly to her.

Bella nodded. "I know. But I usually can get to sleep again. It's not like it use to be."

"That's good. Might mean they're going away soon." Dad offered.

"Really?" Bella asked hopefully.

"Maybe."

Bella smiled at him, hoping he was right.

After a moment, Mom kissed her temple and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Time for bed, baby. You need your rest, it's going to be a busy day tomorrow." She told Bella.

Bella moved off of her lap and laid down in bed, watching as Mom and Dad stood up from where they had been sitting. Mom brought the comforter over Bella's body and leaned in for a kiss.

"Goodnight." Mom told her.

"Night, Mom. Night, Dad." Bella responded.

"Night, peanut."

They made their way out of the room after turning off the light and Bella looked up at the ceiling in her bedroom. She thought about what they had talked about concerning moving Mattie to the cemetery where Mom and Dad were buried. She really like that idea and she hoped it would work out.

Bella yawned and closed her eyes as she tried to shut her mind down for the night. Mom was right, tomorrow would be a busy day and she needed to sleep. She thought about her nightmares and hoped she wouldn't have one tonight. They were becoming less frequent and less scary as time passed and Bella hoped they would go away completely. Tomorrow was a new start for her and she didn't want to have nightmares anymore to remind her of her old life. All she wanted was to look forward. With a hopeful smile on her face, Bella finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

9:00 AM – Wednesday

Cuddy, House, Bella, and their attorney Charles Vaughn sat in a small courtroom at the Mercer County courthouse waiting for the judge to enter and commence the hearing. Janine was there as well seated next to them as they waited. Cuddy glanced down at Bella as she sat between her and House, dressed in one of the outfits she had bought for her on Saturday. She was wearing a light pink floral print dress with little sequins on the front with a white knit sweater and white sandals on her feet. Cuddy thought she looked adorable. Her hair was pulled back, away from her face with a headband that matched her dress.

Cuddy noticed she had her hands in her lap, her fingers clasped together tightly as her eyes shifted around the room; she was nervous. She couldn't blame her, Cuddy was nervous as well. She reached over and took Bella's hand in hers, interlacing their fingers together as she held her hand comfortingly. Bella looked up at her and Cuddy gave her a smile, winking at her to let her know everything would be ok. Bella smiled in response and leaned her head on Cuddy's shoulder.

House glanced at them and Cuddy's smile grew when she shifted her eyes to him and saw how handsome he looked in his charcoal suit with the royal blue tie that she had bought for him that brought out his blue eyes. He placed his arm around Bella and Cuddy protectively, lightly stroking Cuddy's arm with his fingers. A moment or two later, the judge stepped into the room with a smile. Everyone stood up out of respect and he gestured for them to sit as he took his seat as well. He was a pudgy looking man with soft eyes and a friendly smile.

"I apologize for the wait; a small family matter that needed to be taken care of." He told them. "Let's begin, shall we?" He said, opening the file he had brought in with him, containing the necessary paperwork that had been filed by their attorney and that he would soon be signing.

He smiled over at them, his smile reaching his eyes. "I love this part of my job." He began. "It's not often that we see such endings to such tragic circumstances and I'm delighted to be here today to discuss the joint adoption of Isabella Grace Porter by Drs. Gregory House and Lisa Cuddy. I have read over the paperwork including the Petition submitted by Mr. Vaughn requesting this hearing and the court report sent in by Isabella's caseworker, Ms. Janine Cohen. I also have attached here a report from Miss Porter's therapist, Dr. Annette Sloane citing her professional opinion on Miss Porter's progression under Drs. House and Cuddy's care. According to Ms. Cohen's notes as well as Dr. Sloane's, during the months that Isabella has spent under your care, Drs., I see how well she has been doing given her traumatic past and the progression of her emotional and mental state. Therefore, your petition to be granted full parental rights of Miss Porter has been granted. But before I do that, if it's alright with Isabella, I'd like to say a few words." He finished, turning his eyes to Bella, his smile still present on his face.

Bella looked up at House before shifting her eyes to Cuddy. She gave Bella a slight nod, letting her know that it was ok for her to talk to the judge. Bella turned her attention to Judge Browder and nodded her acknowledgement of his request.

He nodded as well in response. "I just wanted to say that you've been through a lot, and I am very impressed with your perseverance and bravery to come through what you have. You are a very tenacious young lady because a lot of kids would've been unable to handle everything that's been thrown at you. Heck, a lot of _adults_ couldn't handle what you have." He told her, as a smile remained on his face. After a moment, his smile fell, and a look of sorrow appeared in its place. "I am very sorry for everything that you've been through. Losing your parents is never an easy thing, but losing them so young is a tragedy. I didn't know your parents, sweetheart, but as a parent and a grandparent myself, I can tell you that they would be extremely proud of their little girl today. And I can tell by the look on your new Mommy and Daddy's faces, that they are very proud of you as well. You are an extremely lucky young lady and I wish you the best in your life. Congratulations, Isabella." He finished in a soft tone.

"Thank you." She uttered shyly.

The judge turned his attention to House and Cuddy. "Doctors, you are taking into your lives a great joy and responsibility today. You have both done an admirable job fostering Isabella and I have confidence that you will continue to do so as her adoptive parents. My congratulations to you both."

"Thank you, your honor." Cuddy replied, noticing House's nod in thanks as well.

Judge Browder nodded in acceptance of their thanks before taking the pen and signing the papers. When he finished he laid his pen down and collected the papers. "Mr. Vaughn will take it from here." He stated, handing the papers to House and Cuddy's lawyer and standing up, making his way out of the courtroom.

House, Cuddy and Bella exchanged happy and relieved looks between them. House was the first to stand up, followed by Cuddy and then Bella. Cuddy looked down at Bella with a smile and extended her arms for a hug. Bella moved into her arms with a wide grin on her face as Cuddy hugged her tightly, closing her eyes, laying her head on top of Bella's and enjoying the moment she had been waiting for, for so long. Her eyes began to tear up as she held Bella because of the realization that what had just happened was real and no one could take it away from her. She had a daughter…finally, and the happiness she felt right now was indescribable.

Cuddy felt a hand on her shoulder. "Lisa, congratulations." She heard Janine say in a soft whisper. Cuddy looked up at her with a smile and gently released Bella from her embrace and wound her arms around Janine.

"Janine, thank you for everything. This couldn't have happened without your help, you have done so much for us." Cuddy told her.

"You are more than welcome. I'm happy to see that everything worked out for all of you. You deserve this." Janine responded, releasing Cuddy from her embrace and giving her a smile. Janine turned her attention to Bella and held out her arms just as Cuddy had done, asking for a hug. Bella moved into her arms.

"Thank you, Janine." Bella told her, laying her head against Janine.

"You're welcome, darling. I'm so happy for you."

Bella smiled and looked up at her. "You're going to be a real good mom when you have your baby."

Janine's smile widened at her words. "Aw, thank you, honey. That means a lot to me."

Cuddy watched their interaction before she shifted her eyes to House as he stood by and talked to their lawyer, no doubt getting information on what would happen next.

After spending a few more minutes in the courtroom talking, Janine left, needing to go back to work and after talking to House, their lawyer left as well. House, Cuddy and Bella walked out of the courtroom together and made their way to the car. After settling inside, House turned his head to Bella.

"So what do you say, mini House, you up for brunch?"

Bella chuckled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I want pancakes."

"You always want pancakes." House responded, turning his head and glancing briefly at Cuddy with a smirk before turning the ignition.

Cuddy smiled as well and reached over, gently placing her hand on his leg as he drove them to one of their favorite restaurants for brunch.

"So what did Charles tell you?" Cuddy asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Next step is a new birth certificate with her new name and her old one will be placed under seal."

"What does that mean, Dad?" Bella asked.

"Means nobody can see it unless the judge says so."

"Oh." She replied. "But I get a new one?"

"Yep."

"And then it's over?" Bella asked curiously.

"Then it's over. You're officially a House." House replied.

Cuddy smiled at hearing him say those words. She never thought that one day she and Gregory House would share a daughter. They had come a long way in such a short amount of time. But everything they've been through to get to where they are now had been worth it, because they had come out of it happier and stronger than she ever thought possible. She knew they had more tough times ahead, because who didn't? But she knew they would make it…they had to. They had a daughter now.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

12:30 PM – Riverview Cemetery – Trenton, NJ

Bella stood in front of her parent's graves holding a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She had chosen to get daisies because they seemed like happy flowers to her. She chose a bouquet of white and yellow ones, because they were bright and cheerful and each petal looked like it was smiling. Today was a happy day and she wanted it to continue in that way even though where she stood wasn't a particularly happy place right now. Her new Mom and Dad stood next to her on either side; Mom's hand was resting across Bella's shoulders and Dad stood quietly to her left.

Bella took in a deep, steadying breath before she began speaking. "Hi Mom and Dad." She said softly. "I brought you these." Bella told them, kneeling down and setting the flowers beside their headstones.

When she straightened up, Bella glanced up at Mom, seeing her give an encouraging smile. Bella shifted her attention back to the graves. "Guess what?" She continued. "I got adopted today." Bella smiled. "I have a family again." She added before looking up at her new parents. "This is my new Dad." She said, taking hold of his blazer sleeve as he held onto his cane with his right hand, before she turned to Mom and took her hand. "And this is my new Mom. I told you about them before, remember?" She asked.

Bella looked up at her new parents again. "Do you want to say hi?" She asked.

Dad shook his head, seemingly uncomfortable with speaking to dead people, knowing they couldn't hear them. Mom gently squeezed Bella's hand and shifted her eyes to the headstones. "Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Porter." She said.

Bella smiled at her before turning her head to the headstones once more. "I miss you, Mom and Dad. I always will." She said softly. "But now I have a new life." Bella said, a small furrow appearing on her brow. "I won't ever forget you, ok?"

She was quiet for a moment as she stared at her parent's names etched in stone and sighing softly. "I love you." She whispered.

Another moment passed before she looked up at Mom and Dad, finally ready to leave. Mom placed her hand softly on the side of Bella's head, gently drawing her into a hug against her side. "Ready?" She asked in a whisper.

Bella nodded.

They turned away from the graves and quietly made their way back to the car. Bella briefly glanced back for one more look at the graves before turning her head as she walked away from her parents. She would be back to visit them, but probably not for a while. She couldn't dwell on her past if she wanted to move forward, and that is what today was about. Bella would never forget her past but she didn't want to dwell on it either. She needed to concentrate on her future and make the best of it. The last couple of years had been a horrible nightmare, but before her world had fallen apart, it had been amazing. And that is what she wanted to remember. As she looked forward, all she wanted was to have a great life like she used to have. And now that she had a new family, she knew she would.

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7:38 PM

House closed his and Cuddy's bedroom door after making sure that Cuddy was securely tucked away, enjoying her soak in the bathtub. He made his way to the living room where Bella was watching some kiddie movie he didn't know or care about. As he entered, Bella looked up at him with a smile.

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, Daughter." He responded, receiving a chuckle from her before she shifted her attention back to her movie.

House flopped down on the couch beside her, briefly watching her movie before turning his attention to her. She looked up at him questioningly.

"What?" She asked with a frown.

"Can we talk for a second before your mother comes in here?"

Her frown deepened as she looked at him suspiciously. "Are we keeping a secret from her?"

"This one, we are. But not for long."

"Ok…what is it?" She asked curiously.

He sighed, readying himself to tell her what he wanted to say because once he said it, he couldn't take it back. "This is hush hush…between you and me, capice? We don't talk about it or allude to it in your mother's presence. Understood?"

Bella nodded.

House nodded as well, satisfied that she'd keep quiet until it was time. "I want to get your Mom a ring." He told her.

Bella nodded, a small furrow in her brow as she looked at him, the question as to why it was such a secret written all over her face. She clearly didn't get what he meant by 'a ring'.

"An engagement ring, peanut." He clarified for her.

Bella's eyes practically bugged out of her head and she gasped, opening her mouth to release what he knew would be an extremely loud squeal of excitement. But before she could, he placed his hand over her mouth.

"Shhhhhh. Don't even think about it." He told her. "It's a surprise, remember?"

Bella nodded her head, his hand still covering her mouth and her eyes still as big as saucers. House could feel her lips curve into a smile against his hand before she removed it from her face. "You're going to ask her to marry you?" She asked in an excited whisper.

House smiled and nodded his head. "Yep, and I'm going to need your help."

"Anything, Dad, I'll do it." She told him happily, moving onto her knees beside him and bouncing excitedly on the couch.

"Good. But I'm going to need your best poker face, understood? She can't get wind of this."

"Ok." She agreed.

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**A/N: Just an FYI, I did some research into adoption and the finalization process, however, I took some creative license in writing the courtroom scene because I've never actually been through the adoption process myself and I have no idea what the it entails. So…those of you who have been through it or are a professional in that area, I apologize for any inaccuracies. I'm fairly sure it's more complicated than I made it seem. **


	60. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

11:15 AM – Two Weeks Later

Bella sat in an empty classroom at her school with a test in front of her as Mrs. Decker sat at the teacher's desk reading a book. She had been preparing for this placement test all summer and as she sat there with her math problems in front of her, she suddenly blanked on how to solve them. Bella closed her eyes and tried to search her brain so she could remember what she had been taught. Mom and Dad had been working with her the last couple of weeks leading up to the test and she had been doing pretty well. But now that she was looking at it in front of her, she blanked. Bella had done well with the first section of the test that contained reading comprehension, grammar, and composition. The last part of the test was math, her worst subject.

Both of her parents were doctors so they understood and even liked math, but Bella hated it. She didn't have the patience for it and it frustrated the hell out of her. However, she did have a pretty good memory, so she could recall some of the tricks that Mom and Dad had taught her to help work them out in her head. Bella opened her eyes and concentrated on the problems before her. She smiled when she suddenly remembered how to work them out.

About 15 minutes later, Bella completed all the math problems and stood up, making her way to Mrs. Decker at the front of the class and handing her the test.

"I'm finished." She told her.

"Great. How do you think you did?" Mrs. Decker asked.

"Ok, I think."

"Alright. Do you have any questions for me?"

Bella shook her head, letting her know she didn't.

"Ok, honey. We'll get this graded and let you know how you did soon, alright?"

"Ok, Mrs. Decker. Thanks."

"You're welcome, darling. Your Mom is waiting in the teacher's lounge for you."

She nodded. "Bye." Bella said, waving her hand on her way out the door.

"Bye bye, I'll see you soon, dear."

Bella nodded and stepped out into the hallway, making her way to the teacher's lounge down the hall. When she opened the door, her eyes fell on Mom as she sat at a table with her computer open in front of her. Mom looked up with a smile.

"Hey, baby, did you finish?"

"Yeah."

"How did you do?"

"I don't know. Ok, I guess. Mrs. Decker said they had to grade it and she would let us know."

"Ok. Did she say when?" She asked with slight furrow in her brow.

Bella shook her head. "Just soon." She answered, shrugging her shoulders.

Mom nodded in understanding and closed her laptop, placing it in her briefcase along with some medical folders. "Ok, let's go then, I need to drop you off at Maya's before I head into work."

"K."

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11:49 AM – Friday – Two Weeks Later

"Thank you, Mr. Davenport, we appreciate your generosity." Cuddy said over the phone as she talked to one of the hospital's donors. As she ended the conversation, she saw her office door open, and watched House stroll in just as she hung up the phone.

"Hey, love muffin."

"Don't call me that."

House rolled his eyes as he moved to stand in front of her desk. "It's your fault." He accused. "I had to make the decision on a pet name because you never did."

"Maybe because I don't want a pet name." She responded, looking up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Too bad; you date me, you get a pet name. It's part of the package." He retorted.

"Hmm, wish I'd known that beforehand." She replied dryly.

"Too late to change your mind. It was in the fine print, it's not my fault you didn't read it…now you're stuck with me."

Cuddy smiled up at him, inwardly, more than happy to be stuck with him; outwardly, she wanted to mess with him. "Not till I sign the contract." She pointed out, chuckling at the glare he threw at her.

"Busy for lunch?" He asked a moment later, changing the subject.

"Actually, no. I'm all yours."

"Great, because I want a steak. Let's go out." He offered.

Cuddy considered it. She didn't have anything pressing today, or any meetings scheduled. It would be nice to take a long lunch with House. "Ok." She answered, standing up and shutting down her computer.

She grabbed her purse and they walked out of her office together. Once they reached the lobby doors and were outside of the hospital, he took her hand in his as they walked, interlacing their fingers. When they reached the garage, they were headed to her car but he stopped their progress. She looked at him questioningly.

"Let's take my bike." He suggested, a smile coming to his lips.

She furrowed her brow and started to deny his suggestion. "House…"

"Come on, it'll be fun. Plus you said you wanted to ride with me sometime."

"I didn't mean in the middle of a work day when I'm wearing work clothes and…"

"You're dressed in pants, you'll be fine. I'll even let you wear my jacket if you want."

"I-House…" She stuttered. "I don't have a helmet and I can't wear yours, you need one too."

House shook his head, pulling her over to the bike. "Already got it covered." He told her, grabbing the extra helmet hanging from one of the handlebars. "Bought it awhile back." He explained, holding it up for her to see.

"You bought me a motorcycle helmet? How often did you plan on me riding with you?"

"At least once. But after today, you'll be begging me to take you for a ride. And I mean that in more than one way." He replied suggestively, winking at her.

"I don't know, House." She said reluctantly.

"Don't think, just do it. You know you want to." He smiled at her.

As she looked at him, she could see the excitement in his eyes and the hope that she wouldn't turn him down. This meant something to him, she couldn't say no without hurting him. "Fine. But don't do anything stupid. And don't…"

"Oh calm down. I'm not going to do anything stupid." He replied, rolling his eyes and handing her the helmet. She took it from him and with great reluctance, put it over her head, adjusting it until it was comfortable.

"Here, put this on too." He said as he took his jacket off and handed it to her, once she had her helmet on.

Cuddy took his leather jacket and put it on. It swallowed her small frame, the arms of the jacket engulfing hers completely. "Why do I need this? I look ridiculous." She commented.

"True. But you also look kinda cute." He told her with a smile, zipping it up for her.

He never said things like that, so his comment surprised her and she couldn't help but smile back at him. She let a small chuckle escape her lips as he turned from her and straddled the bike.

"And you need it for safety, to protect yourself in case something does happen." He informed her.

She nodded. Before she could move to get on the bike, he took the sleeve of his jacket that she was wearing and pulled her to him with a smirk. "C'mere. Let me fasten your helmet."

"Thanks." She replied. He took the straps in his hand, and with gentleness, fastened it securely underneath her chin.

"How's that feel?" He asked softly as he looked to her questioningly.

"It's good."

He nodded before placing his hands on the handlebars and removing the kickstand with his foot. He put the key in the ignition and turned it, his motorcycle roaring to life. She stood by and watched, feeling slight apprehension about getting on that thing. He turned to her and held his hand out to help her mount the bike. She grabbed his hand and climbed on, throwing her leg over and straddling the seat behind him.

House turned his head to the side, so he could speak to her. "Ok, Cuddy, hang on tight. If you need me to pull over for any reason, just give me a tap on the shoulder." He instructed.

"Ok." She replied, semi-nervously. She had ridden on the back of a motorcycle before but it had been years.

He must have sensed her discomfort because he turned his head once more to look into her eyes and spoke softly. "I'm not going to do anything stupid. Trust me." He told her in a serious tone.

"I trust you, House." She told him.

He nodded in reply. "Ok, hang on."

Cuddy lowered the visor on her helmet and hugged his waist tightly. He backed out of his parking space and slowly drove out of the garage. They made their way to a restaurant about 15 minutes from the hospital and the longer Cuddy was on the bike the more comfortable she felt. House was actually doing the speed limit and he never once did anything she would deem crazy or irresponsible. When they stopped at a red light, House moved one of his hands from the handlebars and brought it to one of hers that was securely wrapped around his waist. He gently caressed the back of her hand comfortingly; no doubt wanting to make sure she was ok. She turned her hand around in his in response, feeling completely safe and comfortable with him. She knew he would never do anything that could potentially hurt either of them, and she wanted him to know that she was ok.

When the light turned green, he let go of her hand and placed it back on the handlebars. Cuddy kept her grip around his waist until they made it safely to the restaurant. When House pulled into a parking space, he shut off the engine and carefully helped her off of the bike. Once their helmets were off, she smiled up at him as he looked down at her with a smirk.

"Have fun?" He asked.

Cuddy nodded. "I can't believe you obeyed the traffic laws." She teased.

"Told you I was a safe driver." He responded, placing his helmet on the handlebars before taking hers from her and doing the same. "Now come on, you're buying." He added, placing his arm around her shoulder and leading her into the restaurant.

She rolled her eyes as she slipped her arm around his waist. "Of course I am." She replied dryly.

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1:30 PM

House and Cuddy had enjoyed a nice lunch, talking about Bella and how well she had done on her placement test and how excited she was to hear she would be in the same class as her friends. They had talked briefly about their plans to move Mattie to the same cemetery as Bella's parents as well as making small talk as they waited for their food. They were still seated at their table at the Witherspoon Grill after having finished eating their lunches a few minutes ago. House had decided to take Cuddy to lunch away from the hospital so his plans to propose to her tonight could be put into action. Wilson was currently doing his best friend duty and setting everything up for him.

House was nervous as hell during lunch, but he had managed to eat more than he thought he'd be able to considering his constant worrying about whether things were going according to plan on Wilson's end. He had been watching Cuddy the entire time and he didn't think she suspected that anything out of the ordinary was going on. She seemed relaxed and happy. However, he was not. He had been putting on his best poker face, so she wouldn't suspect anything or see that he was a bundle of nerves beneath the surface. His hands had been sweating and the butterflies in his stomach wouldn't stop fluttering. He didn't know why he was so worried; he did this sort of thing all the time. He was the king of deception and manipulation; there was nothing to worry about. He kept telling himself that, but it didn't keep the butterflies away. He wanted her to be completely surprised; that was the only way it would be perfect.

As they sat in their booth, Cuddy had been talking about something, probably concerning the hospital but he had barely been listening, when suddenly he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, letting him know he had a text. Thankfully, due to the restaurant noise, Cuddy hadn't heard it.

"Be right back, I gotta pee." He told her quickly before getting up and making his way to the restroom.

Once inside he pulled out his phone and read the message.

_You're good to go. Everything's set. Good luck tonight!_

House smirked at Wilson's text and replied with a quick thank you before putting his phone away and making his way out of the restroom and back to the table. Operation 'Marriage Proposal' had now commenced. Now all he had to do was call Bella once he got back to the hospital so she could put her part of the plan into motion.

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2:00 PM

Bella was sitting on Maya's bed with the cell phone in her lap that Dad had given her a few days ago, anxiously waiting to hear from him. Mom didn't know about the phone because it was part of the proposal plan. It was just one of those with pre-paid minutes on it, but she felt sort of like a grown up for having one. Dad said he'd need to get in touch with her and he wanted to make sure he could talk to her directly when he needed to. They had come up with a plan to keep Mom out of the house tonight and Bella was waiting for Dad's cue so she could do her part. She was nervous and excited at the same time and she had butterflies in her stomach at the thought of what was happening. She couldn't wait to hear all about it tomorrow. Bella wished she could be there to see Mom's face when Dad finally proposed. And she couldn't wait to see the ring on her finger.

Maya and her Mom, Keiko, were sitting next to her, having both been filled in on the plan, since they were going to help as well. After a few minutes of waiting, the phone finally rang and Bella startled at the sound before quickly answering it.

"Hi, Dad, is it time?" She asked excitedly as a greeting.

"Yeah, peanut, it's time. Don't let her say no…you have to be convincing. I know you shouldn't have a problem with that."

"No problem, Daddy. It's what I do best."

"Yeah, I know. Is everything ok with the Asians?"

Bella rolled her eyes at his description of Maya and her Mom. "Yeah, Dad. We're ready."

"Ok, call me and let me know how it goes." He instructed.

"Ok, I'll call you back in a minute." She told him before hanging up the phone. Bella looked up at Maya and Keiko with a smile. "It's time. I have to use your phone because she doesn't know I have this one." She told them, holding up the phone she had in her hand.

"Of course." Keiko replied, getting up to get the cordless phone.

"So what are you going to say? What if she says no?" Maya asked.

"She won't say no, it'll be easy…I used to do this all the time." Bella assured her.

"What do you mean?" Maya asked with confusion.

"I'll tell you about it someday." Bella promised with a nod of her head, knowing she couldn't keep her past a secret from the people she cared about for very long. People liked to ask questions about her life after they found out she was adopted, and while she didn't tell strangers the details about her past, she couldn't keep her friends in the dark about the life she used to have.

Just then, Keiko came back into the room and handed her the cordless.

Bella took a deep breath and dialed Mom's cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, baby, is everything ok?

"Yeah. I just wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Will you take me and Maya to the movies tonight?"

"Tonight, Bella? It's kind of short notice, don't you think?"

"Please, Mom? We wanted to see a movie tonight and Maya's mom is busy, so can you take us?"

Bella heard her sigh on the other end of the phone, but she knew she wouldn't say no. "Bella I have some work to finish up tonight and I was planning on staying a little bit later. Can Dad take you?"

Bella smirked, knowing she was going to suggest that. "No, he said he was going out with James tonight."

"Honey, I don't think tonight is a good night. Maybe we can go tomorrow night, ok?"

Bella rolled her eyes at how much of a fight Mom was putting up about this. She took in a deep breath, exhaling with disappointment so Mom could hear her. She'd have to pull out all the stops. "Please, Mom, you always work too much and I wanted you go with us." She pleaded. She knew Mom would feel guilty about what Bella had just said and she'd ultimately agree to take them.

After a moment, Mom proved her right and Bella began to smile when she heard Mom release another sigh.

"Ok. I'll take you to the movies."

"Really! Thanks, Mommy; you're the best. I love you." Bella replied happily. She wasn't faking her excitement just then; she felt she was able to release some of the nervous anxiety she'd been feeling all day into that reply.

Mom chuckled in her ear and Bella could just picture her smile as she responded to Bella's excitement. "You're welcome, baby girl. Listen, let me talk to Keiko for a minute so we can make arrangements, ok?"

"Ok, Mom. I'll see you tonight!"

"See ya, honey."

Bella handed the phone to Keiko, giving her a thumbs up. Keiko nodded and spoke with Mom for a few minutes, playing her part perfectly. Bella smiled at how well things were going to plan and she couldn't wait to call Dad to let him know.

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3:15 PM

House was sitting at his desk listening to some soothing music on his Ipod and trying to calm his mind from thinking too much about what he was getting ready to do in a few hours. He was going to ask Lisa Cuddy to marry him. Lisa Cuddy; the woman he'd been in love with since he met her back in Michigan all those years ago. He never knew he was in love with her…at least not consciously. He had always had a thing for her thing, that was for sure, but it wasn't until a few months ago that he'd begun to realize those feelings went deeper than he thought. He didn't just want her body; he wanted all of her. Ever since the kid came into their lives, he'd begun to see her differently. They had gotten closer because of the kid and all of a sudden he wanted more. Not without fighting it for all he was worth though, but he'd finally given in and gone after it. He had been miserable for so long that he couldn't see that he wanted what everyone wanted; a family. He'd never even known he wanted one until it was right in his face, being offered to him.

After the infarction, he was so consumed with hate and anger for those who betrayed him that he wanted nothing to do with any of them for a long time. Vicodin was his only true love after that. He still loved his Vicodin, but he could honestly say it wasn't his life anymore. He found he didn't need it as often as he used to. He didn't find himself popping pills every few hours, as was his custom for longer than he cared to remember. There were still times where he needed more pills than others, like when he was playing with Bella at home or when he took long walks in the park with both Cuddy and Bella. But most of the time he had managed to keep them to a minimum.

One of those reasons was because of his daughter. He couldn't be the father he needed to be if he were always high. He couldn't let Bella see that side of him. House loved his kid, more than he ever thought possible, and he never wanted her to see him be the person he used to be. She deserved so much better than that. She deserved to have the best of him, such as it was. He was willing to give her what he could, even though he still didn't think he was worthy of the love she had for him. He had come to the place where he finally realized that. What's more, _Cuddy_ deserved the best of him as well. They had been through a lot together. She'd seen him through good times, as few as they were, and bad times. But mostly bad times. He didn't want that to be their future. He didn't want to look back; he needed to look forward.

As he sat there deep in thought, he barely noticed that his office door had opened and that someone had entered. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye, he looked up to see Wilson standing before him with his mouth moving as he said something that House couldn't hear because of the music blaring in his ears.

House removed the earphones in order to hear what his best friend was saying.

"…about tonight?"

"What?"

Wilson sighed. "I asked if you were nervous about tonight?"

"Why would you ask me that?" House replied, rolling his eyes.

"It's a fair question." Wilson defended.

"It's a stupid question. How were your nerves the three times _you_ proposed?" He asked smartly.

"Good point." Wilson responded with a nod of his head, sitting down in front of his desk. "Don't worry, she'll say yes."

"I'm not worried she'll say no…I'm worried she won't be surprised."

"Of course she'll be surprised. I'm pretty sure she has no idea what's going on. I was just down in the clinic and she didn't look nervous, she looked stressed. You know if she thought she was getting proposed to tonight, she'd be a ball of nerves."

House smirked, nodding his head in agreement. He frowned suddenly. "Why is she stressed?" He asked. That was the last thing he wanted her feel right now; it could put a damper on their evening.

Wilson shrugged. "Problem in the clinic. I think she'll be ok. You know Cuddy, if she can handle you, she can handle anything." He replied with a chuckle. "How's Bella?" Wilson asked, changing the subject.

House shrugged his shoulders in non-chalance. "She's fine…she's excited."

Wilson smiled, nodding his head. "You think she can pull off her part tonight?"

"No doubt…if anyone can pull it off, she can."

"True." Wilson nodded in agreement.

"So how is the baby mama and the little bun in the oven?" House asked, jutting his chin out toward Wilson questioningly.

Wilson smiled happily, nodding his head. "They're great, Janine's about 2 months along now. Except for the morning sickness, everything's perfect."

"So when are you planning to pop the question?" House asked knowingly. His best friend was so predictable. It was just a matter of time before he got down on one knee again.

Wilson looked at him with a bit of surprise before he rolled his eyes. "I don't know…I'm just thinking about it. Janine says she doesn't want to get married just because we're having a baby."

"So don't get married…just live in sin and raise your illegitimate child together." House responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you to be supportive."

"I'm not going to tell you marry her…your last three didn't work out, maybe you should try _not _being married this time. Odds are, it'll work better for you that way." House told him with a chuckle.

"Thanks." Wilson rolled his eyes before slightly nodding his head in agreement. "You're probably right though."

"I'm always right."

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7:10 PM

Bella and Maya were waiting for Mom just outside the restroom at the movie theater, holding their tub of popcorn and soft drinks in their hands.

"Ok, Maya, when the movie's over and we leave the theater, that's when you ask my Mom if I can spend the night tonight."

"Ok." Maya agreed, nodding her head in understanding. "What if she says no."

Bella rolled her eyes. "She won't say no…trust me. She's so tired from work, she won't put up much of a argument."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"How do you know all of this?"

"She's my mom." Bella replied with a shrug of her shoulders as if it were obvious.

"Yeah, but you said earlier that you did this stuff all the time. What did you mean?" Maya pressed.

Bella sighed, knowing she'd be explaining this to her sooner rather than later. And she figured it couldn't hurt to tell Maya about her past. They were practically best friends now and best friends told each other everything. "I'll tell you tonight at your house, ok?"

Maya nodded. "Ok."

Just then, Mom came out of the restroom, looking over at them with a smile. "Ok girls, let's go find a seat." She told them, ushering them down the corridor toward the theater where the movie was showing. "Are you sure neither of you need to use the bathroom before the movie?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, we're sure." Bella answered.

An hour and a half later, the credits were rolling on the movie they had just watched, which turned out not to be the best movie Bella had ever seen but it had been for a good cause. Bella wasn't really paying much attention to it anyway, because she was too distracted with her thoughts about the proposal and the plan, that so far was going well, but anything could happen at this point. Mom could end up saying no instead of agreeing to let Bella spend the night at Maya's house. That would put a crater-sized dent in their plans, so it _had_ to work.

As they were walking out of the theater, Bella gently elbowed Maya, letting her know it was time for her to do her part. Maya looked over at her as they walked out of the theater and toward the car in the parking lot. She nodded in understanding before shifting her eyes to Mom.

"Miss Lisa." Maya began.

Mom looked down at Maya questioningly, a small smile on her lips as she waited to hear what Maya was going to say.

"Thanks for bringing us to the movies."

Mom's smile grew as she nodded. "You're welcome, sweetie."

"Ummm…would it be ok if Bella spent the night at my house tonight?" Maya asked.

Mom furrowed her brow, seemingly unsure about letting Bella stay over there tonight since it hadn't been discussed before.

"I thought if it's ok with you, that me and Bella could go swimming when we get to my house. My mom said it's ok." Maya pushed. Bella smiled at her friend, she was pretty good at this.

"Honey, I don't think…."

Bella gasped excitedly, sensing that she needed to jump in and help with the situation. "Ah, Mom, please? I've never been swimming at night; it sounds like so much fun! Please?" Bella begged.

"Bella, I don't think I'm comfortable with you swimming in the dark, you're just learning and I don't want something to happen to you."

"Mom, Maya's mom and dad will be there to look after us. Pleeeaaase?" She pleaded, jumping in front of Mom, halting her progress as they walked to the car and taking her hand as she begged Mom to let her go swimming. "You said you were tired anyway, that way you can go home and relax since you had a hard day at work, ok? Please, Mom?" Bella added.

Mom sighed and Bella knew she had her.

"I'll be real careful." Bella added, trying to reassure her.

Mom glanced at Maya. "Have you spoken with your mom about this?"

Maya nodded her head. "She said it's fine."

Glancing back at Bella, Mom gave her a short nod in approval. "Fine. But I want you to promise me…"

"I promise." Bella replied quickly, cutting her off.

Mom furrowed her brow, still having doubts about letting Bella swim in the dark. "Mom, I promise I'll be careful. You shouldn't worry so much."

Mom allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "I can't help it."

"I know. You're Mom; mom's worry." She stated as a matter of fact, shrugging her shoulders.

Mom released a low chuckle in her throat before taking both girls' hands and leading them to the car. Bella glanced over at Maya, winking at her to let her know she did a great job.

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9:40 PM

House breathed in a deep sigh of apprehension, pacing the hallway inside the home he shared with Cuddy and Bella. He never remembered a time in his life when he was this nervous. Not even when he was getting ready to take his MCATs to get into medical school. But tonight was different, he was so nervous he could barely breathe. He felt like an idiot for getting this worked up over asking one freaking question. He had been nervous all day but now that it was almost time, he was a hundred times more nervous than earlier. Pacing helped, even though his leg was killing him. He needed to stop it or he wouldn't be able to get down on one knee just like he'd planned to do. His palms were still sweaty and it felt like it was 200 degrees in the house. He was so uncomfortable in the damn suit he was wearing. He pulled the collar away from his neck so he could breathe a little better. House stopped pacing and tried to control his breathing; closing his eyes and taking in deep, slow breaths.

Several deep breaths later, as his heart was beginning to slow and beat at its normal rate, he heard a car pull into the driveway causing him to open his eyes and look toward the front door where he knew Cuddy would be entering the house at any moment.

This was it…no turning back.

House took in one more calming breath and straightened his tie and adjusted his suit jacket, before taking his position in the hallway as he waited for Cuddy to open the door. One more deep breath.

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Cuddy parked the car in front of the garage door, finally arriving home after having dropped Bella and Maya off at Maya's house. She hadn't expected to have a quiet evening at home tonight but her day had ended up being more tiresome than she had anticipated this morning and now she was grateful for the opportunity. She'd had trouble staying awake during the movie, and come to think of it, she may have nodded off for a few minutes, but thankfully the girls hadn't noticed. Cuddy was always glad to spend time with Bella and her friends but tonight she wanted to sit and relax for a while.

As Cuddy got out of the car, she grabbed her briefcase out of the backseat and locked the door. She made her way up to the front door, her heels clicking on the concrete. She noticed that the only light on at the house was the porch light. She knew House wasn't there because Bella told her he was going out with Wilson for drinks tonight and he had confirmed it after talking to him to let him know she was taking Bella to the movies. Cuddy sighed, ready to spend the rest of the evening alone until House got back from the bar. Maybe she'd take a nice long soak in the tub and enjoy a glass of wine before she went to bed.

Cuddy unlocked the front door and stepped inside the house, setting her briefcase down by the side table as well as her keys and purse. When she turned around in the foyer, she spotted a figure standing at the end of the hallway. Her eyes grew wide with fear and her body froze in place, before she saw him move forward, showing his face.

"Oh my god, House, you scared me to death. I thought someone had broken in." She said with relief, placing her hand over her heart as it had begun to race from fear that she was about to be attacked in her own home.

He didn't respond and when she looked at him closely she furrowed her brow. "What are you doing home, I thought you were going out with Wilson?" She asked. "And why are you wearing your suit?" She added, her furrow deepening as she realized that he was dressed up. But the only response she received was a slight curve of his lip as he smiled at her. It was then that she noticed her surroundings. The hardwood floors were sprinkled with red rose petals and the dining room and living room were glowing from the light of several candles spread about the rooms, providing the only illumination in the house; she hadn't noticed them when she walked in. The hallway in front of her was dark and she could barely make out House's face as he stood a few feet away from her. After shifting her eyes around the house, her lips curved into a sweet smile, loving the romantic night he had clearly planned for them.

House stepped forward, into the glow that surrounded them, and came to stand directly in front of her causing her head to tilt back to see his face.

She opened her mouth to thank him for such a beautiful set up, when he gently placed his hand on her lips and shook his head, keeping her from speaking. Cuddy kept silent, waiting for him to say something. His eyes were a deep shade of blue in the darkness rather than their usual bright hue. He was staring at her intently and seemed to be slightly nervous. Was he afraid she wouldn't like that he had done this for her?

After a moment of silence, as they continued to stare into each other's eyes, he suddenly and with some effort, knelt down before her. Her heart stopped beating in her chest for second time in a span a few minutes and she could no longer breath as she realized what he was doing. Her mouth went dry as her jaw dropped to the floor, a slight gasp escaping her throat.

House dug his hand into his pocket and brought out a small black velvet box, opening it and revealing what she had quickly deduced was inside. It was the most beautiful engagement ring she'd ever seen. It was platinum with a round one-carat diamond and two pear-shaped side stones. It was stunning.

'_She was dreaming; she had to be dreaming.'_ She thought, as her eyes remained on the ring before her. Cuddy knew he had planned to do this eventually and to be honest she thought it would be sometime in the distant future. She never imagined he'd ask her now; not this soon after he'd proposed to propose.

"Cuddy." She heard him say softly, drawing her eyes away from the ring and up to meet his. He gave her a small smile, his eyes soft as he gazed up at her. Cuddy stood speechless, her eyes starting to feel the sting of tears at the realization of what was happening.

"I bet you thought I'd never do this, didn't you?" He asked, his smile growing slightly.

She stared at him, still unable to utter a word. She tried to speak, opening and closing her mouth but nothing came out. Her voice was gone; she had no words.

"You don't have to answer that question…as long as you answer this one." He told her softly before taking a steadying breath. "Lisa Cuddy…will you marry me?"

Recovering from her shocked state, a smile slowly made its way onto Cuddy's face as a small tear finally slipped out of her eye and rolled down her cheek. She slowly nodded her head; and instead of helping him stand to his feet, Cuddy knelt down before him and threw her arms around his neck. "Yes." She whispered, an emotional chuckle escaping her lips. "Yes." She repeated. "I'll marry you." Cuddy said, placing a kiss on his neck and hugging him tightly, unable to keep a radiant smile from taking over her face.

Cuddy felt his arms surround her as she embraced him tightly. House buried his face in her neck and breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment, he leaned back with a smile on his face and removed the ring from the box. She watched as he took her left hand in his and gently placed the ring on her finger. Cuddy admired it for a moment as he held her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her fingers before she looked up at him with the huge smile that was still on her face. "It's stunning." She whispered.

"You are." He corrected softly, seemingly not realizing he'd spoken his thought out loud as he looked shyly at her once he realized that he had.

Her smiled widened, if that were possible, and she leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips; the kiss telling him how happy he'd made her and how much she loved him. Her hands cradled his face as they kissed deeply and passionately. After a moment, his lips moved down her jaw line and to her neck before he whispered into her ear. "I love you." He told her.

"I love you too." She whispered back, winding her arms around his neck once more, feeling overwhelming emotions pour through her, as the moment taking place was one of the most amazing moments of her life. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute as she held him close to her.

They held each other for a few minutes, until Cuddy felt House shift uncomfortably in his position on his knees, but he didn't release her from his embrace. She pulled back and looked up at him, swiping the tears from her eyes. "Your leg is hurting." She noted softly before standing to her feet and pulling him up so that he was standing before her once again. Cuddy hadn't stopped smiling; she couldn't. She looked down at her ring once more.

"House, it's beautiful." She told him, running her finger over it and studying the intricacies of it. She never imagined he'd buy her such perfect ring. Any ring he'd gotten would have been perfect, but this was beyond what she could've ever imagined.

"It was yours the moment I saw it." He uttered softly.

"I love it." She replied, tilting her head up to look at him with the smile that wouldn't leave her face.

"You keep that up and your face will freeze that way." He teased.

"Would that be so bad?" She replied happily.

"Maybe not for a while, then it would just creep people out."

She laughed at his retort before her eyes shifted to the ring again. After a moment, he took her hand in his and led her into the dining room. For the first time, she noticed the table that was set elegantly for two.

"Hope you're hungry." He said as he lit a couple more candles on the dining table.

Her eyes shifted from the table setting and back to him, surprised at how beautiful and perfect everything looked. "Did you do all of this?" She asked, standing behind one of the chairs as he lit the candles.

"If I say yes, will it get me laid?"

Cuddy chuckled at his response, holding up her hand and showing him the ring on her finger. "No, this is getting you laid." She answered with a saucy smile.

"Well, will it get me double laid?"

Her smile still in place, she arched her eyebrows as she looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer her question.

"Fine…Wilson set it up."

"When?" She questioned.

"While he was supposed to be working." He answered, before he mockingly gasped, placing his hand up to his mouth. "Don't tell the Dean, she wasn't supposed to know about that."

Cuddy glared playfully at him, a small smile curving her lips.

House smirked at her, tilting his chin in her direction. "So, are you hungry or what?"

"Starving." She told him. "The girls wanted popcorn during the movie, so that was basically my dinner."

"I made sure of it." He told her with a sly smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"You really think all that wasn't a set up to keep you out of the house? That our daughter didn't use her mad skills against you to keep you away?" He responded with a chuckle.

"She…"

"Yep."

"I should've known." She replied dryly, wanting to be surprised but wasn't.

"But you didn't know."

Cuddy shook her head. "You two are too good at this; lying, I mean. You both lied to my face today and I had no idea." She responded as he pulled the chair out for her to take a seat. "I need to keep a closer eye on you two." She added as an afterthought.

"Hey, quit griping, you got a damn ring out it." He snarked, gesturing for her to sit down. "Now, wait here while I dazzle you further with my culinary talents." He added with a wink.

She chuckled. "You cooked for me?" Cuddy asked as she sat down, feeling beyond happy that he had done all of this for her.

"Duh. What the hell kind of proposal would this be if I didn't?" He asked before turning around and making his way into the kitchen, opening the oven to remove their dinner.

As she sat there, she smiled and stared at her ring once again, unable to keep her eyes off of it. She was getting married…to House. She had secretly hoped that someday their relationship would bring them to this point, but she hadn't let herself dream of it because she knew how he felt about marriage. She had been content to live her life by his side, telling herself she didn't need the ring as long as he was there. But deep down, she knew what she wanted, and this was it. Cuddy wanted him to be her husband; she wanted that connection to him. And now she would have it. They would add another layer to their relationship…they already shared a child, and now they would have a marriage. Her smiled widened as she let her mind drift to thoughts of the wedding she would be planning soon.

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Bella and Maya had played in the pool for about an hour before they were called into the house to get showers and get ready for bed. She had never swam at night and it had been tons of fun…she couldn't wait to do it again sometime. As they played, Bella had been able to keep her mind off of the fact that Dad was proposing to Mom at the same time as they were swimming. But now, as they walked into Maya's room to get into bed, she wondered how things were going.

"So, do you think he asked her already?" Maya wondered aloud, hopping onto her bed.

"Yeah…at least I hope so." Bella answered with a smile. "I can't wait to see the ring on her finger. It was soooo pretty in the box when my Dad showed it to me after he bought it. I know it's gonna look great on her."

"I think so too." Maya replied with a smile as well.

Bella climbed onto Maya's bed as well, sitting beside her as they pulled the covers up over their bodies, laying their heads down on their pillows.

"So when are you going tell me about what you used to do before you were adopted?" Maya asked tentatively. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok. But I don't want you to tell nobody else, ok? I just want _you_ to know for now."

"Your parents know, right?"

"Yeah. They helped me through a lot of it."

Maya nodded in acceptance of Bella's terms. "I promise I won't tell anybody."

"Ok." Bella answered in a whisper. She sighed softly, readying herself to tell a long tale to her friend. "Well, you know my real parents died, but I didn't tell you that I had a brother that died too." Bella started, keeping her voice down to a whisper. She wasn't going to tell Maya the gory details of what she had been through, because that wasn't something she needed her to know. But she would tell her about part of the time she had spent in New York.

She started with telling her about how she and Mattie had stayed in a foster home before they ran away to live in New York and that that was where she had learned a lot about surviving on her own. She told her about Mattie and everything he had taught her before getting to the part she hated to tell.

"And so one day Mattie got in trouble with some people and they killed him."

Maya dropped her jaw in disbelief and sadness. "I'm really sorry, Bella. I can't believe that happened to you."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, me neither. It seems weird, you know? Like it happened so long ago but it didn't really."

Maya nodded in understanding. "So what did you do after your brother died?" She asked solemnly.

"I don't really remember what I did for a long time. I must've just wandered around, not really doing anything. I was so shocked that he was gone and scared that I was left by myself, I guess I was dazed and don't remember much."

"God…that's awful." Maya remarked in a soft tone. "But I'm glad you found your way here and you have a family now. You got a happy ending." She added with a smile.

Bella smiled as well, nodding her head. "Yeah…I really I did." She stated happily. Maya was right; Bella _had_ gotten a happy ending. Now she had a family and some really great friends that she could have fun with and talk to. Bella was glad that she had a best friend like Maya to tell all of this to. She was understanding and didn't treat her like she felt sorry for her. A year ago, Bella had no idea what she was going to do or how the rest of her life was going to turn out. All she knew was that she was alone and there was no one left to take care of her. And then she found Mom and Dad. Now they were going to get married…she had a family again. She was finally happy.

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10:58 PM

House and Cuddy were sitting in the bathtub together, surrounded by bubbles. The room was alight with the orange glow from the candles House had arranged around the room, giving it a warm and romantic setting, just as he had done in the other rooms of the house. He knew she had been tired and stressed today so when he got home he had added one more piece to the romantic evening he had planned for them. He wanted her relaxed and happy, not stressed over her day. House gently caressed his hands over her soapy arms, moving them up to her shoulders and massaging the tense muscles there. She sighed contentedly and dropped her head forward, allowing him to reach the muscles in her neck as well. Her hair was pulled up, a few small curls escaping the clasp holding it up.

"Mm, that feels really good, House." She murmured.

House smiled and continued his massage. He enjoyed listening to the sighs and pleasurable moans that escaped her lips as he ran his fingers over her tight muscles. After several minutes of his massage, he dipped his head and placed a soft kiss to her neck before slipping his hands down her arms and reaching for her hands, interlacing their fingers and crossing their arms over her chest, pulling her back into him. Cuddy leaned her head back on his shoulder and House placed a kiss at her temple.

"This is so relaxing. Thank you, House, I really needed this." She whispered.

"I know. You were stressed today."

"Yeah." She agreed with a sigh. "I don't know what happened, but after lunch my day just went down hill."

"And back up, I hope." He replied with a small smile, his lips brushing over her cheek as he referred to the evening they were enjoying.

He saw her smile and felt her nod against him. "Definitely. You think you could present me with jewelry every time I have a bad day at work?" She asked with a chuckle.

"I knew you only wanted me for my money."

"I thought I made that clear from the start?"

"No, you said you only wanted me for sex." He corrected.

"Oh that's right." She responded. "Well, just to be clear, since you proposed, I'll only marry you for your money."

"Gold digger." He accused, speaking softly into her ear before moving his lips to her neck once more as he began kissing his way down to her shoulder.

She laughed, her eyes closing against the feel of his lips on her skin. He released her hands, caressing his way gently up and down her arms. Cuddy turned her head and House brought his lips to hers in a searing kiss, his tongue moving into her mouth. Cuddy brought her hand up to the nape of his neck, pulling him closer to her as he moved his arms around her once more, embracing her tightly.

Cuddy pulled back, looking into his eyes with a smile on her lips. "You looked very handsome in your suit tonight." She whispered before dropping another kiss on his lips.

He smirked at her. "I'm surprised you even noticed since your eyes were on that ring the whole time." He teased, gently touching the ring on her finger.

"Shut up. Have you seen this thing? It's brighter than the sun; it drew me in." She defended, a smirk forming on her lips as she held her hand up to show him the ring.

House released a laugh into the side of her face, his nose gently caressing her cheek before placing a kiss there. "This is powerful knowledge." He commented. "So all I have to do to distract you is show you a shiny object?"

She glared at him playfully. "Is that what this was? A distraction so you could secretly wreak havoc at my hospital or…."

"Oh shut up." He cut her off, tilting her chin up with his finger and capturing her lips once more. She laughed against his lips as he kissed her.

Pulling back, she smiled up at him, shifting her position in the tub so that she could see his face properly. "You looked really nervous before, were you afraid I'd say no?"

His smile fell slightly as he shook his head. "No. I knew you'd say yes. I guess I just…" He started before he paused, not knowing how to explain why he was so nervous.

She watched him silently, giving him time to form his answer into the words he needed. "All day I was nervous as hell…even at lunch." He explained.

"It didn't show." She informed him.

"I figured, since you would've hounded me endlessly about it, if it had."

Cuddy nodded in agreement, her smile returning. "The motorcycle ride was a good call. It calmed you a little didn't it?"

House shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a little." He replied, shaking his head before continuing. "I've never been that nervous in my life, Cuddy." He confessed.

Cuddy turned around to face him completely, the water sloshing around the tub a bit before she settled herself in front of him. She brought her hand up to his face, gently running her thumb over his lips as her fingers caressed his scruffy jaw. She looked deeply into his eyes as if she were trying to pull the answer out of his mind. "You were taking a huge step forward in your life…in our lives together, in our relationship. That's a valid reason to feel nervous." She told him softly, adding a smile to her statement. "I'm glad you did it." Cuddy finished.

House smiled, nodding in agreement. After a moment, he leaned in and kissed her again, and at the same time, pulled her closer to him so that she was straddling his legs. Cuddy brought her arms around his neck as she returned his kiss. House stroked his hands over her back and down her hips and finally rested them on her thighs. He felt her shiver and he knew she was cold since most of her upper body was out of the water now. Moving his hands over her hips and butt, he brought her closer to him before he pulled back from their kiss. "What do you say we take this somewhere dryer and warmer?" He suggested in a whisper.

She smiled at him and nodded her head in agreement, shifting off of his lap and stepping out of the tub. They quickly dried themselves off before House wrapped his arms around her and walked her backwards out of the bathroom and into their bedroom.

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8:45 AM – Saturday – The Next Day

Using her key, Bella barreled through the front door of her home after being dropped off by Maya's mom. She was anxious to see Mom with the engagement ring on her finger. When she came in the house, she thought her parents would hear her enter and come greet her at the door, but the house was quiet and there seemed to be no one home. Mom's car was out front so Bella knew she had to be home. She looked in the living room, dining room and kitchen. The rose petals were still strewn all over the floor and the table was still set up in the dining room and the kitchen was a slight mess from their dinner last night; but she saw no sign of her parents.

She decided they must still be in bed. Bella made her way to their bedroom, but not before dropping her stuff into her own room. The door to their bedroom was closed so she knew that's where they were. She hoped she wasn't about to walk in on them having sex. She didn't know all the specifics of sex, but she was sure she didn't want to see it happening. She shuddered at the thought.

Bella didn't hear anything on the other side of the door, so she knocked lightly, getting no response. She tried again, louder this time, and decided to call out to them.

"Mom, Dad."

Nothing.

"Mommy….Daddy." She called louder, another knock accompanying it.

Finally she heard shuffling beyond the door. "Just a minute, baby." She heard Mom's muffled, sleepy voice coming through the door. A moment later, the door opened to reveal Mom in her robe and Dad still in bed, half asleep.

"You're home early." Mom remarked with a sleepy smile, happy to see her.

"I wanted to come home to see you and Daddy…and the ring." Bella told her, adding the last part with an excited smile on her face as she shifted her eyes to try and get a glimpse of Mom's hand.

Mom laughed softly and held her right hand out to Bella, leading her into the room and keeping her left hand concealed behind her back.

"Come sit down." Mom told her.

Mom and Bella sat on her side of the bed as Dad turned over onto his side, his arm curled under his head, with a smirk on his face. Bella's excitement was barely contained, she wanted to jump up and down on the bed, but she didn't. She was becoming impatient and she looked up at Mom expectantly.

"Come on, show me!" She urged, finally giving in to her excitement as she began bouncing up and down on the edge of the mattress.

Mom let a chuckle slip past her lips before she revealed her left hand to Bella, the ring on her finger shining brighter than the sun. Bella's smile widened as she saw how beautiful the ring looked on her finger.

"Holy shi-…crap!" She exclaimed, correcting the swear word that nearly came out of her mouth.

Mom's eyes shifted between amusement and disapproval at what nearly came out of Bella's mouth and Dad stifled a laugh as he watched from his position on the bed behind them. Bella looked up at Mom sheepishly. "Sorry, Mom, but it's so beautiful on you. I didn't mean to swear, I swear." She told her, her excitement still present.

"There's a contradiction." Dad uttered, his voice still husky from sleep. "We're going start charging a fee every time a swear word comes out of that mouth of yours." He warned. "Intentional or not…got it?"

Bella nodded. "Sorry."

Dad nodded, accepting her apology. "Now come give me a hug before I get insulted that all you care about is that ring." He replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Bella crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Our plan worked." She told him with pride in her tone.

He gave her a slight nod in agreement, a smile on his lips. "You did a great job deceiving your mother, peanut." He responded, placing a kiss to her forehead.

Bella giggled at his words.

"Hey, I'm watching you two closely from now on. I can't have you conspiring against me." Mom interjected.

"You got an engagement ring, didn't you? When we conspire against you, it's for your own good, Mom." Bella told her, leaning up against the headboard until she was sitting cross-legged on the bed between her parents.

Dad looked over at Mom with an 'I told you so' expression and Bella shifted her eyes back to Mom to see her reaction.

"Right." Mom responded, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Then next time you conspire against me I expect jewelry out of it, understood?"

Bella shifted her eyes to Dad's in time to see him roll his eyes in response. "Dad did a good job picking out the ring, didn't he?" Bella asked Mom, changing the subject as she gently ran her finger of the ring and glanced up at her briefly before shifting her eyes back to the ring.

"He did." Mom agreed, as Bella looked up at her once more after hearing her response and seeing her eyes shift to Dad's with a smile on her lips and love in her eyes.

Bella sat up and wrapped her arms around Mom's neck. "I'm so excited you're getting married! When is the wedding?" She asked eagerly.

Mom laughed and looked over at Dad once more as she wrapped her arms around Bella. "We haven't set a date yet, baby, but we will soon. Ok?"

"Ok. I can't wait!"

"I think she's more excited that we're getting married than you are, Cuddy." Dad snarked.

"Shut up." Mom replied with an eye roll. "I think we need to get up, clean the mess in the kitchen and make breakfast."

"You want to clean up a mess before we make another mess?" Dad asked, rolling over onto his back.

"Yes. And since you're the one that made the mess, I think you should be the one to clean it up."

"I made the mess for you, so you should clean it up." Dad retorted.

"I already ate breakfast so I'm going to go outside and play." Bella interjected before they decided to bring her into it. She started to move off the bed when suddenly Dad grabbed her by her shoulders and flung her back against him and began tickling her. Bella screamed as she started laughing at his assault.

"I think this one should clean up the mess since she's the one that had the idea that I cook for Mommy in the first place." He said as he continued to tickle Bella.

Bella kicked her legs, trying to free herself from his grasp and the assault on her tickle spots.

"Careful of Daddy's leg, baby." Mom told her as she looked on with a smile on her face.

"I can't help it, make him stoooop!" She said through her laughter. "Help me!" She added, unable to control her laughter.

Bella reached for Mom's hand so she could pull her away from Dad and his vicious tickling skills. Mom took her hand and pulled her away from Daddy but he grabbed onto Bella's foot and continued with his assault. Her feet were the most ticklish part of her, even more than her ribs, so she screamed in protest causing him to laugh at her as he held on to her foot.

"Say you'll clean up the mess and I'll stop." Dad told her.

"Nooo!" She laughed, grabbing onto Mom for all she was worth as she tried to pull her foot out of his grasp.

"Say it." He told her again.

"Noooooooo! I won't say it!" She screamed again.

"House, you can't make her clean it alone." Mom interjected through her own laughter as she watched them.

"Say it!" Dad repeated, ignoring what Mom had said.

"No way!" Bella said once more through her laughter." "Mommy said you can't make me!"

"She doesn't mean it…say it!" He continued.

"Mom, help me!"

Mom laughed as she tried once more to free Bella from Dad's ticklish fingers.

"All you have to do is say…'Yes, Daddy, I will clean up your mess.'" He told her.

"No." She shook her head, now laughing as hard she could, causing tears to run down her cheeks.

"Come on, you can make it stop, just say it."

"N-nooo." She insisted, almost out of breath.

Finally, Dad gave up and released his hold on her foot. Bella scrambled onto Mom's lap, still laughing her head off.

"Fine. I admire your strength under torture and for that I reward you with the task of cleaning up the kitchen." He said with a smirk on his face.

"No way!" She protested, her laughter having died at his words. "I should get a real reward…like, money!" Bella told him amidst a chuckle.

"Pffft." He scoffed. "I bought you a cell phone, what else do you want?"

Mom snapped her head in Dad's direction, obviously surprised at that news. "You bought her a cell phone? When was this and why didn't I know about it?"

Dad turned his head to face Mom. Bella stayed quiet, unsure if they were about to have an argument.

"About a week ago and you didn't know because if I told you, you wouldn't have been surprised about my proposal."

"Why did she need a cell phone for that?"

"I had my reasons." Dad answered with a smirk.

"House…"

"I think she should keep it." He interrupted her protest before glancing at Bella. "_For emergencies only_." He stressed.

Bella shifted her eyes between them.

Mom sighed softly before nodding her head in agreement. "Ok, she can keep it. You're right, it's a good idea for her to have it in case she needs to contact us in an emergency."

Dad nodded before shifting his eyes to Bella again. "You understand you're only supposed to use it to call your Mom and me, right? It's not to be used to make any other phone calls except emergency calls. You ok with that, kiddo?"

Bella nodded in answer to his question. "Yeah."

"Also, you should know I'm keeping track of your minutes, so no calling or texting your boyfriend and talking into the wee hours of the night." He snarked.

Mom chuckled at him and Bella rolled her eyes. "Dad, I don't have a boyfriend." She pointed out.

"Good to know, and that rule extends until you move out of the house for college."

"House, she's nine, enjoy the boy-_free_ years while you can and we'll make rules for the boy_friend_ years later." Mom told him.

"Yeah, Dad, and besides who said I'm leaving home for college? I could just stay here and live with you forever." Bella interjected, drawing a laugh from Mom and a glare from Dad.

"Sure…let's see if you're still singing that tune when the time comes. You'll be wanting to get the hell out as fast as you can."

"Hey, I don't want to talk about that yet." Mom replied. "We just got her, we don't need to think about that." She added, pulling Bella into a hug and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Bella smiled and hugged her mother tightly, not wanting to think about leaving either. Her second chance was still too new to think about giving it up already.

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2:00 PM – Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City – One Week Later

Bella walked hand in hand with Mom as Dad walked beside them, making their way through the cemetery to get to Mattie's grave. They had talked to Max about finding which cemetery Mattie was buried in and it had taken them some time to find the correct grave. There were records that they had to locate in order to find him; Bella didn't really understand every detail behind it, she was just glad that they had found him. She trusted Mom and Dad to take care of it and they had been awesome in helping her find where Mattie was so that she could visit him.

Bella, Mom and Dad had talked some more about moving him, and they said it could be done, but that they had to get permission from a lot of people to dig up his body and move him. Bella was fine with that as long as the end result got her what she wanted, which was to have him buried with her real Mom and Dad or at least close by.

Now, as they walked up to the place where Mattie was buried, Bella noticed a small grave marker with a number and the date of his death. She felt sad that that was the only thing that was marking where her brother lay. There was no name there. No one knew that this was her brother's final resting place. The last time she had seen him, he was lying in an alley covered in blood. And now he was buried deep in the ground and was probably just bones. That thought brought sudden tears to Bella's eyes. She allowed them to silently fall as she bowed her head in sorrow. Her parents stood beside her, much like they had done when she visited her real parents a few weeks ago. A moment later she sniffed, bringing to her parent's attention that she was crying.

Mom quickly took action, bending down next to her to look into her eyes. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry." She told Bella softly.

At Mom's sorrowful tone, Bella suddenly broke down, her tears flowing freely now from her eyes. Bella felt Dad's hand as he laid it gently on top of her head, moving in closer to embrace her. Mom knelt down before Bella, taking her into her arms.

In Bella's other hand, she had been holding a plastic bag containing a painting she had made for Mattie. Bella let it fall softly to the ground as she quickly wound her arms around Mom's neck, crying onto her shoulder. Bella couldn't stop thinking that all that was left of her brother were a bunch of bones. After a moment, she pulled away from Mom's shoulder and looked at the grave marker again.

"He's just bones now." She said through her tears, wiping at her eyes. "That's all." She added before a small sob escaped her lips.

Mom took Bella's face in her hands and shifted her gaze from the grave to Mom's eyes.

"He's more than that to you, Bella. You have your memories of him, you have the DVDs so you can hear his voice and see his smile, you have his belongings that he left behind so that you could look at them and think of him. The photos of him in your family album are there to remind you of all of the memories you two shared together. He's so much more than just bones. Don't look at that little grave marker and picture what he is physically; just picture all of the times he teased you and all of the times he made you smile and laugh because of something he said or did, ok? You have to think of the good times."

Bella nodded as she listened to what Mom was telling her, her tears still streaming down her face. Dad tightened his arm that had wound around her in an embrace, but he kept silent, reassuring her by letting her hold on to him.

"Ok." She replied softly through her tears.

Mom nodded, winding her arms around Bella once more. Bella laid her head on her shoulder as her tears began to subside. After a moment of silence between them, Bella heard Dad finally speak up.

"Talk to him, peanut." He encouraged her softly.

Bella lifted her head and looked up at him before nodding. "Ok."

Mom stood up, moving aside so Bella could talk to her brother. Bella picked up the bag she had dropped on the ground earlier and took a small step forward. She took in a deep sigh and sniffed, once more wiping the tears from her eyes before opening her mouth to speak.

"Hi, Mattie." She began in a quiet voice. "I brought you something." Bella told him, kneeling down and carefully removing the painting from the bag and holding it in both hands before she gently set it down against the grave marker.

"It's just a painting I made for you so people will know that this is where you are." She told him, sniffing once again. "It's a painting of you…sort of. I still need practice at painting people but it still looks like you." She assured him with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll cover it up so it won't get wet if it rains. And I'll bring it when we move you over to where Mom and Dad are."

Bella was silent for a few moments, listening to the birds singing and flying overhead in the warmth of the day and the lawn mowers in the distance as the caretakers of the property maintained the area, as well as the general buzz of a bustling city. She sighed after another moment before whispering softly to him. "I miss you, Matthew." She mumbled.

"Remember how I told you about my new family that time in the alley? They're my new Mom and Dad now…just like our Mom and Dad were. They adopted me, Mattie. I wish you were here so they could be your family too. They would've loved you a lot…just like they love me."

Bella looked up at Mom and Dad with a tiny smile. "Say hi." She told them, just as she had asked them with her parents. Bella didn't expect Dad to say anything but she knew Mom would, so she was surprised when Dad spoke up, drawing a grateful smile from her.

"Hey, kid." He said simply before Mom spoke up as well.

"Hi, Mattie. Bella's right, we would have loved you as much as we love her. We promise to take care of her. She's told us what a wonderful big brother you were…she misses you so much." Mom told Mattie.

Bella smiled, grateful to her parents for being there with her and allowing her to do this so that she could finally leave her terrible memories where they belonged and look forward to the future she was lucky enough to be offered. Talking to Mattie like this was helping, even though he was nothing but bones several feet under the ground; but as Mom had pointed out, Bella still had an abundance of great memories to recall when she thought of him.

Bella sighed, finally feeling like she could move on with her life. "Bye, Mattie. I'll always remember you." She told him softly before she looked up at her parents once more. "I'm ready to go now." Bella told them.

"Ok." Mom replied, taking Bella's hand in hers.

They turned around and walked back the way they had come, leaving Mattie's body behind in the cemetery, but not his memory. He would always be remembered by Bella, and even by those that hadn't known him while he was alive, but knew him by her stories. He had been a remarkable young man who had lost his life too soon. He had been an annoying brother, a goofy show off, a musician, a writer, and a protector. He had been Bella's only friend when she needed one and the only person she could trust and count on in the world when their parents were gone. He was stubborn and sometimes stupid, but he was first and foremost, Matthew Evan Porter, her brother.


	61. Chapter 60

**Epilogue**

6:45 PM – Three Weeks Later

"Mom can I have one of those big pretzels?" Bella asked as she and Mom walked down the mall corridor, passing a pretzel stand that smelled absolutely delicious.

"Baby, we're meeting your Dad in the food court in half an hour for dinner."

"Please? I like the cinnamon and sugar ones." Bella begged.

"No. You don't need that much sugar this late in the day."

Bella sighed in disappointment as they walked into a shoe store. They were shopping for Bella's school clothes and a few other necessities. School started in a week and she would be attending the 4th grade along with her friends after having passed the placement test a few weeks ago. Bella was excited and slightly nervous about her first day. Even though she had attended for a few weeks in the spring semester, she still felt nervous because she would be participating completely. Last time she was only observing, now she was a student. She hadn't been a real student in over two years.

After spending a few minutes in the store and finding nothing that Bella liked, they made their way up to the food court to meet Dad for dinner. As they approached the table in the center of the court, Bella spotted him waiting for them with a bored expression on his face. She hadn't seen him since that morning at home, so she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, as he remained seated.

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, peanut. I see you and your Mom have only managed to buy out half of the mall. You think if I give you more time, you two could manage to buy the entire thing?"

"Probably." She told him with certainty, placing a kiss on his cheek as Mom walked up to them.

"Hey, hot momma." He greeted Mom with a smirk.

"Hey, hot daddy." She quipped, leaning down and placing a kiss on his lips.

"Dad, did you fix your patient today?" Bella asked, knowing he'd been working hard to help a sick little boy for the past week.

"Maybe. We put him on a new treatment that might work." He answered.

Bella nodded in understanding.

Mom sat down beside them and glanced at Bella. "Honey, what do you want for dinner?"

"Ummm…Pizza."

"You know that if you get pizza you have to have at least two different kinds of vegetables, right?"

"I already had vegetables today." She groused.

Mom rolled her eyes. "French fries are not vegetables." She told Bella.

"Fine…I'll eat a salad with it." Bella offered.

Mom nodded, satisfied with her decision. "What about you, House, what do you want?"

"Big, juicy, cheesy, heart attack inducing burger. Don't worry, my salad will be on the bun." He snarked.

Mom shook her head in disapproval. "They're your arteries, clog them if you want to." She responded.

"How come I can't clog _my_ arteries?" Bella asked, wondering why Dad didn't have to eat something semi-healthy.

"Because you're 9, and I'm your mother, I get to tell you what to eat until your 18." She replied with a chuckle.

Bella glared at her playfully. "Fine. Then can I go get my pizza by myself?"

"Sure. Go get my burger too, while you're at it." Dad answered, shooing her off his lap and tapping her on the butt while pointing her in the general direction of where he wanted her to get his burger.

Bella turned around and groused, holding her hand out to him. "I need money, Daddy. They won't just give it to me. I mean, I know I'm cute, but I don't think I'm that cute."

Mom laughed at her comment, and shifted her gaze to Dad.

"Sure you are, just go bat your girly eyelashes and they'll give you anything you want. I'm pretty sure you've used that tactic before, huh?"

"Not anymore." Mom replied, staring at Dad expectantly.

"What?" He asked her.

"She needs money." She replied.

"So give her some."

"She's your daughter too. I paid for her clothes."

Dad rolled his eyes and dug his wallet out of his pocket, fished inside and pulled a ten-dollar bill out of it. "I want my change."

Bella snatched the money, a smirk playing on her lips.

She ran off to get her pizza and by the time she returned, she had a tray with a single slice of cheese pizza, a side salad and a can of Coke. Dad was still sitting at the table, saving their spot while Mom was off getting their food. After a few minutes, she returned and sat on Bella's right as Dad was sitting across from her. Bella looked down at Mom's left hand as she handed Dad his food and noticed the engagement ring on her finger that Dad had given her a few weeks ago. It was beautiful and Bella had been having a hard time keeping her eyes off of it ever since she had first seen it. Mostly because of what it meant and partly because of it's beauty. The significance of it was more important, and is what made Bella the happiest when she saw it. It symbolized family to her. It meant the world to Bella to know that what she had now in her life, after losing so much, was a second chance with a family she loved more than anything.

Bella didn't take them for granted. She couldn't afford to, not after what life had dealt her in the past. She tried not to go a day without telling her parents how much she loved them because she never knew what the next day would bring. God forbid she lost them, like she did her real parents and Mattie, but no one ever really knew what was going to happen from one moment to the next. Life was fragile and Bella had learned that the hard way. In one single moment, she lost both of her parents and in another moment a year later, she lost her brother and the only person she had left in the world. No, she couldn't afford to take her new family for granted…not ever.

Bella smiled happily to herself as she watched her parents talk to each other about their day, seeing how much they truly did love each other by the way they looked at one another. Shifting her eyes to her food, she picked up her pizza and took a bite, enjoying the time she was spending with her family.

After dinner, they wandered down the corridors looking for another shoe store for Bella. She needed some new tennis shoes for school and so far they hadn't had any luck finding any she liked. Dad was bored, she could tell, but she held on to his left hand as they looked around while Mom was stuck carrying the shopping bags. As they strolled together, Bella suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, feeling that where they were at the moment, was familiar to her somehow. Bella looked at her surroundings wondering why this place was familiar. Suddenly she released Dad's hand and stopped in the middle of the corridor, causing someone behind her to nearly bump into her. She got a none too friendly comment from them as they passed by but she barely heard them.

Her parents had both turned around, noticing the moment she stopped and were watching her stare over at an empty bench a few feet away.

"I think the kid has the right idea, let's pull up a bench and sit down for a few minutes." Dad said, making his way to the place she was staring so intently and rubbing his leg as he sat down. Suddenly Bella turned around and looked up, noticing a fancy clothing store, a shoes store, a bookstore, and a baby clothes store; and now she knew why this place was familiar.

"Mom." She said softly, looking up at her as Mom watched her curiously.

"Are you ok, sweetie?"

"Mom, this is the place."

"What place?"

"Where I first saw you. Where I took your purse, remember?"

Mom arched her brows and looked around, realizing she was right. "Oh my god."

"That's where I first saw you. You were going into that baby store, remember?" Bella told her, pointing her finger in that direction.

Mom nodded her head, seeing the store Bella was talking about. Bella took Mom's hand as they both looked to the spot where they had first 'met'. It seemed like so long ago, but it didn't, at the same time. They had been through a lot.

"Mom." Bella began softly, looking up at her.

"Yeah, baby."

"I'm glad I stole your purse that day." She told her mother with a smile on her face.

Mom chuckled, nodding her head in agreement. "Me too."

Bella held her smile, thinking back to the day she had entered the mall; she was dirty, hungry, and searching for shelter. After leaving New York behind, she had planned on making her way to her old home, to Trenton. She didn't know what she was going to do when she got there, but she couldn't stay in New York anymore, there were too many bad memories since Mattie was dead. She had to try to continue her life in a place where she had good memories, because good memories were the only thing she had left. So she had decided to make her way to the last home she was happy in, even though it didn't exist anymore. All she wanted was a home again; she wanted a family again. She never expected to find it, but to her surprise, the home she found didn't end up being where she had thought. It was even better.

**The End**

**I can't believe we've come to the end of this story. It's been so much fun writing it and I want to thank each and every person that took the time to read it. Thank you to everyone that reviewed, story alerted, author alerted and favorite author/storied this thing. You guys are incredible and I never imagined that so many people would like it…I didn't even think anyone would read it when I first started. It's been a long journey for me and I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have. Just as a heads-up, I'm pretty sure this isn't the last you'll be reading about Bella, House and Cuddy. I have a few thoughts brewing in my head. Thanks a million, guys. Until next time!**


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